Victor Appleton II

From the book:Tense, excited men gazed spaceward from the ships and planes of the South Atlantic task force. Other watchers waited breath-lessly in the control room of the ship Recoverer. Among these was Tom Swift Jr. "How close to earth is our Jupiter probe missile?" Bud Barclay asked Tom excitedly. The lanky blond youth beside him, in T shirt and slacks, shot a glance at the dials of the tracking equipment. "Eight thousand miles from this spot, Bud. It should land here in fifteen minutes!" Tom Jr., his father, Bud, and a host of scientists, Navy officers, and newsmen were crowded aboard a U.S. Navy missile launching ship. "Just think!" Bud exulted. "You'll have data from the planet Jupiter that no one on earth has yet been able to get!" "If we recover the missile safely," Mr. Swift spoke up hopefully. The elder scientist's voice was quiet but taut with the strain of waiting. The two Swifts resembled each other closely - each had deep-set blue eyes and clean-cut features - although Tom was somewhat taller and rangier.

This "book" is actually a series, beginning with TOM SWIFT AND HIS FLYING LAB. written in 1954, and ending with TOM SWIFT AND THE GALAXY GHOSTS in 1971. See the unofficial Tom Swift Jr. Homepage at The character portrayed is Tom Swift Jr. A previous series featured Tom's father Tom Swift Sr. and ran from 1910 to 1941.

Tom Swift and his father travel to a South American country in their flying space lab to look for uranium and keep it from falling into the hands of a group of dangerous rebels.

Several staff writers including Garis shared type pseud. Victor Appleton.

A weird blast of sound engulfs an American city. Tom is caught in the panic while visiting there to demonstrate his new sonic boom deadener--the Silentenna--at a Noise Reduction Conference. A top-rank scientist, John Wyvern, who is also attending the conference, mysteriously vanishes the day of the sonic attack. Attempts on the lives of both Tom and Wyvern's pretty daughter intensify the young inventor's determination to solve the mystery. A clue to John Wyvern's whereabouts takes Tom to the sun-scorched Australian Outback, where he uses his latest invention-- robot bloodhound--to track down the missing scientist, but a deadly bush fire wipes out the trail. Meanwhile, other cities in the United States have suffered terrifying eruptions of sound. The President receives an unsigned ultimatum, threatening an all-out sonic blitz unless the blackmailer's price of ten million dollars is paid. Tom's Silentenna offers the only hope of defense--but to perfect it he needs a special liquid-crystal device which only the missing scientist can supply. The young inventor's race against time to thwart the unknown sonic enemy will keep every reader's pulse pounding with excitement and suspense.

In the biggest, fastest spaceship ever designed by Swift Enterprises, Tom Jr. plans to make a grand tour of the planets in the solar system. But a group of criminal scientist's bent on conquering the universe is out to steal Tom's magnificent Cosmotron Express and destroy the young scientist and Swift Enterprises. Determined to foil the fiendish plot, Tom and his pal Bud Barclay locate the enemy's fortress laboratory but are captured. The boys make a daring escape, only to be faced with an even more grim challenge in their next encounter with the enemy. Pursued on their phenomenal interplanetary journey, they become the targets of VIPER's frightening weapon, the enormous Orb. How Tom, using his revolutionary device the Spider Crab, thwarts the feared, vicious leader of VIPER and his evil followers climaxes this gripping story of scientific combat.

Furious Antarctic storms and ruthless enemies stalk Tom Swift Jr. And his latest atomic invention, the earth blaster, in book number five of this thrilling science-adventure series. When Tom chooses the South Pole as the spot to hunt for molten iron with his earth blaster, his closest friends raise their eyebrows. Even Chow Winkler, the expedition's genial Texan cook, says, "Brand my thermopile, if the young inventor ain't plumb loco!" First Tom has to convince the skeptics about the value of his earth blaster. Preliminary tests prove that it is one of the greatest inventions the world has ever known. When spies of the Kranjovian government learn about the project, it becomes a race to see who will reach the South Pole first. Tom risks his life and al the funds of Swift Enterprises to launch the expedition. With his pal Bud Barclay, Chow, and a group of top-flight technicians, he braves the white fury of the Antarctic ice barriers to set up operations. But the Kranjogians seem to have beaten him to it! In the nerve-racking and chill-packed days that follow, the young inventor is faced with one of the greatest challenges in his career. The outcome hangs in the balance down to the last page of this dynamic story. Read it to see how Tom Swift Jr. startles the world when his atomic earth blaster starts the most phenomenal gusher known to man!

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A violent explosion in space touches off one of the most thrill-packed adventures in Tom Swift Jr.'s scientific career. The appalling news that a cargo rocket has disintegrated while en route with vital supplies to Swift Enterprises' research base on the asteroid, Nestria, sounds a grim warning that the lives of Nestria's personnel are at stake.

An unidentified rocket ship crashes into the Swifts' outpost in space and vanished before Tom can track it down. Shortly after comes the startling news that a Mars probe rocket, vital to the United States space program, has failed to respond to signals to bring it back to earth. Tom is confident that with his latest invention -- the Polar-Ray Dynasphere -- he can retrieve the stranded missile. But a web of espionage threatens his plan. A clue to the solution of the mystery prompts Tom to accept an invitation from the young Prince Jahan to visit his native land of Vishnapur in the snow-peaked Himalayas north of India. In this remote Oriental kingdom, Tom and his pal Bud Barclay visit a strange lake of death and sight the tracks of a weird monster said to prowl the lake at night. Tom conceives an ingenious plan for draining the poison lake with the Dynasphere mounted aboard his new spacecraft, the Dyna Ranger, so that the valley may be turned into valuable farmland. Fireball missiles and a hairbreadth encounter with a charging tiger are only two of the perils that confront the daring young inventor in this colorful, thrill-packed adventure.

With his latest invention, the "Transmittaton," Tom Swift Jr. solves two baffling scientific mysteries. This ingenious device can atomize objects, send them great distances, and reassemble the atoms. What happens when Tom uses the Transmittaton to prevent a catastrophic invasion of Earth by ghosts from another galaxy is only the beginning of a series of spine tingling adventures for the young inventor. At the same time, Tom and his father are asked to take on an important mission. They are to locate a prehistoric giant mammal believed to be entombed in solid ice in the Andes Mountains and transport it to the United States. Despite attempts by the Swifts' crafty, vicious enemies to sabotage the project, father and son accomplish their dangerous mission with the aid of Toms Transmittaton. Unexpected thrills and high-voltage suspense fill every page of this gripping story.

Enraged Jaguars, violent winds of hurricane force, and a mysterious "giant" who roams the jungle around the Mayan village in Yucatan, Mexico, where Tom is encamped, are only a few of the perils that the young inventor encounters during his thrilling expedition. But even more feared by the young inventor is an unknown saboteur, intent on destroying Tom's two latest inventions -- the electronic retroscope camera and his "parachute" plane, designed for landing in small areas. Undaunted by the hazards that surround him and assisted by the friendly natives, Tom perseveres in his objectives. He tests his paraplane for landing maneuverability in densely grown jungle areas, and uses his retroscope (magic to the natives!) to restore -- photographically -- ancient carvings and writing on old Mayan relics. Tom is astounded when he discovers that some of the carved symbols are similar to the mathematical symbols used by his mysterious friends in outer space to communicate with him. Is it possible, Tom wonders, that beings from another planet actually landed in Yucatan centuries ago? What happens to Tom and his friends as they seek the answer to this question in the dark depths of a buried temple will hold every reader in gripping suspense to the last line of this challenging adventure.

Tom Swift, Jr., and his friend, Bud Barclay, enter an international space race hoping to orbit the earth in two hours.

Tom Swift, Jr., aided by his friend Bud Barclay, overcomes several sabotage attempts while trying to design and build the first solar-operated space station.

"Moon Serpents!" Astronaut Bud Barclay gasps into the microphone of his space suit. Tom Swift Jr.'s investigation of the phenomenon reveals that the giant, writhing reptilian forms are caused by gas vapors. When Tom captures a sample of the gas in a metal flask for analysis, he shoots up from the moon's surface into space! Through quick thinking the young scientist-inventor rescues himself and realizes that he has discovered a new powerful energy, which he calls Serptilium. At this time, a large railroad network is in the market for an advance method of rail travel. A contract will go either to Swift Enterprises or to a rival firm, Cosmoprises -- whichever designs the best super-speed train. How Tom, using Serptilium, develops his invention and defeats Cosmoprises' evil attempts to win the prized contract makes exciting reading for all Tom Swift Jr. fans.

A solution to the prohibitive cost of producing vehicles for further space explorations is Tom Swift Jr.'s new goal. But the success of the young scientist-inventor's project is threatened by the wily Li Ching, a renegade scientist. Banished from his native land because of rebellious acts, Li Ching is now the leader of a ruthless group intent on pirating scientific secrets. But Li Ching and his nefarious confederates are only partially responsible for Tom's troubles. Olin Whaley, an unscrupulous international criminal, proves to be a second formidable obstacle. Despite the ever-present threats of sabotage and piracy, Tom and his friend Bud Barclay are soon taking Tom's latest invention, the Space Kite -- a two-man craft for training future space pilots -- on its test flight. The experiment turns into a harrowing experience when the boys are nearly marooned in outer space. Undaunted by the failure of the Space Kite, Tom quickly discovers the defect and decides to build a larger craft, the Cosmic Sailer. Certain that he has found the key to economical space explorations, the young inventor still has to conquer the sinister forces working against him. How Tom and the Cosmic Astronauts meet this challenge will keep the reader taut with suspense.

Tom Swift, Jr., and his associates hunt the mastermind who is sabotaging a robot which is an integral part of an atomic energy plant.

The Jetmarine, the second great invention of Tom Swift Jr., takes the young inventor into a desperate battle with bold modern pirates who have been ravaging the sea lanes off our southern coast. The atom-powered, two-man submarine is launched just in time for Tom and his pal Bud to set out to rescue Tom's father, who has fallen into the hands of the pirates. The wily enemy pulls no punches in trying to wreck the amazing Jetmarine that outspeeds any sub and is able to plunge miles to the ocean floor. Breathtaking running battles through hurricanes and gunfire, thrilling struggles with undersea monsters, imprisonment and escape from the pirate stronghold are part of the excitement of this second book in the new TOM SWIFT JR. series. From the moment Tom innocently picks up a strange coin imprinted with the head of a dog, things begin happening -- not only to Tom, but also to his father, his uncle, to Bud Barclay, and Chow the cook. The pace continues from the Swift plant at Shopton to the Caribbean -- on and under the sea, in the air and inside the pirates' secret hideout.

"We're trapped a mile below the ocean's surface," Tom Swift announces to his companions as calmly as possible. His father and Bud Barclay exchange fearful glances in the air-bubble elevator stopped in its undersea descent by a jammed cable. This close call is only one of the many hazards which beset Tom on his most challenging deep-sea venture -- a trip to the ancient city of gold on the ocean bottom. Here, with his pal Bud Barclay and other members of the Swift expedition, Tom tests his two new inventions. With the de-organic-izer, which employs revolutionary scientific principles, crusts of centuries-old sea growth are removed from the city's buildings and the original gold luster restored. With his other astounding invention -- the spectromarine selector -- Tom searches for a valuable new rare metal. He must succeed, if his father is to fill an important government rocket contract. A terrifying sea monster, an abandoned submarine containing human skeletons, a near-fatal leak in the hydrodome over the scene of operations, and the unexpected appearance of an enemy fail to daunt Tom in his mammoth undertakings. How the young scientist-inventor achieves his goals is told dramatically in this thrill-packed story of undersea adventure. - Jacket flap.