On the Fourth Planet by Jesse F. Bone
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"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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About this eBook
| Author | Bone, Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin), 1916-2006 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Finlay, Virgil, 1914-1971 |
| Title | On the Fourth Planet |
| Series Title | Produced from Galaxy Magazine April 1963 |
| Credits |
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 74.1 (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 | Extraterrestrial beings -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 50904 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-50904-4 |
| Release Date | Jan 12, 2016 |
| Last Update | Oct 22, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 427 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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