The Floater by Bryce Walton
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"The Floater" by Kenneth O'Hara is a science fiction short story written in the mid-20th century. The narrative revolves around the unique psychological predicament of a solitary Watchman, Harry Barton, stationed in a man-made observational meteor—referred to as a "basketball"—floating in the vast emptiness of space. The story explores themes of isolation, sanity, and the human condition in extreme circumstances. The plot unfolds through interactions between Barton and a neuropsychologist, Dr. Von
Ulrich, who visits Barton to assess his mental state as he endures long stretches of solitude. Over the course of many years, Barton grapples with his reality, confronting memories of his past and the effects of prolonged isolation. While Von Ulrich believes that Barton is on the verge of a psychological breakdown due to his unusual resilience, Barton remains content and detached, perceiving time differently, and almost relishing the lack of external stimuli. The story culminates with the discovery of Barton years later, suggesting he has adapted to his environment in a way that defies human expectations of aging and mental stability, leaving readers to contemplate the boundaries of human adaptability. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Walton, Bryce, 1918-1988 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Orban, Paul, 1896-1974 |
| Title | The Floater |
| Series Title | Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, February 1957 |
| Credits |
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 76.9 (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 | Psychological fiction |
| Subject | Space stations -- Fiction |
| Subject | Time -- Fiction |
| Subject | Psychologists -- Fiction |
| Subject | Solitude -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 59712 |
| Release Date | Jun 9, 2019 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 325 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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