Sugar Plum

In 2189, Charles Edward Button has had enough. Enough of stuffy dinner parties, enough of Victorian propriety, enough of his cousin Aurelia's relentless opinions. So he does something absurd: he buys a planet. Sugar Plum, a supposedly uninhabited Class IV world, seems like the perfect escape from the constraints of civilized society. But when Charles, his wife, and the formidable Aurelia arrive on their new world, they discover it is most definitely not empty. Bizarre creatures roam the landscape, and the previous owner, one Captain Alexander Burgee, reveals himself to be an ex-pirate with surprising claims to the property. What follows is a gently absurd comedy of manners as buttoned-up 23rd-century sensibilities collide with a planet that operates on entirely different rules. Aurelia, embodying old-world conservatism, finds herself scandalized at every turn while the family navigates unexpected freedom, dubious title claims, and creatures that defy description. Bretnor's 1950s gem is a light, witty farce about what happens when you escape everything you've been told to want, only to discover freedom is both terrifying and ridiculous.