British Science fiction from the 1950’s; The other side of the sun was published in 1950 and was the first part of Capon’s Antigeos trilogy. The Golden age of science fiction perhaps, but in Capon’s hands it had not developed much beyond the stories of H G Wells some 50 years earlier. The discovery of a new planet on the same orbit as the earth around the sun, but largely hidden from the earth by the sun causes a sensation in the press. A space ship (rocket) is built in England and six people travel to the new planet named Antigeos. The crew are two scientists, an engineer and two passengers who have paid for their passage by donating funds for the expedition. The scientist daughter smuggles herself aboard with the help of one of the passengers and a romance develops. The spaceship lands on Antigeos which is populated by human-like creatures who have developed a more innocent, utopian-like society.

This is story telling that would certainly have appealed to me as a young teenager and I quite enjoyed it today, revelling in its innocence and sense of 1950’s unsophisticatedness. The depiction of 1950’s England feels nostalgic and uncomplicated and the journey to Antigeos is made without too much of a problem. The discovery of a new world and a different society is handled with a charming simplicity. there are tensions, but these are easily overcome and the sense of wonder keeps the pages turning. The story avoids the misogyny of much of the genre and skirts around any violent complications. A three star read. ( )