I received this free from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
A meteorite from Mars has fallen to earth. There is life on it the subsequently starts to grow and spread. Jeremy Grant is sent to investigate. I tried to keep in mind the year this book was originally written. For the most part that worked. The story was interesting until about halfway through, then it felt rushed and at times was highly improbable. The ending just made no sense to me, hence the 3 stars.

"Space Agent and the Isles of Fire" eBook was published in 2017 (original paper edition was published in 1963) and was written by Angus MacVicar (http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?111388). Mr. MacVicar was the author of a dozen novels.

I categorize this novel as ‘G’. The story is set in the far future where mankind is expanding to the stars. The primary character is U.N.O Department for Space Investigation agent Jeremy Grant.

A space craft has fallen to Earth on one of the Isles of Fire and the impact has caused an earthquake and the eruption of the volcano the island surrounds. The fear is that the craft has been illegally returning samples of Martian vegetation. The crash is feared to have spread the vegetation across the island.

Grant, along with a few close colleagues, travel to the island to investigate. Once they approach the island, they encounter a overwhelming urge to turn back and flee from the island. They fear that the Martian plants are responsible. Their attempts to investigate leave them stranded on one of the islands.

Will help arrive in time" Will the volcano erupt again? Will the vegetation from Mars take them?

This was a mediocre read of 5.5 hours. This vintage science fiction tale reads like the plot from a 50s era 'B' movie. While it might have been great in the 60s, I don't think that it has aged well. I also do not think that the cover art is consistent with the story. I give this novel a 2.8 (rounded up to a 3) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

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Written in 1962, this old-timey science fiction adventure features Martian plantlife arriving on Earth aboard a returning probe and the heroic men (and single spunky, although subordinate, female) fighting to keep the infection from spreading around the world. This a a late entry in a series starring one Jeremy Grant, and here he's accompanied by people with names like Spike and Jock, as well as a stock German scientist and the woman, Eva, who quickly falls in love with Jock and insists on cooking and cleaning during the group's time together. So - really, really old-timey. If that's your thing, you'll love it. Amusing but with very outdated science. Pretty typical for mid-century SF, although perhaps a little old-fashioned even for 1962.

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Endeavour Press. Thank you.

This short, 111 pages, science fiction novel is simply escapist fun. It reminded me so much of the serial films that used to come before the main film when I went to the movies as a child. Not terribly serious, but filled with talk of traveling to Mars and utilizing the technology of the day. Written in 1962 this book is part of a series which is at least four books long with at least three previous books available in digital format.

Jeremy Grant - our hero - now works for U.N.O. in the Department for Space Investigation (Special Branch). He receives a phone call from his boss which has him flying to New York for instructions on his new assignment. It seems the Chinese violated the U.N.O. treaty (by the way, those initials were never explained!) and sent an unauthorized craft to Mars to collect samples. Their story is that the unmanned space ship was lost on the surface of the planet and they are very sorry for their violation of the treaty. So what was it that the inhabitants of Islas del Fuego saw crash onto a tiny neighboring island? And why do those who try to investigate the island have feelings of extreme dread, fear and antagonism? Jeremy and Jock (a newspaper reporter), Eva (resident of Islas del Fuego), and Professor van Leyden (expert in space organisms) fly to Key West where they meet up with Spike (pilot of the amphibious jet) to do a recce-tele to see what is growing on the island. Hang on to your hats.....this could get dangerous!

Angus MacVicar wrote stories in both the science fiction and mystery genres. Most appear to be relatively short by today's standards but this example was just pure enjoyment to read. I think I'm going to try one of the mystery stories next just to see how he handled that genre. Most of these books are available as loans through the Kindle Unlimited program with Amazon or as inexpensive digital downloads if you prefer to purchase them.