Deadly City

Paul Warren FairmanProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 88K words
Chapters: 9

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.Deadly City by Paul W. FairmanAuthor: Fairman, Paul W., 1916-1977,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 5, 2010

Editor's review

Deadly City is a short science fiction piece by Paul W. Fairman published in the 1950s. Compact in length, it carries the distinct flavor of Cold War-era science fiction blended with thriller elements. The story turns urban space into a zone of danger, driven forward by suspense and closed with a twist, reading like a briskly paced episode of genre television. Fairman's writing emphasizes atmosphere and narrative efficiency; characters are relatively functional, and the scientific premise serves dramatic effect rather than rigorous extrapolation—precisely the typical look of pulp science fiction magazine work of the time. As a free Project Gutenberg electronic edition, it works well as an introductory sample of short science fiction and as a text for discussing how 1950s science fiction used genre narrative to respond to social anxieties. Readers should not demand the complexity of contemporary long-form science fiction from it, but rather appreciate it as a slice of its era.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Casual readers looking for a genre science fiction piece they can finish in one sitting
Readers interested in American popular science fiction of the 1950s
Teachers needing a short science fiction sample for classroom or book club discussion
Genre readers who enjoy a blend of suspense, thriller, and science fiction

Not a good fit for

Hard science fiction readers expecting rigorous scientific worldbuilding and long-form construction
Readers who prefer deep character development and literary narrative
Readers sensitive to old-style pulp magazine prose and its period limitations

Reading tips

Read it in one sitting to preserve the continuity of suspense; no need to pause midway
After reading, reflect on how the title echoes the ending and discuss how the author uses urban space to create a sense of pressure
Compare it with short science fiction of the same period to observe common genre tropes against the Cold War backdrop
The English original is not long; if you encounter old-fashioned expressions, skip ahead and prioritize following the plot

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

About how long is this story, and when is a good time to read it?

It is a typical short science fiction piece, not long—suitable for about an hour of continuous reading on a commute, at lunch, or before bed. Because the plot relies on suspense, it is best read in one go to avoid losing tension after a break; if you do split it, pause at scene changes for easier resumption.

Is the story hard science fiction?

No. It is closer to a blend of suspense thriller and science fiction elements; the scientific premise mainly serves atmosphere and plot twists rather than rigorous extrapolation. Measured against contemporary hard science fiction standards, it will feel lacking; but as a sample of 1950s popular science fiction, it precisely shows the era's magazine fiction preference for pace and dramatic effect.

Why recommend reading this public-domain edition?

The Project Gutenberg edition is free and easy to obtain; the text is a public-domain electronic edition, suitable for quick sampling or classroom distribution. It has no modern annotations or introduction, so readers who want author and period background will need to look elsewhere; but for readers who simply want the story itself, this edition is sufficient.

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About the author

Paul Warren Fairman Author · American · 1916–1977

Paul W. Fairman (1916–1977) was an American science fiction writer and editor, born in Missouri and died in Newark, New Jersey. He edited the magazines If, Amazing Stories, and Fantastic, leaving his mark on science fiction publishing. Under pen names such as Ivar Jorgensen, he also wrote detective, science fiction, and Western stories, showing a wide range of subjects. His representative works include Ten From Infinity, Deadly City, and The Beasts in the Void; his short story Deadly City was adapted into the film Target Earth, indicating the reach and influence of his work at the time. Three of his works are held in the collection. Public information about his life and writing career is limited, but even this shows that he combined the roles of editor and writer across multiple genres.