| Author |
Bone, Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin), 1916-2006 |
| Illustrator |
Finlay, Virgil, 1914-1971 |
| Title |
On the Fourth Planet
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| Note |
Reading ease score: 74.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
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| Credits |
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
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| Summary |
"On the Fourth Planet" by J. F. Bone is a science fiction novella written during the early 1960s. The story revolves around the character Ul Kworn, a member of a dwindling alien race, facing a significant obstacle in his path—a mysterious metal structure that blocks his access to food, ultimately representing a barrier to survival and progress for his species. The narrative unfolds in an alien landscape, exploring themes of survival, societal change, and the remnants of a once-great civilization. The plot centers on the challenges faced by Ul Kworn as he confronts a massive metallic disc that has appeared in his feeding territory. Struggling with dwindling energy and food scarcity, he battles both the external obstacles of this artifact and the internal tensions within his community, particularly concerning his untrustworthy neighbors. As the story progresses, Kworn learns the structure possesses life and intelligence, which leads to a moment of transformation for him. The climax reveals a catastrophic event involving his naive offspring, resulting in the destruction of the structure but revealing the potential for rebirth in the society of the Folk. Ultimately, Kworn envisions the possibility of reconciling the old knowledge with new opportunities for growth, hinting at a hopeful future for his civilization. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
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| Subject |
Science fiction
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| Subject |
Short stories
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| Subject |
Extraterrestrial beings -- Fiction
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
50904 |
| Release Date |
Jan 12, 2016 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
90 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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