author
Dick Hetschel
A mid-century science-fiction writer known for imaginative stories about first contact, lunar exploration, and the risks of interfering with alien civilizations. His work combines brisk pulp-adventure energy with playful, thought-provoking ideas.
2 Audiobooks
Is That You Xeluchli?
by Dick Hetschel
First Stage: Moon
by Dick Hetschel
About the author
Dick Hetschel was an American science-fiction writer whose stories appeared in several classic genre magazines during the 1950s, including Planet Stories, IF, and Venture Science Fiction. His published fiction includes “Is That You Xeluchli?”, “First Stage: Moon,” and “The Tall Psychiatrist.”
“Is That You Xeluchli?” first appeared in the March 1952 issue of Planet Stories, while “First Stage: Moon” was published in IF in December 1954. Hetschel’s stories often explored space travel, alien encounters, scientific ambition, and the unexpected consequences of human—or extraterrestrial—intervention.
Reliable biographical information about Hetschel is scarce. A 1966 publication note identifies a Dick Hetschel in Kansas who was involved in preserving old newspapers and served on the board of the San Francisco Academy of Comic Art, but the connection to the fiction writer cannot be confirmed with certainty.