Synthetic Hero by Erik Fennel

Read now or download (free!)

Choose how to read this book Url Size
Read online (web) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64515.html.images 47 kB
EPUB3 (E-readers incl. Send-to-Kindle) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64515.epub3.images 515 kB
EPUB (older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64515.epub.images 514 kB
EPUB (no images, older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64515.epub.noimages 81 kB
Kindle https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64515.kf8.images 549 kB
older Kindles https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64515.kindle.images 542 kB
Plain Text UTF-8 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64515.txt.utf-8 41 kB
Download HTML (zip) https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/64515/pg64515-h.zip 450 kB
There may be more files related to this item.

About this eBook

Author Fennel, Erik
Illustrator Vestal, Herman B., 1916-2007
Title Synthetic Hero
Note Reading ease score: 64.0 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Credits Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Summary "Synthetic Hero" by Erik Fennel is a science fiction novella written in the late 1940s. The narrative centers around George Carlin, a wealthy and egocentric industrialist who, facing a terminal illness known as Matson's Disease, devises a grandiose plan to become a hero by traveling to the moon. This story explores themes of ego, identity, and the nature of heroism against a backdrop of human ambition and technological advancement. The plot follows Carlin’s descent as he orchestrates a one-way trip to the moon, resulting in an accidental transformation into a public figure celebrated for discovering a potential cure for his disease. However, the true pioneer behind the mission, engineer Verne Harris, is unceremoniously ignored in the narrative, leading to tragic consequences. As Carlin drinks away his troubles, he eventually learns of Harris's sacrifice and the myth that replaces their shared reality, illustrating how society often elevates flawed individuals while the genuine heroes remain unrecognized or forgotten. Ultimately, Carlin’s journey is one of loss, redemption, and the harsh reality of how public perception can shape history, leaving him with the haunting truth of another man's overlooked legacy. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Language English
LoC Class PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Subject Science fiction
Subject Short stories
Subject Impostors and imposture -- Fiction
Subject Rich people -- Fiction
Subject Space flight to the moon -- Fiction
Subject Diseases -- Fiction
Category Text
EBook-No. 64515
Release Date
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 60 downloads in the last 30 days.
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!