The Measure of a Man by Randall Garrett
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"The Measure of a Man" by Randall Garrett is a science fiction novella published in the early 1960s. The story is set against the backdrop of a future war between humans and a superior alien race known as the Rats. The narrative explores themes of sacrifice, courage, and the human condition as it follows the lone survivor, Alfred Pendray, aboard a damaged battleship trying to save humanity from impending doom. The plot
centers on Alfred Pendray, who finds himself as the last living crew member of the battleship "Shane", after an ambush by the Rats. With the ship severely damaged and lifeboats destroyed, Pendray must navigate through the wreckage and face devastating challenges to potentially save Earth from a catastrophic attack – a device capable of destabilizing a star. After repairing one of the engines, he discovers his only hope lies in reaching Earth with vital information encoded on microfilm within a limited timeframe. Ultimately, Pendray makes the ultimate sacrifice, exposing himself to deadly radiation to shorten his journey in a lifeboat, showcasing the measure of a man's resolve and the difficult choices one must face in the face of insurmountable odds. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Garrett, Randall, 1927-1987 |
|---|---|
| Title | The Measure of a Man |
| Series Title | Produced from Astounding Science Fiction, April, 1960. |
| Credits | E-text prepared by Greg Weeks, Bruce Albrecht, Mary Meehan, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (www.pgdp.net) |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 83.8 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Extraterrestrial beings -- Fiction |
| Subject | Space flight -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 24135 |
| Release Date | Jan 3, 2008 |
| Last Update | Jan 3, 2021 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 394 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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