Book Description

Galactic Derelict (1959) is the second SF novel in the Time Traders series, following The Time Traders. In the previous volume, Ross Murdoch was stalked by the Baldies, but he used pain and determination to break their hold on his mind. Then he bodily fought against a Baldy assailant and wrestled one of the alien handguns from him.Major Kelgarries and another American rescued him from the ancient beach and carried him back to the submarine. There his wounds were treated and he was laid in a bunk next to Ashe. His partner then told him of the next project through time.Twelve thousand years ago, ancestors of the Amerindians came across the Bering Straits to this continent. They spread south and encountered other sapient beings. The Folsom Man tribes had been in the land long before these newcomers, hunting mammoth, giant bison, cave bear, and Alaskan lion.The more primitive humanoids fell before the more highly evolved and better equipped Amerindians. For millennia, the Amerindians ruled both North and South America. Then the white eyes came and conquered them.The last holdouts among the indian tribes were the Chiricahua Apaches. The Apaches were the most warlike of the tribes and the Chiricahua were the most warlike among the Apaches. The Chiricahuas were finally defeated with the capture of Geronimo in 1886.In this novel, Travis Fox is a descendant of these Apaches. His friend Chato is an old man whose grandfather was born among those holdouts in a hidden canyon about 120 years before. Travis has long wished to combine the lore of his ancestors with the knowledge of the white men, but then he is fired from an important archaeological expedition because of the prejudice of the major contributor.A year later, Travis is looking for a reliable source of water for the herds on his brother's ranch. Based on information from Chato, he checks out the hidden canyon and comes across white eyes camping there. Scouting out the intruders, Travis is caught by Ross and brought to the other white men at gun point. Travis knows of Doctor Gordon Ashe, but Ross and the radioman Grant are unknowns.These men are setting up a time viewer within the canyon. Naturally, they are not going to let Travis go free until their operation is completed. Yet Travis doesn't want to be released before he learns more about their mission.In this story, Travis goes with Ashe and Ross to scout out a spaceship located a short distance away and fifteen millennia back in time. The huge spherical spaceship has crashed and holes gape in its sides. Then the men are caught in a rainstorm and take shelter in the nearby hills.After the storm, they climb a hill and look around. Travis notices something shiny in the next valley and they check it out. The shine comes from another, smaller globe. Its lock is open and the bodies of the crew lie at the foot of the access ladder. They are wearing Baldy uniforms and are very dead.The scouts send back word of the second ship. A working party comes through the time portal and starts preparing the alien globe ship for transfer forward in time. When the nearby volcano erupts, the scouts take shelter in the alien ship. Then the time transfer grid around the ship is activated and they are thrown forward in time. But the shift in time initiates the takeoff sequence and the ship heads for space.This tale takes Travis, Ross, Ashe and Renfry -- a technician who is also trapped on the ship -- back toward the Baldy home worlds. The ship is traveling on automatic pilot and they are afraid to touch any controls while the ship is in flight. Apparently they are going to see what the alien confederation is like in their own time period.This story is a prime example of the author's storytelling skills. It is a fascinating tale of alien technology and worlds. Enjoy!Highly recommended for Norton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of alien civilizations, time transfer, and travel among the stars