Davies had ceased believing in buried treasure at a very early age and his skepticism had included such related items as Ancient and Forgotten Documents and Perilous Voyages in search of it.
'False Alarm' is a puzzle-for-spacemen* story that holds more emotional significance than the usual clockworky, surprise-ending thing of its kind. Professor Davies, a philologist seconded to the A-Drive spaceship Hannibal, must extract vital data from the ET base left abandoned in Titan's methane snowbanks. But there "was no Rosetta Stone to help him here (and) he had come nine million miles to rummage in an alien wastepaper basket."
*Taken from John Brunner's 'Puzzle For Spacemen' (New Worlds, October 1955)
In magazines
| Title | Published as | Language | Editor | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New Worlds 61, July 1957 | English | John Carnell | July 1957 | |
|
Häpna!, January 1962 | Falskt alarm | Swedish | Kjell Ekström | January 1962 |
In James White's books
| Title | Type | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Futures Past | Collection | 1982 |
NEW WORLDS No 61,July 1957
Publication History: Futures Past
ISFDB title record (CC BY 4.0).