The Adventures of Doctor Chess

Book excerpt: Clarkl is a planet of cold days and even colder nights. Although Clarkl's star is not visible from Earth, Clarkl's advanced technology allows its natives to visit Earth and take Earthlings back to Clarkl for work. In the early 2070s, the American government entered into a contract with the people of Clarkl to manage and staff farms and kitchens to feed some of the large numbers of Clarkl natives who are faced with the planet's ever-present famine. The American government received certain critical minerals from Clarkl, and the Clarklians received the services of farmers and cooks. This novel presents the diaries of five Americans who went to Clarkl for work in the dining rooms. They left troubling problems on Earth to go to Clarkl for a guaranteed monthly income and a decade of hard work. The diaries discuss the ugly Clarkl natives, with all seven sexes described. Three imaginative illustrations by Lance Jackson show these natives. Carmen, Mary THE CLARKL SOUP KITCHENS AuthorHouse (277 pp.) November 2004 ISBN: 1-4184-8031-2 The cold planet of Clarkl, a place of .few comforts and extensive famine,. serves as the backdrop for this humorous, pseudo-allegorical tale.