(Found) Dying alien implant message in man who now has 2 years to deliver it

[Gman]

I read this book as a young boy in the 1960s and would like to read it again. For some reason it has stuck with me and can't remember the name. Here's the plot:

A dying alien lands on Earth in the countryside. A man comes upon the crash and attempts to help the alien. The alien then implants a message into the man's bones and states that he must deliver the message within 2 years or he will die. The man then uses the alien's ship and off he goes on his adventure.

If anyone can remember the name of this book, please let me know. You can reach me directly at: gman2300@gmail.com

Many thanks!!

 

[tachyon]

We had a similar query in here recently (unfortunately still unfound). If you read through the post it may help jog your memory (the second book described seems to be the same one you're after?) Note that the OP elaborates further in an update further down.

2 SF books from the 60s. Unknown title unknown author.

Read these in a public library as a child. First story is about a meteor infecting the earth with a red fungus with very strange properties and not compatible with earth life. The red growth is growing and research to stop it ends up using some of the growths properties to temporarily bring...

www.sffchronicles.com

 

[tachyon]

The closest I've found to this so far is Secret of the Ninth Planet by Donald A. Wollheim

 

[tachyon]

Found it!

Google got me to scifi 1960s man has message imprinted in his bones 2 years to deliver the message | Name that Book | LibraryThing | LibraryThing en català

The Martian Missile by David Grinnell, 1959

Here's a contemporary review with a lengthy plot summary (click the image):

<b>Retro review: 1959 novel <i>The Martian Missile</i> by David Grinnell</b>

Review of The Martian Missile (1959), a science fiction novel written by Donald A. Wollheim under the pseudonym David Grinnell, published...

sffbooksonmars.blogspot.com

 

[tachyon]

(Not sure why that librarything link was for the Catalan version of the site but that's what showed up in the google result!)

 

[tachyon]

The querent has posted on my member profile that The Martian Missile is the correct ID, so I think this can now be marked FOUND.

https://www.sffchronicles.com/members/41711/#profile-post-13204