ACE DOUBLE: NO TIME FOR HEROES + ALICE'S WORLD

Ace Double paperback, 1971. Cover painting by Josh Kirby.

"There's no time for heroes in the present," said General Superhawk, as he was relieved from his laundry duties to head the spaceship's invasion of the untouched-by-human-hands-or-feet planet, which had been dead for 200,000 years. 

"This is absolutely no time for heroes," said the planet's central brain computer which had, in its long, long loneliness, peopled its planet with fabled literary creatures created from its monstrous protoplasma vats. 

"I'm no hero!" screamed the small, fat man with the moustache as he was bullied onto the planet as the ship's Number One scout. But Fate and Old Ironjaw had thrust Bernhard Rordin into the role, and in his own bumbling way, he... 

But see for yourself...."

Ace Double paperback, 1971. Cover painting by Josh Kirby.

"Monteyiller stared at Alice. "This is supposed to be a rescue mission," he said. "There's a girl in danger somewhere on this mad world!" 

She looked covertly at him. "What is it that you want?" 

Monteyiller shrugged. "A city. A government center. Anything, as long as we get out of this." 

Alice was clearly bewildered. She looked from Monteyiller to Cat and back again, her gaze shifting back and forth as she struggled with an unfamiliar thought. Finally, she said, "Which city?" 

Monteyiller kept his face serious with an effort. "Any city," he said. "It's all up to you." 

"Anycity," she repeated. "Oh, I see." She looked out over the lush, rolling landscape, frowning thoughtfully. 

"And please make it a little bit more lively than this bloody place," Monteyiller said, grinning. 

The landscape shifted...."