Astounding Stories

October 1931

Hal Salive Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection, University of Otago Library Special Collections. Every effort has been made to trace copyright ownership and to obtain permission for reproduction. If you believe you are the copyright owner of an item on this site, and we have not requested your permission, please contact us at special.collections@otago.ac.nz

New York: Clayton Publications

Vincent di Fate, in Infinite Worlds, says of this Wesso painting that it ‘shows what a dangerous place Jupiter can be. More than merely a realm of corrosive gases and intense atmospheric pressures, the solar system’s largest planet is apparently the home of creatures hostile to human life’. The cover shows one of the protagonists from The Red Hell of Jupiter, probably Earthling Dex Harlow, fighting off the multi-armed, lollipop-headed aliens while protecting the ‘helpless’ slave woman, Greca. Neither seems particularly well-dressed for the occasion. Harlow is wearing what appear to be loafers and Greca’s dress is diaphanous which, as Ernst states in the story, ‘only half shielded her lovely figure’. This probably made it a thrilling read for some young men.