Book of the Gorkels

The Gorkels are a superstitious species, with their major vectors in life being determined by a tome of ancient prophecies called the Book of the Gorkels.

Fiction

The Book of the Gorkels Too Close (Enough) for Comfort was held by the Wise One, who used it to guide the Gorkels to live out its prophecies on the basis that "it is written in the book!" When its predictions were inconsistent with reality, it was deemed "close enough!" The Saga of Princess Ugly

The Wise One consulted the book when an alien space craft crashed on Gorkel. Though the craft didn't quite contain what the book predicted, he nonetheless encouraged Planet Terry, Robota, and Omnus to go along with the rest of the prophecy and voyage to the Domed City to free Princess _(shudder) Ugly from her uncle, Vermin the Vile. The Saga of Princess Ugly

Vermin did not believe in the book, but he and his lackey Scavage were familiar enough with its prophecies to be able to act against them. After Scavage reported that the three alien creatures were coming to rescue Princess Ugly, Vermin decided to pit the superstitions of the book against his Mayhem Maker. Vermin soon captured Terry and his friends; when Terry asked why the Domed City was so named if it had no dome, Vermin responded that it must have been written in "that dumb book of the Gorkels". Too Close (Enough) for Comfort

Terry and friends broke the evil spell and rescued Princess Ugly. As the people celebrated, Terry asked one about the Domed City's name, and got the answer that it was written in the book. Princess Ugly corrected him: what was written in the book was that it was the Doomed City, and that it would be destroyed when the Mayhem Maker went haywire. The residents considered this "close enough!" and fled. The Doom of the Domed City

Escaping the explosion, Terry and friends returned Princess Ugly to the Gorkels, though their success had been written in the book. When Terry revealed he'd been looking for his parents' ship, the Space Warp, the Wise One dropped the book in shock, as the craft had long ago crashed nearby. The Doom of the Domed City

Prophecies

Princess Ugly can only be awakened from her deep sleep in Vermin the Vile's Domed City by visiting alien creatures.

Reality: This turned out to be true, though the exact details were off. The Saga of Princess Ugly

The alien creatures will crash on Gorkel after being caught up in an astro-cyclone.

Reality: Terry's ship was caught in an astro tornado. The Saga of Princess Ugly

The craft will have a crew of two.

Reality: Terry's ship was crewed by three: Terry, Robota, and Omnus. The Saga of Princess Ugly

One of the creatures will be searching for his long lost puppy.

Reality: Terry was searching for his parents. The Saga of Princess Ugly

The rescue of the princess "will be a soft job! Easy! Nothing to it! Piece of cake!"

Reality: On the journey to the Domed City, Terry and friends were impeded by the impenetrable forest, the Mayhem Maker, the terror vines, the volcano, and the whirlpool. The Saga of Princess Ugly Unremarked upon was that the "terror vines" were actually tickle vines. Too Close (Enough) for Comfort Close enough?

When Vermin's evil spell is broken, the Mayhem Maker will go berserk and destroy the city.

Reality: The Mayhem Maker did indeed malfunction at such a time, but the prophecy had been misinterpreted such that the Doomed City had instead been named the Domed City. The Doom of the Domed City