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Looking for a novel that I read in the eighties (I think, or maybe the late 70s), about humans colonising Venus.

Much of the book is about the communication problems between the humans and the Venusians they meet, who don't think in terms of days, because they don't have any. All human concepts are based on our lives being divided into distinct days, and theirs weren't.

I don't remember much else, except that the humans couldn't visit every part of the planet, because in some areas, their clothes slowly disintegrated, even spacesuits, and they couldn't find out why.

Hope this is enough. I don't have anything else!

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    Did they travel "hose-back" style on these dinosaur like animals? They would bridal them with some electronic brain stimuli that caused them to drool like they were doped up on some euphoric drug and through the device they could operate them almost like cars. It was a Venus story. If this was it I can ask my dad, he loaned it to me a few years ago.
    – BillyNair
    Jul 17, 2012 at 9:59
  • Thanks for your comment, but no, I think I'd have remembered details like those.
    – Mr Lister
    Jul 17, 2012 at 10:47
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    This story is dated, post-1970 or so, science fiction stopped writing these stories because we knew there was no way anything could live there. Probably a classic author, though I couldn't guess which.
    – John O
    Aug 7, 2012 at 14:44

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Are you Dutch or german? If you are, you might mean Torenhoog en Mijlenbreed by Tonke Dragt (translated to German as Turmhoch und meilenweit. Ein Zukunftsroman). This story includes the desintegration of unnatural materials, like some clothing. Cotton clothes, for instance, remain intact. The Venusians are telepaths and only a few humans have enough ability to understand them. The main character's name is Edu.

There is also a story of C.S.Lewis: Perelandra (also titled Voyage to Venus), part of his Space Trilogy.

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  • You're welcome :) There is also a sequel: Ogen van Tijgers.
    – silvith
    Aug 9, 2012 at 6:46
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Possibly Parasite Planet by Stanley Weinbaum?

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  • You should add in the reasons why you think this is the answer.
    – Spencer
    May 10, 2018 at 19:07

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