Poison Planet

"Poison Planet" by William Oberfield is a science fiction novel from the 1950s that plunges readers into the harrowing journey of Captain James McBride and his Earthmen crew as they become the first to explore Venus. What begins as a promising expedition quickly transforms into a nightmare as the crew discovers the planet teems with deadly toxins in its plants and animals, making survival an immediate and desperate battle. Stricken by starvation and unable to grow food, the team faces mounting pressure, leading to a tragic suicide and sparking a descent into moral collapse as the specter of cannibalism looms large. A fragile hope emerges when the expedition's botanist, Flaunders, claims a breakthrough against the planet's poison, but the crew must confront their ethical boundaries and unraveling sanity to persevere in their fight against the hostile world.