PERRY RHODAN

   German sf series, weekly, published by Verlagsunion Pabel Moewig (formerly Moewig-Verlag). Created by Walter Ernsting (who writes for the series as Clark DARLTON) and Karl-Herbert SCHEER, PR began in 1961 and is still current: to the end of 1991 about 1600 booklets describing Perry Rhodan's adventures and mankind's destiny had been published, a recordquite without precedent in sf. The weekly booklet series is accompanied by a monthly paperback series, which fills some of the narrative gaps. Often thought of as aimed at the teenage market, PR is actually read, surveys show, by readers of all ages, both men and women.Though the stories have been dismissed as potboilers, the fans of this German future HISTORY (of whom thousands attend PR CONVENTIONS) argue that the density and complexity of the world built up over so many volumes has led to a sophistication unusual in SPACE OPERA. Conversely, the series's many critics, especially in Germany, have attacked it not only on literary grounds but also for being what Franz ROTTENSTEINER calls "notoriously fascist". This judgement of PR's reactionary nature has been supported and argued at length by Michael Pehlke and Norbert Lingfeld in Roboter und Gartenlaube: Ideologie und Unterhaltung in derScience-Fiction-Literatur("The Robot and the Summerhouse: Ideology and Entertainment in SF") (1970)and by Manfred Nagl in "Unser Mann im All" ("Our Man in Everywhere") (1969 Zeitnahe Schularbeit \#4/5). During the first years of its existence PR wasindeed dominated by military conflicts, but the concept changed so that now PR concentrates on solving mysteries of galactic or even cosmic scale - with lots of action.The success of the series has been enormous, and notjust in GERMANY. Translations have appeared (and sometimes still do) in many European countries, including the UK (since 1974), France (1966), Belgium (1966), Netherlands (1971), Finland (1975) and Italy (1976); alsoin Japan (since 1971), Brazil (since 1975) and notably in the USA, where it was published by ACE BOOKS. Ed Forrest J. ACKERMAN, the US series-monthly for much of the time - appeared for 118 numbers (1969-77) in paperback-book format, containing a letter column, articles, new stories and reprints of sf classics in addition to the leading PR novella or (in later volumes) 2 novellas; a few further PR titles were published by Ace in their Atlans series. When all the translations are included, PR has had a readership higher than anything else in sf.Perry himself is an Earthman propelled into the politics of the Galaxy (GALACTIC EMPIRES). Hebuilds his small group, the New Power, into a Solar Empire; after renouncing all claims to leadership, the Solar Empire becomes one of the equal members of the Galacticum. It has been said that there is no sf idea which will not, sooner or later, be used in the series. The authors include, in addition to Ernsting (Scheer died 1991): Kurt Brand, Arndt Ellmer, H.G. Ewers, Robert Feldhoff, H.G. Francis, Peter Griese, HorstHoffmann, Hans Kneifel, Kurt Mahr, Marianne Sydow, Ernst Vlcek, William Voltz (died 1984) and Thomas Ziegler. Voltz was the long-time coordinator and chief author, having early superseded Scheer in this function. Each episode is written by one of the team from a treatment done by the "factory", currently Vlcek and Mahr, according to the further developmentof the series as discussed in an annual authors' meeting. PR has appeared in comic books, and there was also a PR magazine 1977-81.

   HU/PN

   Further reading: Analyse einer Science-Fiction-Romanheftserie (1979) by Claus Hallman; "'Perry Rhodan'", by Mike ASHLEY in Science Fiction, Fantasy, andWeird Fiction Magazines (1985) ed Ashley and Marshall B. TYMN; partial indexes of the Perry Rhodan novels were published by NESFA (1973 and 1975); a full list of English-language titles can be found in ScienceFiction and Fantasy Series and Sequels: A Bibliography (1986) by Tim Cottrill, Martin H. GREENBERG and Charles G. WAUGH.