If at First You Don't... by John Brudy
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"If at First You Don't..." by John Brudy is a satirical science fiction novella likely written in the early 21st century. The book focuses on the bureaucratic and absurd challenges surrounding the fate of the satellite '58 Beta, which becomes a symbol of pride and contention among various stakeholders in the U.S. government and public. It delves into themes of nostalgia, historical significance, and the often comical nature of administrative decision-making in
the face of trivial yet heated debates. The story follows Amos Jordan, the Secretary for Cislunar Navigation, as he is drawn into a chaotic political fracas regarding the fate of the aging satellite '58 Beta, which is on a collision course with the Earth's atmosphere. The narrative unfolds through Jordan's interactions with his assistant, Clements, and various political figures, including the obstinate Senator Darius, who insists on preserving Beta as a tribute to early space exploration. As public sentiment rises, leading to student riots and congressional debates, Jordan grapples with the absurdity of the situation, ultimately leveraging a little-known regulation to classify Beta as dangerous debris, allowing it to be decommissioned without further fuss. The finale humorously twists into a bureaucratic triumph with the successful re-launching of '58 Beta after taking into account numerous administrative mishaps, culminating in a reflection on the cyclical nature of power and historical preservation in a spacefaring age. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Brudy, John |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Varga, Mel |
| Title | If at First You Don't... |
| Series Title | Produced from Amazing Stories June, 1960. |
| Credits | E-text prepared by Greg Weeks, Graeme Mackreth, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (www.pgdp.net) |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 76.6 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Political fiction |
| Subject | Satellites -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 31009 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-31009-1 |
| Release Date | Jan 18, 2010 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 440 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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