''Yargo'' is a romantic

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel by

Jacqueline Susann Jacqueline Susann (August 20, 1918 – September 21, 1974) was an American novelist and actress. Her iconic novel, '' Valley of the Dolls'' (1966), is one of the best-selling books in publishing history. With her two subsequent works, '' The Lov ...

. It was written during the 1950s, but not published until 1979, four years after Susann's death.

Plot summary

''Yargo'' tells the story of Janet Cooper, a young woman from Avalon, New Jersey, who is abducted by aliens from the planet Yargo. During her interplanetary adventures with these intelligent but emotionless extraterrestrials, she falls in love with their leader.

Background

Jacqueline Susann had long been interested in science fiction; her widower,

Irving Mansfield Irving Mansfield (July 23, 1908 – August 25, 1988) was an American producer, publicist and writer. He is best remembered as the husband of novelist Jacqueline Susann and for his promotion of Susann's popular books. Early life and career ...

, said that when they first met, she wanted to spend their dates at the

Hayden Planetarium The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Center's complete name is The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space. The main entrance is located on the no ...

instead of at nightclubs. In the early 1950s, she began to write ''Yargo'', originally called ''The Stars Scream''. She finished the book in 1956, and gave it to MCA agent George Chasin, who attempted to sell the story to Hollywood. Unsuccessful, he put the manuscript aside, where it was forgotten until Chasin reportedly was cleaning out a filing cabinet after Susann's death. Irving Mansfield suggested Chasin send it to

Bantam Books Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. ...

, Susann's long-time paperback publisher; Bantam accepted it for publication, with a first printing of 1.3 million copies. The story also appeared in the February 1979 issue of the ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

'', which had enjoyed a huge success five years earlier when it published Susann's original novella, ''

Dolores Dolores, Spanish for "pain; grief", most commonly refers to: * Our Lady of Sorrows or La Virgen María de los Dolores * Dolores (given name) Dolores may also refer to: Film * ''Dolores'' (2017 film), an American documentary by Peter Bratt * ' ...

''. ''Yargo'' was published on February 28, 1979.

Reception

Critical notices were negative: one critic wrote, "It's awful, as usual, and it will sell, as usual." ''The Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review'' stated that ''Yargo'' is "mildly entertaining," but "has no lasting value... except perhaps as a curiosity." ''Yargo'' was, nonetheless, a best seller, spending seven weeks on the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' Mass Market Paperback list. The blog The Sleaze Factor, that celebrates trashy books, movies and pop culture, found ''Yargo'' "Very delightful indeed." He continues, "Contrary to what some may believe, ''Yargo'' is surprisingly effective. Of course you have to dig Jacqueline Susann to really get this one. We’re not talking about Alan Dean Foster here. ''Yargo'' is just a quick and satisfying—and yes, silly—read that will make anyone on the Susann band wagon smile and appreciate her range as a trashy novelist."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yargo 1979 American novels 1979 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Novels set on Mars Novels set on Venus American romance novels Novels by Jacqueline Susann Novels published posthumously Alien abduction in novels Human-alien romance in fiction