Harrison's first novel, begun in Mexico in 1956, and written with the
continued support and advice of John W. Campbell, who eventually serialised it
in his magazine.
Note: This book has also been adapted into a series of comic books.
Jason dinAlt is a gambler whose psi talents enable him to influence the fall of the dice. He is contacted by
Kerk, an ambassador from the planet Pyrrus. Kerk wants
dinAlt to gamble and win with his money, to raise enough money for him to buy weapons for the Pyrrans to
fight a war. They are fighting against their planet, where
every plant and animal seems to have a way, and a wish, to kill men.
Intrigued by these circumstances, dinAlt travels back to Pyrrus with Kerk. Here he must learn to survive in the
high gravity, and train his reflexes to deal with
sudden attacks from the flora and fauna. dinAlt decides to find out why the planet is attacking the Pyrrans.
Analog, January, February and March 1960. Illustrated by Henry von Dongen. The January issue featured a cover for the story by Henry von Dongen.
Analog (UK), April, May and June 1960. Illustrated by Henry von Dongen. The April issue featured a cover for the story by Henry von Dongen.
New York: Bantam, September 1960, 154pp., pbk. Cover: Stabse. First appearance in book form. Reprinted September 1960; February 1969.
Montreal: Bantam Books, 1960, 154pp., pbk.
as: Planet des Falschen Zaubers. Munich: Pabel Utopia Grossband, 1961. Translated by Heinz Zwack. [German]
as: Les Trois Solutions. Paris: Editions Albin Michel, April 1962, 288pp., pbk. Cover: Deponiffy. Translated by Francois Lourbet. Reprinted 1st April 1969. [French]
London: Penguin, 1963, 158pp., pbk. "Cover shows Paul Tchelitchev's 'Citron' from the collection of Giuseppe Russo. (Snark Archives)." Reprinted 1966. Cover: Paul Tchelitchev. Caricature of HH on back cover by Cristiano.
as: Mondo Maledetto. Milan: Ponzoni Editore, 15th January 1963. Translated by Mario Federici. [Italian]
Tokyo: Tokyo Sogensha Co., 1964. [Japanese]
as: Mundo Yerto. Barcelona: Ediciones Vértice, 1965, 216pp., pbk. Translated by L. Sureda. [Spanish]
as: Die Todeswelt. Munich: Wilhelm Heyne, 1966, 158pp., pbk. Translated by Wulf H. Bergner. Reprinted 1978. [German]
Portugal: Editorial Minotauro, Date? [Portuguese]
Tokyo: Sogen SF Bunko, 3rd March 1967, 264pp., ISBN: 4-488-61701-8. Translated by Yasuo Nakamura. Reprinted 1980. [Japanese]
as: Doods Strijd Op Pyrrus. Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1967, pbk. Translated by Miefje Schermer. Cover photograph: Frank Stoovelarr/Ruurd Groot. [Dutch]
as: Mundo Muerto. Barcelona: Ferma, 1967, 207pp., pbk. [Spanish]
London: Sphere, June 1973, 157pp., ISBN: 0-7221-4350-8, pbk. Reprinted May 1974; March 1977 (ISBN: 0-7221-4416-4, Cover: Peter Elson); 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985; February 1987 (ISBN: 0-7221-4485-7, Cover: Les Edwards); 1987, 1988.
as: Doods Strijd Op Pyrrus. Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1974, ISBN: 90-290-0019-8, pbk. This volume also contains The Killing Machine (De Moordmachine) by Jack Vance, and The Great Explosion (De Grote Viltout) by Eric Frank Russell. [Dutch]
as: Dödsplaneten. Stockholm: Askild & Kärnekull, 1974, 204pp., ISBN: 91-7008-363-0. Translated by Gabriel Setterborg. [Swedish]
in: The Deathworld Trilogy. New York: Doubleday (Book Club), November 1974, hbk. Jacket: Richard V. Corben.
in: The Deathworld Trilogy. New York: Berkley, February 1976, pbk. Cover: Faragasso. Reprinted 1976; February 1980 (6 times; ISBN: 0-425-04128-X; 1980); May 1981 (ISBN: 0-425-04859-4); 1981; 1982 (ISBN: 0-425-06827-7); 1984 (ISBN: 0-425-07486-2.)
as: Mondo Maledetto, in: Planeta Imposible - Ciclo Completo de Jason dinAlt. Milan: Editrice Nord, November 1978, 465pp., ISBN: 88-429-0332-9. Translated by Sandro Sandrelli and Giampaolo Cossatto. [Italian]
as: Le Monde de la Mort. Paris: Editions J'Ai Lu, 1979, ISBN: 2-277-11911-3, 184pp., pbk. Translated by Francois Lourbet. Cover: Boris Vallejo. [French]
as: Kuoleman Planeetta. Tampere: John Books Oy, 1982, ISBN: 951-9247-03-3, pbk. Translated by Hannu Tervaharju. Cover: Kelly Freas. [Finnish]
as: Doods Strijd Op Pyrrus, in: Doods Strijd Op Pyrrus, in Appsala, op Voorspoed. Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1981. Translated by Miefje Schermer. [Dutch]
as: Doods Strijd Op Pyrrus. Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1987, 189pp., ISBN: 90-2904-191-9, pbk. Translated by Miefje Schermer. [Dutch]
as: Doodsstrijd op Pyrrus, in: Doodsstrijd op Pyrrus; Doodsstrijd in Appsala; Doodsstrijd op Voorspoed. Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1981, 562pp., ISBN: 90-290-1465-2. Translated by Miefje Schermer. [Dutch]
as: O Cosmos tou Thanatou in: Anthologia Epistimonikis Fantasias - Istories apo Echthrikous Planites, Vol. 15 Orora, 1989. Translated by George Balanos. [Greek]
London: Orbit, 1991, 157pp., ISBN: 0-7221-4485-7, pbk. Cover: Ian Miller.
as: El Mundo de la Muerte. Hospitalet Llobregat: Tridente, 1991, 250pp. Translated by José María Cruz. [Spanish]
as: První Planet Smrti. Brno: AF 167, 1991, 206pp., ISBN: 80-85384-03-5. Translated by Lucie Awadova and Doslov Jundrich Smekal. [Czech]
as: Svyat na Smartta. Bulgaria: Galaktika, 1992, ISBN: 954-418-039-9. Translated by Katya Mancheva. [Bulgarian]
as: Halálvilg. Debrecen: Phoenix, 1992-3, ISBN: 963-7457-99-2, pbk. Translated by Nemes István and Szegi György. [Hungarian]
as: Mirties Planeta. Kaunas: Eridanas, 1994, 223pp. [Lithuanian]
as: Surmailm 1. Tallinn: Varrak / Pärnu: Trükk, November 1997, 140pp., ISBN: 9985-30042-4. Illustrated by Ervin Õunapuu. Translated by Martin Roogna. [Estonian]
as: Svijet Smirti. Zagreb: Zagrebacka Naklada, 2000, 191pp., ISBN: 953-6234-62-9. Translated by Marko Fancovic. [Serbo Croat]
Amazing , January 1961, p.134. Review by S.E.
Cotts.
"Interesting idea but somewhat fuzzy in the unravelling."
Analog, June 1961, p.165. Review by P. Schuyler Miller.
"... an action story with a built-in mystery, in which an ESP-gifted
professional gambler tried to solve the problem of the utter, pyramiding
malignancy of the Planet Pyrrus... [The book will not]... be remembered
much a generation from now, except as representing one facet of [the]
authors' work."
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction #116, January 1960,
p.96. Review by Alfred Bester.
" ... illustrates a notion that this department has been maturing for some
years; that while the science of science fiction seems to be marking time,
the fiction is moving forward rapidly. Deathworld is a rousing novel
based on ideas which are not particularly new, but written with finesse ...
In a series of driving action scenes, vividly written and characterized,
Jason slowly unravels the mystery of the hostile ecology of Pyrrus, and
fights against the obstinacy of the inhabitants to bring them around to
accepting his solution of their problem. It is much to Mr. Harrison's
credit as a craftsman that through all this his hero never achieves the
virility of the Pyrrans, and yet remains a likeable and sympathetic
protagonist."
New Worlds, December 1960, p.128. Review by John
Carnell.
"... a good futuristic story... depicting an alien killer planet where a
small community of human beings are born, live and die combating the
encroaching flora."
The Deathworld Series