In Out of the Silent Planet, Weston first appears with his accomplice, Dick Devine (the future Lord Feverstone in That Hideous Strength), attempting to abduct a mentally impaired young man named Harry, whom Weston considers subhuman and disposable. They plan to take him to Malacandra (Mars) as a human sacrifice to Oyarsa, its ruling angel. It is then that they are surprised by a chance visit by Elwin Ransom, the main character of the novel, who is an old schoolmate of Devine. Ransom grows suspicious of their activities, and Devine persuades Weston to abduct Ransom instead.