The incredible paperback rack has delivered a real doozy this time! Regular visitors know I have a big love for Jacqueline Susann. Nobody could serve up the cheese like she could and, judging from the sales of her books, it would seem that many agree with me. However, until a recent visit to the fabulous library bookstore, I was not aware that she'd written a sci-fi novel. It was not published in her lifetime (read it and you'll discover why). It's a shame, because she really outdid herself with Yargo, in which Janet, our heroine, is plucked from a dark, lonely beach by citizens of the planet Yargo (on which all males look exactly like Yul Brynner), who have mistaken her for a famous American scientist. They can't send her back to earth because they're afraid she'll rat on them and cause a panic, so they decide to send her to live among the lizard people of Mars. On the way to Mars, after being attacked by enemy spacecraft, they make an emergency landing on Venus, where they're kidnapped by the giant bee citizens of that planet. Janet and Sanau, a female Yargonian, are very nearly forced to mate with the mutant half-bee, half-human crown prince, who has taken a shine to Janet. Let's read a little:

Sanau and I were brought directly before the queen. She, in turn, gave a hissing command and with no warning, two monsters began tugging at our space suits. Obviously the occupants of Venus did not think them suitable for bridal attire. Sanau's outfit was the first to be removed. I was obligingly helping my monstrous guard with some stubborn clasps when I stopped and gasped with rage and embarrassment. They were tearing off the remainder of Sanau's clothes. She offered no resistance but stood naked and beautiful, her head held high, her eyes staring scornfully ahead. It was as if she was trying to offer me an example. Then I too was stripped. The creatures took no obvious interest in our bodies. This was purely a clinical experiment. To my surprise, Sanau was selected as the first to go. She was led before the queen, who nodded in agreement, and the cage was brought on the scene. The prince stopped all movement when he saw Sanau; the whiteness of her body seemed to hypnotize him. I shuddered with horror when I realized that this time there were no ropes to hold him at bay. For a moment he stood motionless, staring at Sanau, then he screamed and extended his shriveled arms through the bars, groping toward her. Now that he had enjoyed a taste of life, he was obviously less particular. He did not even waste a glance in my direction.