"Enchantress of Venus" (also published as "City of the Lost Ones") is a science fiction short story by American writer Leigh Brackett. It was originally published in the magazine Planet Stories in 1949. [1] It is part of the Eric John Stark series of books and stories. [2] The story has been reprinted numerous times since its first publication, [3] [4] and has been the subject of critical commentary in the Science Fiction community. [5] [6]
"Enchantress of Venus" is a story about a man known as Stark and his adventure to Inner Venus, specifically the town of Shuruun, to find his missing friend Helvi. Stark was taken to this town by boat captain Malthor. The captain offered Stark a place to stay, but Stark denied the offer. Malthor attacked Stark from behind, causing Stark to jump into the mysterious Red Sea. Stark swims to the town and sees the people who are shocked to see someone with such a dark complexion. Stark is approached by Malthor’s young daughter, Zareth, who warns him of the plans of her father, and tells him about the Lhari who are basically the royalty of the town. Stark is enslaved by these people and put to work with other slaves beneath the sea excavating a hidden City left by previous occupants who knew aspects of science now lost, which the Lhari seek. Once enslaved, Stark finds Helvi and meets a woman by the name of Varra. They manage to free themselves, and Stark leads the slave rebellion. Stark kills the Lhari with the help of his fellow slaves. Then Stark and most of the slaves, the ones that weren’t born there, leave via spaceship.