Stanley G. Weinbaum was an American science fiction author (with a sideline in much less famous romances). Born in 1902, he published his first science fiction story, "A Martian Odyssey", in July 1934. The story received immediate acclaim and is widely regarded as one of the landmark classics of the pulp science fiction era. Its detailed and carefully thought-out description of truly alien life on a new planet was a defining landmark for much of the work of the 'Golden Age' that was to follow.
Weinbaum published numerous other short stories in the following months, but died of lung cancer in December 1935.
Weinbaum's bibliography includes:
- "A Martian Odyssey" (1934)
- "Parasite Planet" (1935)
Weinbaum's works contain examples of:
- Blob Monster: "Parasite Planet" has monstrous Venusian blobs called "Doughpots" that ooze through the jungles of Venus absorbing anything that gets in their way.
- Venus Is Wet: "Parasite Planet" features a variation — Venus is a Tidally Locked Planet, one hemisphere a sun-baked desert, the other submerged under a sea of ice. However, the planet's "twilight zone" — where the story takes place — is a perfect example of this trope: hot, steamy, with luxuriant flora and fauna hell-bent on eating you (yes, even the plants).
