Pogo Planet by Donald A. Wollheim
Ajax Calkins secretly journeys to newly discovered Midplanet, hoping to become its first explorer and emperor. Though his ship crashes into a swamp, he discovers that the planet’s darkness is caused by an outer atmospheric gas that absorbs incoming light while trapping warmth and illumination beneath it. Claiming the land for himself, Ajax crosses its cracked green-clay plain toward what appears to be a city. He finds and accidentally activates a powered mechanical pogo stick, the local means of travel over the creviced terrain. Unable to control it, he is thrown into the midst of kangaroo-like Midplanetarians, who capture him and carry him to their city. There he meets Nadia Landor, an Earth woman from an Official I. U. Expedition that has already arrived, destroying Ajax’s hopes of being first. Nadia explains that their captors are intelligent kangaroo people and introduces Bosco, a gigantic intelligent flea held prisoner by them. Using Ajax’s para-ray to disable a guard, Nadia and Ajax escape on Bosco’s back. Kangaroo pursuers follow on steam-powered giant pogos across the broken landscape. As Bosco tires, Ajax directs him toward the swamp where his ship crashed. Bosco makes a tremendous leap across it, but the pursuing pogos cannot stop or jump far enough; they plunge into the gummy swamp and become trapped. Ajax and Nadia reach safety, but his attempt to offer her both his heart and Midplanet fails when she reveals that she has a husband waiting at her expedition’s spaceship. Ajax’s own ship has sunk completely into the swamp, leaving them to walk to Nadia’s craft.
By Donald A. Wollheim · First published 1942 · Genre: Science Fiction, Comic Science Fiction, Planetary Romance · 3,694 words
First lines
Introducing that modest little superman, that shrinking / violet of destiny, Ajax Calkins, and a world where you / had to hop, in some way, to get where you wanted to go!
As my ship hit the darkness that was the outer atmosphere of Midplanet, I thrilled to the thought that I, Ajax Calkins, had at last achieved my rightful place among the pioneers of space. Even when my ship bounced on the green soil, flew end over end upwards to come down ka-plunk in the wrong side of a gooey thick swamp, I exulted that I was the first in possession of a major planet that had been overlooked by the rest of the interplanetary crowd.
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Genres
- Science Fiction — The story centers on interplanetary travel, an undiscovered planet, speculative atmospheric science, alien species, advanced weapons, and unusual transportation technology.
- Comic Science Fiction — Its science-fiction premise is treated humorously through Ajax Calkins's inflated narration, disastrous exploration, absurd powered pogo sticks, giant fleas, and an ironic ending.
- Planetary Romance — The plot follows a lone Earth adventurer landing on a strange inhabited world, encountering exotic societies and creatures, and pursuing conquest, escape, and romance.
- Adventure Fiction — Ajax faces a crash landing, hostile capture, dangerous terrain, an escape on a giant flea, and a high-speed pursuit across an alien landscape.
Tags
science fiction · juvenile fiction · space adventure · alien planet · interplanetary travel · exploration · young protagonists · extraterrestrial life · future society · rocket ships · planetary adventure · cosmic mystery
What this Textopian page supports
Pogo Planet is listed on Textopian as a short story by Donald A. Wollheim, dated 1942 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Donald A. Wollheim
- Date: 1942 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Science Fiction, Comic Science Fiction, Planetary Romance, Adventure Fiction, Satire
- Length: 3,694 words
- Structure: 1 section, 74 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Pogo Planet by Donald A. Wollheim
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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