rainswept
March 1st, 2012, 11:44 PM
While I'm convinced this is a well-known tale that I've just lost the vitals on...
I remember the protagonist as a youth, that the story is mainly on Mars, and that it includes diminutive monkey-like aliens that he is perhaps trying to protect.
The aliens are proved intelligent and save the boy (and, I think, the antagonist) when his spacecraft is plunging into the sun because they have long, slender, prehensile fingers that are able to repair a damaged instrument panel very quickly.
I remember the protagonist as a youth, that the story is mainly on Mars, and that it includes diminutive monkey-like aliens that he is perhaps trying to protect.
The aliens are proved intelligent and save the boy (and, I think, the antagonist) when his spacecraft is plunging into the sun because they have long, slender, prehensile fingers that are able to repair a damaged instrument panel very quickly.