John Kippax cover gallery

John Kippax was the pen-name of John Hynam (1915-1974), a musician and writer who met his collaborator, Dan Morgan, in the 1950s. They co-wrote the Venturer Twelve books together, with "Kippax" writing the fourth book alone. Morgan was to have written a fifth book, but it never appeared, leaving the series on something of a cliffhanger.

A Thunder of Stars by Dan Morgan & John Kippax
Pan 0330-24098-6, 1974, 200pp, 40p. Cover by Dean Ellis (originally the cover of Ballantine's 1973 edition of The Neutral Stars)

In the dark of space lies a new dimension of fear...
    The stars are no longer neutral and Mankind becomes aware that the skies are shared with an alien race.
    United Earth and its colonies are protected by thinly spread starships of the Space Corps manned by such very specially qualified men and women as Tom bruce of Venturer Twelve and Helen Lindstrom, his second-in-command.
    In Space they had to play God. And the worlds hated them for it.

Seed of Stars by Dan Morgan & John Kippax
Pan 0330-24099-4, 1974, 210pp, 40p. Cover by Dean Ellis (originally the cover of Ballantine's 1973 edition of Expedition to Earth by Arthur C. Clarke)

'Can we even begin to understand the motivation of a completely nonhuman race...'
United Earth needs strong colonies who can stand by her as allies, not rebellious subject planets.
    Kepler III is peopled by colonists of Asiatic origin, their ruler prepared to lie and cheat for independence, their future threatened by monstrous mutations.
    Decoyed into deep space, Commander Tom Bruce finds that the planet which his starship Venturer Twelve was to protect lies at the mercy of an unknown enemy.
    On his actions depends the future of the human race...

The Neutral Stars by Dan Morgan & John Kippax
Pan 0330-24250-4, 1975, 215pp, 40p. Cover by John Berkey

'Is there no defence against these aliens?'
Until the 'Space Warp' drive was perfected for the Space Corps dreadnoughts of United Earth, the solar system lay at the mercy of alien beings in sub-space.
    Elkan Niebohr, head of the Excelsior Colonization Corporation with its fleet of merchantmen, was intent on carrying out his own research using planet Orphelin and its neighbouring asteroid.
    When Orphelin went off the air, Commander Tom Bruce took his starship Venturer Twelve into orbit at full battle alert.
    Had Niebohr's plans gone awry or had alien forces struck yet again?

Where No Stars Guide by John Kippax
Pan 0330-24251-2, 1975, 154pp, 40p. Cover by John Berkey

'The aliens have come from somewhere within the holes in space'
United Earth's need for warp drive locked three people in bitter conflict...
    Elsa Niebohr, who chose a Balomain planet for Excelsior Coporation's research into sub-space travel...
    Surgeon Lieutenant Creighton who needed Venturer Twelve to capture an alien being alive...
    Commando Tom Bruce – on assignment to protect Balomain Four – who preferred his aliens dead.
    The arrival in space of an enormous, shimmering, gold ball with its strange cargo brought problems for them all...