The Survivors (Godwin novel)

Stranded humans seek revenge on the alien Gerns.

Last updated 16 October 2026

The Survivors is a science fiction novel by American writer Tom Godwin, first published in 1958 by Gnome Press. It was later issued in paperback by Pyramid Books in 1960 under the title Space Prison. The novel expands on Godwin's earlier story 'Too Soon to Die' and was followed by a sequel, The Space Barbarians.

Plot summary

A ship traveling from Earth to the planet Athena is attacked by the expanding Gern empire. The Gerns divide the humans into Acceptables, who become slave labor on Athena, and Rejects, who are forced onto the nearby Earth-like planet Ragnarok.

The Rejects realize the Gerns will not return for them. Ragnarok has 1.5 times Earth's gravity, deadly creatures, scarce metal ores, and a lethal fever. Over generations, the stranded humans struggle to survive and maintain their goal of repaying the Gerns.

Reception

Floyd C. Gale reported reading the novel with a sense of pride in human indestructibility similar to that from van Vogt's early The Alien. Comic book writer Warren Ellis counted it among his early favorites, stating he read it about twenty times and that it 'rips along' as a short genre book should. Retired bookseller D. C. Tappin noted that young men from a nearby naval base often asked for the book, recalling its plot with high accuracy but not always its title or author.

Test yourself on TriviaCafe: Who wrote "The Survivors": Tom Godwin, Rex Gordon, Catherine Asaro or Gareth L. Powell? · More literature trivia