| I cut my teeth at an early age on books by such | | | | earth-like orbit around the sun and is conveniently |
| noted authors as Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein, | | | | terran in nature of gravity, atmosphere, and climate. |
| Isaac Asimov, E.E. "Doc" Smith and his Skylark of | | | | In After Worlds Collide, two American ships land on |
| Valeron series, and many more. | | | | Bronson Beta, although they are separated from |
| I read the books discussed here when I was a | | | | each other and lose contact. A British ship crashes |
| pre-teen, and was actually disappointed in the 1951 | | | | into a lake on the new planet, and the survivors are |
| movie when I saw it in the 1970's, so bear with me if | | | | captured by The Dominion of Asian Realists, which |
| I get any details wrong. | | | | consist of Russians, Japanese, and Germans who |
| When Worlds Collide and After Worlds Collide were | | | | have managed to make it to the new world also. |
| written in the 1930's by Philip Gordon Wylie and Edwin | | | | How appropriate of a combination seeing as how |
| Balmer, the science of rocketry was still pretty new. | | | | WWII was a few years away for most of the world |
| The book When Worlds Collide details the trials and | | | | at that time. (Japan had taken control of China way |
| triumphs of a coalition of American scientists and | | | | before WWII for the rest of us) |
| civilians as they struggle to build a space ark to carry | | | | The book tells of the Americans struggle to survive, |
| survivors of the human race to Bronson Beta, a | | | | and their finding the remains of cities and |
| companion planet to Bronson Alpha, which is on a | | | | technologies of the advanced race which apparently |
| collision course with the earth. They believe Bronson | | | | wasn't advanced enough and must have died off |
| Beta will take on a stable orbit around the sun and | | | | when their world was ejected from their native solar |
| that it will be an earth-like planet with an oxygen | | | | system. (Who could survive their oxygen atmosphere |
| atmosphere. | | | | freezing solid in the cold depths of space anyhow?) |
| The collision will demolish the earth and wipe it from | | | | The alien technology is integral to their fight against |
| existence. Time is running out, the planet earth and | | | | the tyranny of the dominion. The Americans and |
| its people are suffering from terrible weather, panic, | | | | freedom prevailed, the British were freed, and the |
| and earthquakes from the tidal stresses as the much | | | | book ended with someone being pregnant, so you |
| larger Bronson Alpha approaches earth. The coalition | | | | knew they would make a go of it. |
| of scientists and civilians struggle together to build 2 | | | | It was a wonderful story for a young boy with a |
| spaceships to land on Bronson Beta, and must work | | | | vivid imagination and space adventures in mind to |
| through mutiny, earthquakes, and more as they | | | | enjoy and feel a part of. |
| struggle to finish in time. The arks take off as the | | | | I would hope that any movie remake would be more |
| earth is being destroyed. | | | | to the book story line, and that they would follow |
| Other countries have also built ships to voyage to | | | | with After Worlds Collide as a sequel to it. |
| the new world, which in fact does assume an | | | | |