Open Prison/Escape Orbit

Open Prison (Four Square, 1965)/The Escape Orbit (Ace, 1965)

Words: 58000 

"Take the problem of what to do with captured prisoners-of-war when they do not breathe the same atmosphere as you do, and the chances are you'll come up with the answer: put them on a planet where they can breathe; leave a satellite monitor to see that they don't try to escape and leave them to their own resources" (from Tom Boardman, Jr.'s introduction to the Four Square edition).  Some prisoners plot escape; others just till their plots of land.  The newly arrived Sector Marshall must avert a pointless civil war.  Starship Troopers was nothing like this, I'm happy to say.

Synopsis by Graham Andrews.

First Publication:

NEW WORLDS Nos 139-141, February to April 1964

First Book publication:

Ace F-317, 40 cents, US title The Escape Orbit, October 1964 

Publication History:

Four-Square No 1228, 3/6d, April 1965 (Open Prison)

Corgi No 0-552-08591-X, 4/-, December 1970 (O.P)

Ace Books reprint, ISBN 0-441-21590-4, April 1983 (E.O.) 

Foreign Publication:

URANIA No 355, lire 200,October 1964 as Partenza da Zero

TERRA UTOPISCHE ROMANE No 107, DM2.40, March 1966 as Gefangnis im All

Edicao Livres da Brasil, mid 1972 as Prisao Aberta 

URANIA No 756, lire 880, 27/8/78 as Partenza da Zero 

UTOPIS No 23, Erich P  abel, DM480, November 1980 as Gefangnis im All