Exile from Space

Merril, Judith, 1923-1997Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 83K 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.Exile from Space by Judith MerrilAuthor: Merril, Judith, 1923-1997,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 16, 2010

Editor's review

Judith Merril was an important editor and author in twentieth-century American science fiction, and "Exile from Space" is a representative sample of her short fiction. The work takes "an exile from space" as its core premise, placing the situation of being a stranger and the anxiety of identity into a science fiction framework; it has the suspense and twists expected of genre fiction, while also preserving Merril's characteristic attention to character psychology—she cares not only about how ingenious the premise is, but about how a person in an unfamiliar environment conducts themselves and how the surrounding world defines them. For Chinese readers, this is a lightweight entry into the American science fiction short story tradition "after the Golden Age": the length is short, the premise is clear, and after reading it one can quickly grasp how that generation of authors used space themes to address real-world issues. As a public-domain e-book, it has no accompanying introduction; readers can treat it as an exercise in short fiction reading, or follow the thread to learn about Merril's contributions as an editor to science fiction anthologies.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers new to classic American science fiction short stories
Literary readers interested in identity and the experience of being an outsider
English learners who enjoy science fiction and want to read short stories in the original
Science fiction editors and writers who want to study short story structure

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting hard science fiction with technical detail and rigorous worldbuilding
Readers who only enjoy epic novel-length science fiction worlds
Readers uncomfortable with mid-twentieth-century English-language science fiction narrative style

Reading tips

Read it in one sitting, noting how "exile" unfolds on both the plot and psychological levels
After finishing, revisit the opening to see how the author plants clues about identity
English learners can read through first and look up vocabulary afterward to avoid interrupting the narrative rhythm
Pair it with a contemporary American science fiction short story to compare how themes are handled

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

What kind of science fiction is this story?

It is closer to soft science fiction centered on a character's situation, using a space setting as a framework to explore alienation and identity rather than showcasing technical details or grand cosmic worldbuilding. Readers who enjoy socially oriented science fiction will find it easier to get into.

Do I need to know the author beforehand to understand it?

No. The story can be read on its own. Knowing that Merrill was both an author and a science fiction editor helps explain her attention to short story structure and character psychology, but it is not a prerequisite for reading.

Is it long? Is it suitable for reading in one sitting?

As a short story, it is suitable for reading in one sitting. Continuous reading makes it easier to follow the build-up of suspense and the ending twist; if reading in segments, it is best to split at plot stages and avoid stopping at key moments.

The ebook has no annotations. What should I do if I encounter cultural barriers?

Public domain ebooks usually provide only the original text. When encountering period background or cultural references, infer from context first and look them up afterward; if they do not affect understanding of the main thread, there is no need to stop at every point.

Comments

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About the author

Merril, Judith, 1923-1997 Author · American · 1923–1997

Judith Merril (1923–1997) was an American science fiction writer and editor who had a profound influence on modern science fiction. Public information about her is limited, but the two works of hers held in this collection, Exile from Space and The Lonely, suggest that her fiction often places characters in alien or isolated situations, using science fiction premises to examine the individual's estrangement from the world around them. As a writer, she focused on psychological depth and emotional tension rather than mere displays of technological spectacle; as an editor, her keen eye for fiction helped shape the aesthetic of mid-twentieth-century science fiction short stories and steered the genre from pulp entertainment toward greater literary quality. Her writing and editing together form an important contribution to modern science fiction that continues to be valued by scholars and readers alike.