Doorstep

John Keith LaumerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 12K words
Chapters: 2

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.Doorstep by Keith LaumerAuthor: Laumer, Keith, 1925-1993,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 20, 2016

Editor's review

Doorstep is a short science fiction story by Keith Laumer, released free by Project Gutenberg. Laumer excelled at science fiction with a satirical and ironic edge; this work is brief with a clear premise, typically built around an unexpected encounter or outside intervention, moving at a brisk pace and ending with a thought-provoking twist. It works as a sample for quick reading and for observing how Golden Age science fiction handles the collision of everyday settings and unusual events. As a public-domain digital text, the edition is stable and easy to obtain. Treat it as a short trip: don't expect an elaborate world; it is better read on a commute or in spare moments, then savored for its premise and humor. For writers of short science fiction, it is also a light model for studying openings and endings.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy short science fiction and want a quick read in spare moments.
Readers interested in the style and satirical tone of Golden Age science fiction.
Writers who want to study how short science fiction quickly establishes a premise and wraps up.
Readers accustomed to free public-domain eBooks who prefer short works.

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting the elaborate worldbuilding and complex character arcs of a novel.
Readers who prefer serious literature or nonfiction history.
People uninterested in science fiction premises who want only realistic subjects.

Reading tips

Set aside one uninterrupted stretch to read it in a single sitting and keep the sense of the plot twist连贯.
After finishing, look back at the setup in the opening to see how a short story lays groundwork and closes.
Read alongside other Golden Age science fiction shorts to compare narrative pacing and satirical technique.

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 a novel or a short story?

It is a short science fiction work by Keith Laumer, not long, suitable for reading in one or two sittings rather than a novel requiring long-term commitment. No extensive background preparation is needed; you can start right in.

Do I need to know the author's other works beforehand?

No. This is a standalone short story that does not depend on prior knowledge of the author's other works. You can understand the story directly; if you like the style, you can then seek out Laumer's other science fiction for further reading.

Is this book suitable for English learners?

It can serve as extensive reading material, but it is science fiction aimed at English readers, containing colloquial expressions and science fiction terminology. It is recommended for readers with some English reading foundation; when encountering unfamiliar words, focus on understanding the plot rather than checking every word.

Comments

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About the author

John Keith Laumer Author · American · 1925–1993

Keith Laumer (1925–1993), born John Keith Laumer, was an American science fiction writer from Syracuse, New York. He served in the U.S. Air Force and worked as a foreign diplomat, experiences that informed the action and satire in his later writing. In 1959 he published his first science fiction story, "Greylorn," and entered the field of science fiction. His representative works include the "Bolo" series, centered on self-aware super tanks, and the "Retief" series, which satirizes diplomatic life; he also excelled at time-travel and parallel-world themes, and his work is often marked by tight plotting and dry humor. He was nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards multiple times and had a notable influence on twentieth-century American science fiction.