Heel by Philip José Farmer
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"Heel" by Philip José Farmer is a science fiction novella written in the early 1960s. The story presents a unique reimagining of the Iliad, blending mythological elements with a futuristic narrative about gods, directors, and a production crew. It explores themes of power dynamics, love, and the manipulation of fate, revolving around the characters from the Trojan War with a modern twist. In "Heel," the narrative unfolds aboard a spaceship where a
director, likened to Zeus, orchestrates the great events of the ancient war for the entertainment of a cosmic audience. Achilles and other mythic figures are caught in the machinations of these beings who manipulate their fates for dramatic effect. Thetis, Achilles’ mother, tries to protect her son from the director's plans while her love for him complicates matters. As the story progresses, alliances shift, and the manipulation culminates in tragedy as Achilles faces his fate—betrayed by those who wield ultimate control over the script of their lives. The novella ultimately serves as a satire of storytelling itself, questioning the nature of heroism and the sacrifices made for glory. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Farmer, Philip José, 1918-2009 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Finlay, Virgil, 1914-1971 |
| Title | Heel |
| Series Title | Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, May 1960 |
| Credits |
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 84.5 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Human-alien encounters -- Fiction |
| Subject | Trojan War -- Fiction |
| Subject | Motion pictures -- Production and direction -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 60871 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-60871-6 |
| Release Date | Dec 7, 2019 |
| Last Update | Oct 17, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 511 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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