Half past Alligator by Donald Colvin
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"Half Past Alligator" by Donald Colvin is a science fiction story written in the early 1950s. The book explores themes of alien culture and the interaction between humans and extraterrestrial beings, particularly focusing on the dynamics of cooperation and leadership in a primitive society. It presents a fictional world where native creatures known as Quxas struggle to survive amidst external threats, while human characters attempt to understand and assist them. In the
narrative, Bill Bradley, a human camp leader on an alien planet, navigates his feelings for Candace Mathews and his frustration with Vance Montgomery, a commanding figure in the appraisal group. As baseball emerges as a bonding activity between the humans and the Quxas, Bill observes the significant cultural differences that complicate their interactions. Tension builds when Montgomery imposes a monarch-like leadership on the Quxas, appointing the brutish Ratakka as their king, which leads to oppressive dynamics. However, through the spirit of teamwork and play, Bill influences the Quxas positively, turning their love for baseball into a vehicle for self-governance and cooperation. The story culminates in a confrontation between the newly empowered Quxas and their former king, raising questions about leadership, culture, and societal development in both alien and human contexts. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Colvin, Donald |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Barth, Ernest Kurt, 1929-2001 |
| Title | Half past Alligator |
| Series Title | Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction September 1953 |
| Credits |
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 85.5 (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 | Human-alien encounters -- Fiction |
| Subject | Baseball -- Fiction |
| Subject | Extrasolar planets -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 50889 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-50889-4 |
| Release Date | Jan 10, 2016 |
| Last Update | Oct 22, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 524 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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