Founding Father

Jesse Franklin BoneProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 103K words
Chapters: 11

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.Founding Father by Jesse F. BoneAuthor: Bone, Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin), 1916-2006,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 24, 2016

Editor's review

This work comes from the American science fiction writer Jesse F. Bone and belongs to the mid-twentieth-century tradition of short science fiction; it now returns to readers as a public-domain eBook through Project Gutenberg. The story revolves around alien contact and humanity's response, carrying the technological optimism and Cold War tension typical of science fiction of that era. It is short but briskly paced, and the ending often carries a twist. Its value lies not in grand world-building but in showing how early science fiction handled the question of the "other" and of trust, making it useful for readers studying the evolution of the genre or collecting public-domain science fiction texts. Readers might place it back in the context of the 1950s to appreciate how authors of the time imagined the relationship among science, the military, and unknown civilizations. As a free eBook, it suits being read in one sitting during a commute or in spare moments, and also works as supplementary short fiction for science fiction courses or book clubs.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in mid-twentieth-century English-language short science fiction
Enthusiasts studying the history of the genre or public-domain eBooks
Organizers needing short fiction for book club or classroom discussion
Readers accustomed to reading public-domain English works on electronic devices

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting contemporary hard science fiction or lengthy world-building
Readers uncomfortable with reading in English without a translation at hand
Those sensitive to old-fashioned science fiction pacing and gender depiction

Reading tips

Read once for the plot twist, then look back at the opening details to appreciate the clues the author planted.
While reading, note the ways the military, the scientists, and the aliens speak.
If used for a book club, pair it with another alien-contact short story from the same period for comparison.
Use the eBook search function to mark unfamiliar words and look them up afterward.

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 a novel or a short story?

Judging by the Project Gutenberg classification and its length, it is a short science fiction work, suitable for reading in one or two sittings; you need not plan your reading pace as for a novel.

How difficult is the English? What level is needed?

The text is mid-twentieth-century popular science fiction English. The sentences are not complex, but it contains some period expressions and military and scientific vocabulary. A reading level of about CET-4 is enough, with a dictionary.

Why are birth and death years given in the author information?

Because the book is in the public domain, Project Gutenberg standardly lists the author's full name and dates of birth and death so readers can confirm copyright status and author identity. This does not affect reading.

Is it suitable for children?

Not very suitable for young children. The story involves tense elements such as alien threats and military response, and its narrative perspective is oriented toward adults. It is recommended for middle school students and older, or for teenagers already interested in science fiction.

Comments

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About the author

Jesse Franklin Bone Author · American · 1916–2006

Jesse Franklin Bone (1916–2006) was an American veterinarian and science fiction writer, born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1916 and died in Arizona in 2006. He served in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and later became a professor at Oregon State University. Alongside his professional work, he wrote science fiction over many years, publishing his first story in 1957. Twelve of his works are held in the collection, including Noble Redman, Insidekick, Founding Father, Assassin, On the Fourth Planet, Pandemic, A Prize for Edie and To Choke an Ocean. His short fiction often deals with interstellar exploration, alien contact, and medical or biological crises, frequently approaching them from a professional perspective; the plots are tight and carry the speculative flavor of Golden Age science fiction. His representative work is The Lani People, and his short story Triggerman was nominated for the Hugo Award. Public information is limited, and details of his life and the full range of his work remain to be further organized.