A Place so Foreign

Doctorow, Cory, 1971-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 116K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Place so Foreign by Cory DoctorowAuthor: Doctorow, Cory, 1971-,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Sep 19, 2005

Editor's review

This is an English-language work by Cory Doctorow, released as a free e-book by Project Gutenberg. Doctorow is an important contemporary author in science fiction and internet culture, and his writing often interweaves technology, media, and the experience of growing up. This book serves as an entry point for understanding his early creative profile and the style of English-language science fiction short stories. The significance of the Gutenberg edition lies in being public, free, easy to search, and readable across devices; readers can access the text without paying. When reading, it is worth placing it in the context of contemporary science fiction: pay attention to how the author handles the relationship between "a foreign place" and identity, as well as the experimentation in narrative pacing and language. Since the information provides only bibliographic details and does not present the specific plot, readers are advised to treat it as a light reading exercise in the English original, reading through first and then reviewing the structure. For non-native English readers, a dictionary or bilingual comparison tools can lower the threshold.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Science fiction readers who want to encounter Cory Doctorow's English originals through free e-books
English learners who need short English texts for reading practice
Contemporary science fiction fans concerned with internet culture and technology themes

Not a good fit for

Beginner readers hoping for detailed Chinese annotations or introductions
Hard science fiction fans who accept only long works with complete world-building

Reading tips

Read through the whole text first to grasp the narrative rhythm, then return to the structural echoes between the opening and ending.
Mark unfamiliar words first, and look them up together after finishing a section, to avoid frequent interruptions.
Compare with other Doctorow works to observe the continuity and changes in his technological themes.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?

According to the information, the book is in English and is a free e-book released by Project Gutenberg. Chinese readers need some English reading ability, or can use dictionaries and translation tools to assist them.

What are the features of the Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg is one of the earliest projects providing free e-books, and its editions are usually publicly accessible, easy to search, and readable across devices. Readers can treat it as a low-cost way to encounter English originals, but it generally does not include Chinese introductions or detailed annotations.

With no specific plot description, how can I judge whether it suits me?

Try reading the first few pages to get a sense of the language difficulty and narrative style; if you prefer science fiction short stories about technology, media, and growing up, and can accept the English original, this book is worth trying. If you rely more on Chinese introductions, be cautious.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Doctorow, Cory, 1971- Author

Cory Doctorow (1971– ) is a Canadian science fiction writer, journalist and internet activist known for young adult science fiction and writing on internet culture. Thirteen of his works are held in the collection, including Little Brother, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Makers, Eastern Standard Tribe, A Place So Foreign and Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town. His novels often centre on young people growing up and resisting digital surveillance and corporate power, with fast pacing and close engagement with real technological issues, combining entertainment with social critique; the nonfiction Ebooks: Neither E, Nor Books discusses digital publishing and copyright. Because public information is limited, his education, awards and specific biography are not detailed here, but his work has had a notable influence on English-language young adult science fiction and writing about internet culture.