The Escape Orbit

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First US edition, published by Ace Books). Cover art by Jack Gaughan. TheEscapeOrbit.jpg
First US edition, published by Ace Books). Cover art by Jack Gaughan.

The Escape Orbit (British title: Open Prison) is a science fiction novel by northern Irish author James White. It was first published in serial form in 1964 under the name "Open Prison" in the magazine New Worlds. [1] It was nominated for best novel in the 1965 Nebula Awards. [2]

It tells the story of a human, Warren, who is abandoned on a prison planet by an alien race, the Bugs, who are warring against Earth. Here he finds a society created by the other human prisoners. To avoid a civil war between the factions which have formed by the years, he organizes a successful escape from the planet.

References

  1. Boston, John; Broderick, Damien (2013). New Worlds: Before the New Wave, 1960-1964. Wildside Press. pp. 293–296. ISBN   9781479409822.
  2. "The Escape Orbit". Nebula Awards. Retrieved 12 September 2025.