Beast of prey by Jay Williams
QR code
"Beast of Prey" by Jay Williams is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. Set in a distant future on a strange planet, the narrative revolves around a team of scientists conducting an ecological survey who encounter a lethal predator that seems to attack its victims through a mysterious mental paralysis. This story explores themes of survival, nature, and the potential for intelligent life in unexpected forms. The plot follows
the main character, Fenner, as he and his fellow researchers face a series of unexplained attacks leading to the incapacitation of their team members. Amid growing tension and fear, Fenner becomes determined to discover the nature of the lurking threat. Ultimately, he encounters an unusual creature—initially thought to be dangerous—that turns out to have the ability to nullify the effects of the predatory flowers causing the mental paralysis. Through this experience, Fenner realizes that the creature harbors an intelligent and protective instinct, suggesting a deeper evolutionary relationship between it and the flora of the planet. The story concludes with Fenner recognizing the creature’s capability for compassion, hinting at the complexities of interspecies connections in an alien ecosystem. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Download for free
For your e-reader or reading app — Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Calibre etc.
Kindle → Use Send-to-Kindle
Kobo, Nook etc → Transfer via USB
Phone, tablet or computer → Open in a reading app
Other formats & older devices
There may be more files related to this item.
About this eBook
| Author | Williams, Jay, 1914-1978 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Freas, Kelly, 1922-2005 |
| Title | Beast of prey |
| Original Publication | United States: Street & Smith Publications, Inc., 1957. |
| Series Title | Produced from Astounding Science Fiction August 1957 |
| Credits | Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 83.0 (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 | Life on other planets -- Fiction |
| Subject | Outer space -- Exploration -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 70158 |
| Release Date | Feb 27, 2023 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 253 downloads in the last 30 days. |
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!