The Golden Age Of Science Fiction Novel Chapters
List of most recent chapters published for the The Golden Age Of Science Fiction novel. A total of 1755 chapters have been translated and the release date of the last chapter is Apr 02, 2024
Latest Release: Chapter 1 : The Golden Age of Science Fiction.An Anthology of 50 Short Stories.by Various.VOL I.A ST
The Golden Age of Science Fiction.An Anthology of 50 Short Stories.by Various.VOL I.A STRANGE Ma.n.u.sCRIPT FOUND IN A COPPER CYLINDER.
By James De Mille CHAPTER I.THE FINDING OF THE COPPER CYLINDER.It occurred as far back as February 15, 1850. It happene
- 801 "Yet n.o.body seems to have wakened at that ranch when--and it must have happened--the herd stopped making any noise whatever. The utter silence should have wakened seasoned cowhands. It didn't. Why? What happened to them that they slept so soun
- 802 Hadley's eyes were bulging. So were those of the others who had crowded close to listen. They seemed to think Jeter had taken leave of his senses, and yet--all had seen the Vandercook building perform the utterly impossible.Hadley nodded."What d
- 803 But would they have been lowered back to safety as the Hueber and her crew had been?Believing as he did that the enemy knew everything that transpired within its sphere of influence, Jeter doubted that Eyer and himself would have been so humanely treated.
- 804 They slipped on the smooth surface face and fell sprawling. Each felt, when he fell, that he must rise at once, with all his speed, lest something grasp him and hold him down forever. It was a horrible trapped feeling, and yet....They had but to look at e
- 805 A cold chill ran along Jeter's spine. There was something too final about the guide's calm reply. Both adventurers remembered again, most poignantly, the fate of Kress.The leaders stepped through the door. A flight of steps led downward.Several
- 806 Try as they might, the partners could not see how the Three manipulated the ray. They guessed that there were many b.u.t.tons on the table at which they sat. The table itself was not an ordinary table. What might have been called a fifth leg, squarely und
- 807 Jeter went through the doors into the plane. In a few seconds the propeller kicked over, hesitated, kicked again. Then the motor coughed, coughed again, and broke into a steady roaring.CHAPTER XII.High Chaos The plane moved forward. Its tail swung around.
- 808 Under the impulses of his amplified thought, the crystal glowed, appeared to expand, then became a three-dimensional vista.The high intensity summary and excerpt leader had been not too deceptive, Barra told himself as the story unfolded. It was a well do
- 809 "Why are all your people idling away their time? Where are your herdsmen and guards?"The headman's face tensed with effort. He waved a hand southward and made meaningless noises. Faintly, the thought came through to Barra."In south for
- 810 "He can put it in the boat," he told the man. "I'll have one of my people pick it up for you when we get to the island. Now, if you'll follow me, the pier is over this way." He turned and floated toward the dock.As they pulle
- 811 Now, however, he had found a whole, new source of income. And a new sense of power had come to him. Caravans were more than welcome at Kira Barra.He leaned back on his new chair, enjoying the complete ease with which it instantly shaped to fit his body. I
- 812 Had his brother actually ever left this place? But if not, where were his drivers? What had happened to his train of draft brutes? How had the cargo he carried been disposed of?Oh, of course, he knew there were caravan masters who would accept freight and
- 813 Furiously, he tried to summon some tiny bit of energy to activate the distorter.Nothing happened.The man whose pity had destroyed him suddenly frowned, then turned and darted away. Dully, Barra watched him, then he turned, to look around the village. His
- 814 "You could call this the first trade exchange between your world and ours," another savage added. "Give us the machine; we'll send you fresh food from the village."The argument was logical and eventually the natives had their way.
- 815 Then, at the end of the village street, he saw Don Howard coming out of one of the houses with his hands held high."You win, Lord; leave them alone."It was victory, but Lord felt no triumph--only a crus.h.i.+ng bitterness. He motioned Howard to
- 816 "Of the people--their lives--their work--their misery!""I a.s.sure you many are very happy," I replied. "You take a morbid view. Misery is not the rule. I am sure the majority are happy.""What difference does that make?&
- 817 Of course the Woman question was soon introduced, and in this I made the best defence of time-honoured customs of which I was capable. But my outworks fell down as promptly before the voices of these young women as did the walls of Jericho before the blas
- 818 Brande--I believe I s.h.i.+vered. Heredity has much to answer for.That is the whole of the entry. I did not read the words until the hand that wrote them was dust.Natalie professed some disappointment when I announced my immediate return to town. I was ob
- 819 Thought! The man's mysterious power was becoming wearisome. It was too much for me. I wished that I had never seen his face.As I lay sleepless in my bed, I recommenced that interminable introspection which, heretofore, had been so barren of result. I
- 820 MORITURI TE SALUTANT.We had been sitting on deck chairs smoking and talking for a couple of hours after the late dinner, which was served as soon as the vessel was well out to sea, when Brande came on deck. He was hailed with enthusiasm. This did not move
- 821 This sudden change in her manner surprised me. I knew I had no art in dealing with women, so I let it pa.s.s without comment, and looked out at the gla.s.sy sea.After some minutes of silence, the girl spoke to me again."Do you know anything of the ac
- 822 "I am attending.""By the hold over my sister's imagination which I have gained, I will kill her on the fourth morning from now.""You will--not.""I tell you I will," Brande shrieked, starting up in his berth. &q
- 823 I cannot give the substance of this address, or any portion of it, verbatim as on former occasions, for I have not the ma.n.u.script. I doubt if Brande wrote out his last speech. Methodical as were his habits it is probable that his final words were not p
- 824 THE CATASTROPHE.The Esmeralda was putting out to sea when I thought of a last expedient to draw the attention of her captain. Filling my revolver with cartridges which I had loose in my pockets, I fired all the chambers as fast as I could snap the trigger
- 825 "But we must find something for him to do," said another. "We can't have an idle person in the State. It's unthinkable.""But what?" asked the Chief. "He's utterly incapable of running any of the machines.
- 826 "But everything under the drug is so ...""Haphazard? That's true. The recall episodes are always purely random, with no chronological sequence. Our problem will be to rea.s.semble them in proper order later. Or some particular scene ma
- 827 It's amazing how much you can learn about absolute strangers if you just stop to think about the kind of an animal they'll put in a ...Captain Baird stood at the window of the laboratory where the thousand parts of the strange rocket lay strewn
- 828 Occasionally he had landed--always staying close to the s.p.a.ce s.h.i.+p, for Jupiter's gravity made movement a slow and laborious process, and he didn't want to be caught too far from security. At such times he might hear a cras.h.i.+ng and sp
- 829 Once more the shock stung them, as a reminder not to keep their captors waiting. With their shoulders bunched for abrupt action, and their guns in hand, the two men walked to the trap-door of the s.h.i.+p. They threw the heavy bolts, drew a deep breath--a
- 830 How many hours had pa.s.sed, the Earthmen did not know. They had spent the time in fruitless planning to escape from their tower room and go back to the s.h.i.+p again. Though how they could get away in the s.h.i.+p when the Rogans seemed able to propel i
- 831 Dex compressed his lips stubbornly. He couldn't tell them if he wanted to, and, by G.o.d, he wouldn't if he could.Another notch, the wheel was turned; and in spite of himself a groan escaped Dex's lips. One more notch, while the metal slide
- 832 He shuddered; then he began to explore the dome of the building for a means of entrance.There was no opening in the roof. A solid sheet of reddish metal, like a t.i.tanic half-eggsh.e.l.l, it glittered under him in an unbroken piece.He crept down its incr
- 833 Into the Enclosure In the torture chamber Dex wavered slowly back to consciousness to get the growing impression that he was being immersed in a bath of liquid fire. Burning, intolerable pain a.s.sailed him with increasing intensity as his senses clarifie
- 834 Brand nodded, wordlessly, walking on the b.a.l.l.s of his feet like a boxer, holding himself ready to swerve the thing should it charge them. Which--next instant--it did!With a whistling bellow it gathered its tons of weight and thundered with incredible
- 835 "Was that not a trifle rash?" demanded Hennings."Intelligence is inclined to think not, sir. The s.h.i.+ps were armed only with weapons listed as general knowledge items. The crews were not only trained in prisoner-of-war tactics, but also
- 836 "You mean bugs have families and all, too?" w.i.l.l.y asked."Beetle 'families' are groupings of similar species of insects," Freddy explained. "Not actually kinfolk. For instance, this beetle is related to the Lytta vesi
- 837 "That's the last one, sir," Dwindle said six hours later as he added the one hundred twelfth graded test to the neat stack at the left of his desk. He stared through the thousand-plus holes in the answer key as if expecting the holes to s.h
- 838 He sat there, drumming his fingers on the walnut surface, his eyes closed as if he were listening to something very far away. A buzzer under his desk gave three short buzzes. He reached over and deflected the toggle on the intercom."Back already, Mar
- 839 He listened briefly. "Yes, sir," he said, and hung up. "He wants you in the pilot room, Ren," he added.Ren started out of the central instrument room through the axis tube."Better be careful," Ford shouted after him. "No
- 840 Ford looked at Hugh Dunnam through slitted eyes, his face expressionless. Suddenly he smiled."You forget, sir," he said smoothly. "Under a less human commander I would have kept my thoughts to myself.""I was sitting there, Martha,
- 841 When I woke I found myself thinking consecutively, a thing I do not remember to have done since I killed the curate in the other book. In the interim my mental condition had been chaotic, asymptotic. But during slumber my brain, incredible as it may seem,
- 842 The heat became intense. My wife and her soldiers began to feel the necessity for refreshment. My wife is accustomed to regular meals. The sun grew in strength as the time went on, and my wife gave the order to sit at ease, which was signalled to my mothe
- 843 It was a small shop, with an inconspicuous sign down in one corner of the window that said only, "KRUMBEIN--watches," and was probably the most famous shop of its kind in the world. Every s.p.a.ceman landing on Terra left his watch to be checked
- 844 "I am honored," Jonas said."Here we are alone," Scharpe went on, his voice lowering. "My wife and daughter have gone to visit a neighbor, for they have not yet closed us off entirely from all human contact."He grimaced. Jonas
- 845 "You--cast spells. You make things happen.""That's right," Jonas said, smiling again. "I'm a wizard. A warlock. That's what they say, isn't it?""You--make things happen," the bald man said.But he
- 846 Slowly, his mind opened and became receptive. The prayer hung in the air of the smoky room. Jonas slipped in-- "Now," he said quietly.His control slipped. The two guards came toward him, overpowered and held him in a brief second-- "Wait,&q
- 847 A black-haired housewife spied them over her back fence, crossed herself and grabbed her walkie-talkie from the laundry basket. Seconds later, the yawning correspondent of a regional newspaper was jotting down the lead of a humorous news story which, reca
- 848 "Listen to this!" he cried in a ringing voice. "As a result of the worldwide publicity, Puffyloaves are outselling Fairy Bread three to one--and that's just the old carbon-dioxide stock from our freezers! It's almost exhausted, bu
- 849 Pop reflected hungrily that it was something else to be made permanent and inspected from time to time. But he wanted more than a drawing of this! He wanted to make the memory permanent and to extend it-- If it had not been for his vacuum suit and the can
- 850 The broadcast stopped. It stopped dead. Betsy's screen went blank. Her wildly fluctuating standby light slowed gradually to a nearly normal rate of flicker."That's not a theory," said Howell dourly. "It's a statement in the b
- 851 The broadcast ended abruptly. Betsy's screen went blank. The colonel was notified. A courier took tapes to Was.h.i.+ngton by high-speed jet. Life in Research Establishment 83 went on sedately. The barracks and the married quarters and the residences
- 852 Graves said nervously: "I think I see. You are trying to make this communicator react as Betsy did. When it does, you will consider that your generator is creating a wave like the broadcasts from nowhere." "Yeah," said Bellews. "I
- 853 Earth's espionage ring was a headache, so the Martian Security Chief offered ten thousand credits for a key agent. But even for a price-- "This man is a spy for Earth," a voice droned, as the telecaster vibrated and a photo of Harry Horn fl
- 854 Glavour's eyes rested on the slim lithesome figure of the Earth-girl. She was just emerging from the grace of girlhood into the full dignity of young womanhood and the soft clinging garb she wore accentuated rather than concealed the curves of her bo
- 855 Damis' eyes lighted as Turgan spoke."Your plans are good," he cried, "and I will fly the s.h.i.+p for you. In return I ask but one thing: let mine be the hand which strikes Glavour down.""If it can be so done, yours shall be
- 856 "You have arrived. Unfasten your cylinders and emerge."They stepped out of the transporters and rubbed their eyes in astonishment. Two of the huge slugs had been amazing, but the effect of half a hundred grouped about them was more than the mind
- 857 "Those weapons on which you are planning, Nepthalim, were given to you by our Grand Mognac for the purpose of ridding your planet of your oppressors and of defending your planet against further Jovian attacks, not for the purpose of invading another
- 858 "It would be better for you to defer the message if it be ill news until Tubain arrives, brother, for Glavour is enraged beyond measure at all of us. He threatens to sacrifice us at the next games and he may do so unless Tubain alters the decree. He
- 859 THE STUTTERER.BY R. R. MERLISS.A man can be killed by a toy gun--he can die of fright, for heart attacks can kill. What, then, is the deadly thing that must be sealed away, forever locked in buried concrete--a thing or an idea?Out of the twenty only one m
- 860 "Yup. My dad owns a patch by the river. Want some?" He proffered the basket."No, thank you," Hall answered. He resumed his walk up the highway with the boy at his side."D-do you live around here," he asked."Just up the r
- 861 Yudovich, however, was a proud old man, and he never once acknowledged to himself or to anyone else that his work was useless. He guarded and checked the plant as though it were the storehouse of the Terrestrial Treasury. Every hour punctually, he made hi
- 862 All nineteen clamored to be heard, for Hall to relay their voices to Earth, but he held them off and first he told his story.The Ca.s.seiopeian delegate to the Galactic Senate was at the moment finis.h.i.+ng his breakfast. He was small and furry, not unli
- 863 General Shorter's breath was audible."Please feel free to smoke, David.""Thank you, sir, I don't smoke.""No, of course not. I'd forgotten." General Shorter half turned and placed his hands on the desk. He stood
- 864 The general's eyes broke to one side. He moved nervously as though physically to dismiss the tactical error of underestimating his opponent."Since this is your first planet," the general said, "perhaps you'd like to see something
- 865 "The thought naturally occurs that the aliens were the rather decadent relics of a highly developed technological civilization existing on the planet in the not too distant past. Yet Miracastle offers no evidence for the existence of a prior technolo
- 866 Fisher lurched to his feet. "They'll get you, Carl. They can try you and shoot you right on the spot, and Barness will do it. I had to tell you, you've walked right into it, but you might still get away if--"It was cruel. The drunken m
- 867 "Oh? Why?""He wouldn't say. Nothing to do with politics, he said. Something about Paul."Nathan s.h.i.+rmer was waiting in the library, sipping a brandy and pretending to scan a Congressional Record in the viewer-box. He looked up,
- 868 "Maybe he wanted to see you hang yourself.""But I can only hang myself on facts, not on the paranoid ramblings of a sick old man. The horrible thing is that he probably believes it--he almost had me believing it, for a while. But it isn
- 869 He strode down the aisle of the s.h.i.+p, leaving Dan staring bleakly at an empty seat.Paul, Paul-- * * * * *He met Terry Fisher at the landing field in Las Vegas. A firm handshake, clear brown eyes looking at him the way a four-year-old looks at Santa Cl
- 870 "But Tyndall! He'll turn Was.h.i.+ngton into a grand revival meeting, he'll--""Then we'll cut him down to size. He's my candidate, remember, not his own. He'll play my game if it pays him well enough. But I want an
- 871 The others nodded. Walter rubbed his hands together. "All right. Tomorrow we work as usual, until the noon whistle. When we go off for lunch, we throw the machines into lock-step. Then we just don't come back. But the big thing is to keep it qui
- 872 He was en route to Hamburg from Vienna, where he had been serving as his government's envoy to the court of what Napoleon had left of the Austrian Empire. At an inn in Perleburg, in Prussia, while examining a change of horses for his coach, he casual
- 873 To hazard a purely unofficial opinion, I should not imagine that London is very much dissatisfied with this denouement. His Majesty's government are a hard-headed and matter-of-fact set of gentry who do not relish mysteries, least of all mysteries wh
- 874 "I put up a lot of the money, too, don't forget," Carl told him. "Or the Union did; I'm a poor man, myself." He was smoking an excellent cigar, for a poor man, and his clothes could have come from the same tailor as Walter�
- 875 "We're a good team, Bill. I'm a chemist, but I don't know a thing about people. You're a psychologist. A real one; not one of these night-school boys. A juvenile psychologist, too. And what age-group spends the most money in this
- 876 "I'm not sayin' nothin'. Not until I get a mouthpiece."The newcomer started off on another tack. "My name is Lawrence Reston-Farrell. If I am not mistaken, you are Joseph Salviati-Prantera."Salviati happened to be Joe�
- 877 He spent the first three days of his life in the year 2133 getting the feel of things. Brett-James and Reston-Farrell had been appointed to work with him. Joe didn't meet any of the others who belonged to the group which had taken the measures to bri
- 878 Tangier is possibly the most cosmopolitan city in the world. In native costume you'll see Berber and Rif, Arab and Blue Man, and occasionally a Senegalese from further south. In European dress you'll see j.a.ps and Chinese, Hindus and Turks, Lev
- 879 "Soap?" I say. "Why, you poor fish, something must have happened to your eyes. When you offered me that straight razor, I thought you'd gone off your nut. Now I know it."The Professor interrupts. He looks excited. "Wait a min
- 880 With the exception of one recruit sitting alone on the front bench and leaning forward with eager interest, the lieutenant observed that his captive audience was utterly unimpressed with his stirring little "thought for today." He knew he could
- 881 "Y'ARE GETTIN' WISE WITH ME!" the sergeant roared. "I'll take care of ya later." He thrust Wims into the pit with the machine gun. "Now stay there on that gun 'til I get back. I'm goin' ta find the li
- 882 "No thank you. If that's all the delay is, it should be cleared soon and we'll be moving again. I'll want to be with my division.""General Kodorovich, you evidently don't understand what has happened. The word that has b
- 883 "Technically," she agreed, added, "We were arguing about a Fleet matter.""I see. We'll call it mutiny." Dasinger checked to be sure Calat wasn't faking unconsciousness. He inquired, "Do you really need these bo
- 884 "Nice piece of piloting," Dasinger observed.Duomart lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. "That's my job." Her face remained serious. "Are you wondering why I edged us through that thing instead of going around it?"&quo
- 885 "The a.n.a.lysis appears to be fairly accurate," Dr. Egavine acknowledged, "and all detectable trouble sources are covered by the selected Fleet serum."Dasinger said, "We'll prepare for an immediate landing then. There'l
- 886 "Getting Hovig's generator shut off is the first step," Dasinger said. "And since we don't know what dosage of the drug is required for each of us, we'd be asking for trouble by approaching the Antares in the s.h.i.+p. Miss M
- 887 Duomart and Calat screamed together. Dasinger drove himself forward off the bench, aiming for the Fleetman's legs, checked and turned for the gun which Calat, staggering and shrieking, his face distorted with lunatic terror, had flung aside. Dr. Egav
- 888 He realized he hadn't really believed his own hunch. But, of course, if it hadn't been an unheard-of outside force that plucked the Queen out of norms.p.a.ce and threw her into this elsewhere, then it must be something Maulbow had put on board.
- 889 He hadn't wanted to remind Kerim that, from what Maulbow said, there might be more than one reason for getting rid of the control unit as quickly as possible. But it had been constantly in the back of his mind; and twice, in the few minutes that pa.s
- 890 Gefty hesitated, said, "I thought at first he was furious because we'd upset his plans. But they weren't his plans ... they were the janandra's. He wasn't exactly its servant. I suppose you'd have to say he was something like
- 891 "Look, sir." The navigator pointed to the tv screen and a brilliantly clear image of Big Joe s.h.i.+mmering against the galaxy, lit by millions of stars. Every missile port, even the military numerals along her nose were clearly visible."Th
- 892 "Hold on, now," I said. "Leaving the planet, you say. And where would you be going?""There's another committee working on that. 'Tis not our concern. I was inclined to suggest the constellation Orion, which sounds as tho
- 893 Francois, who had been following our inspection tour at shadow's-length, interrupted. I suspected that his timing was no mere coincidence."We will be serving dinner at seven-thirty," he said. "If the lady would care to dress--"&qu
- 894 He said sullenly, "Go to h.e.l.l.""We have ways and means."He said, "Use 'em.""If we said that we mean no harm; if we asked what we could do to prove it, what would be your reply?""Take me back and let me
- 895 Emmett had barely finished securing his helmet when the s.h.i.+p shook violently and he was knocked to the floor. The lights fluttered, then went out.When the trembling at last subsided, he struggled to his feet and looked about the room. His eyes gradual
- 896 Toryl pointed the small crypterpreter toward the wooden, horseshoe-shaped sign. The sign's legend was carved in bright yellow letters. Sartan, Toryl's companion, watched up and down the open highway for signs of life. In seconds the small cylind
- 897 The barkeep's face was pure suns.h.i.+ne when he turned to the aliens again. "Gentlemen, with this kind of a subst.i.tute you don't need money in my place. Drink up!""Thank you ex-ceed-ing-ly," said Sartan.Okie arbitrarily ju
- 898 THE TERROR OF AIR-LEVEL SIX.By Harl Vincent It was a sweltering evening in mid-August, during that unprecedented heat wave which broke Weather Bureau records in 2011. New York City had simmered under a blazing sun for more than three weeks, and all who we
- 899 "Good Lord!" I exclaimed. "Do you mean to tell me that we are more than sixteen miles in the air?""Nearly thirty," replied Hart, pointing to another dial which I had not seen. This one was graduated in miles above sea-level,
- 900 "I'm not telling you," I replied, startled at the fierce fire that flashed from his eyes."I know. I'm just trying to think aloud and I'm liable to say anything. But this sort of business is the work of humans as sure as you&#