«Slave Planet» by Laurence M.Janifer

Slave Planet is a science fiction novel by American author Laurence M. Janifer.

Fruyling's World … rich in the metals that kept the Terran Confederation going—one vital link in a galaxy-wide civilization.

But the men of Fruyling's World lived on borrowed time, knowing that slavery was outlawed throughout the Confederation—and that only the slave labor of the reptilian natives could produce the precious metals the Confederation needed!

As the first hints of the truth about Fruyling's World emerge, the tension becomes unbearable—to be resolved only in the shattering climax of this fast-paced, thought-provoking story.

THE MASTERS

johnny dood: he had everything a man could want on Fruyling’s World – except freedom from the horror of being there. 

dr. haenlingen: icy, reserved, the architect of the system that kept men on top and aliens enslaved.

norma: warm and human, she was Dodd’s one hope for salvation.

THE SLAVES

cadnan: he did what he was told…until the Masters told him to die. 

marvor: the first of his race to have an independent idea – an idea that was dangerous and deadly.

dara: green and reptilian, but beautiful enough to inspire Cadnan to the slave world’s worst crime. 

As the space fleets of an outraged Terran Confederation close in on the outlaw planet of Fruyling’s World, the destinies of slave and master meet explosively, and from the shock of battle and its aftermath come an unexpected and awesome conclusion.

Slave Planet was first published in 1963.

Total Running Time (TRT): 4 hours, 33 min. Read by Nick Bulka.

Laurence M. Janifer (1933-2002) was an American science fiction author, with a career spanning over 50 years. He co-wrote the first novel in the "Psi-Power" series: Brain Twister, written with Randall Garrett under the joint pseudonym Mark Phillips. The novel was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1960, and published in book form in 1962.