The Alan Edward Nourse story Brightside Crossing is included in Incredible Science Fiction: Amazing Tales from the ’50s and Beyond Volume Two and is one of my favourite stories from that collection. Nourse was a prolific writer and I’m looking forward to reading more of his stories and eventually including these in further volumes of Incredible Science Fiction: Amazing Tales from the ’50s and Beyond.
Brightside Crossing is a really powerful story about adrenaline junkies driven to the most extreme forms of human endurance. It recounts a disastrous attempt to cross the bright side of the planet Mercury which persistently faces towards the sun. Nourse’s writing is taught and sparse throughout, which serves to keep the story engaging as it rattles along towards a devastating conclusion and an ending that you might not expect.
You can listen to the first five minutes of my Audible Narration of Alan Edward Nourse’s Brightside Crossing using the player below:
The complete story is 42 minutes and 11 seconds long as is included in the Audible Edition of Incredible Science Fiction: Amazing Tales from the ’50s and Beyond Volume Two.