The Thing of Venus

"The Thing of Venus" by Wilbur S. Peacock is a science fiction novel about a former Space Patrolman named Val Kenton, who is struggling with addiction and a tarnished past, finds himself on a mission to rescue a group of stranded Earthlings on the dangerous planet Venus, where he unexpectedly confronts his former love. Against the exotic backdrop of Venus, Kenton battles not only monstrous creatures and treacherous landscapes but also his own internal demons, including deep-seated hatred for those he feels betrayed him. As Kenton navigates the alien world and inches closer to a confrontation with an unstoppable, amorphous creature that threatens the lives of the people he is trying to save, he undergoes a transformation, shedding his bitterness and embracing selflessness, ultimately rising to the challenge to make a heroic sacrifice for the sake of others, allowing him to change the course of his life.