Marley's Chain

Nourse, Alan Edward, 1928-1992Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 32K words
Chapters: 4

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.Marley's Chain by Alan Edward NourseAuthor: Nourse, Alan Edward, 1928-1992,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 26, 2010

Editor's review

Marley's Chain is a science fiction short story by Alan Edward Nourse (1928–1992), made available as a public-domain electronic text by Project Gutenberg. Nourse had a medical background, and his science fiction often weighs technological premises alongside human circumstances; this story likewise rewards reading from the angle of how the premise drives the characters' choices. As a short story it is friendly in length and easy to enter, yet its information density is not low: readers need to notice where key premises are established and how characters' attitudes shift with the plot in order to feel the weight of the ending. It works as a sample for extensive reading of short science fiction and for discussing how early science fiction handled scientific ethics and personal responsibility. The English original is not long, but old-fashioned expressions and specialized vocabulary may cause minor obstacles. If you expect lengthy world-building or intense action, this story's scale and approach may not meet expectations; if you are willing to trade one short read for a question worth pondering, it is worth reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Fans of short science fiction who want to read an older work by an author with a medical background
English extensive-reading readers who need a short text they can finish in one sitting
Students of science fiction writing who want to observe how a short story delivers its setup and turns
Discussion leaders looking for a short text that touches on science and responsibility

Not a good fit for

Hard science fiction readers who prefer long-form worldbuilding and complex setups
Readers expecting intense action or fast-paced narrative
Readers who need a Chinese translation or annotated edition to read comfortably

Reading tips

Read it straight through once without looking anything up; focus on the plot and where the ending lands.
On a second pass, mark where key setup elements first appear and see how the author plants information.
After reading, write a few sentences on how you judge the character's choices, then discuss with others.
If using it for writing study, draft your own short story outline following its structure.

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 novel a full-length work or a short story?

According to the available information, this is a short story by Nourse, released as a public-domain electronic text by Project Gutenberg. Its length suits one or two sittings, so you do not need a long-term reading plan as you would for a novel; precisely because it is short, it also rewards rereading to observe how the setup and structure are arranged.

What is the author Nourse's background, and is it relevant to this story?

The information shows that Alan Edward Nourse, the author of this story, was born in 1928 and died in 1992. His science fiction often places technological premises alongside human circumstances; while reading, you can watch how scientific elements affect the characters' judgments, but you should not infer too much about specific plot points on that basis.

Is the English original difficult to read?

As a short story, it is not long overall and is not hard to get into, but older phrasing and some specialized vocabulary may cause difficulty. It is recommended to read through once without looking words up, then on a second pass deal with unfamiliar words and key setup elements together; this way you do not disrupt the pace and can address language issues after the plot.

Is it suitable for a book club or classroom discussion?

Yes. The short length makes it easy for participants to finish within the same time frame, and it raises discussable topics such as scientific ethics and personal responsibility. The facilitator can first have everyone write down their judgment of the ending, then compare it with where key setup elements appear in the text, so the discussion does not stop at plot summary.

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About the author

Nourse, Alan Edward, 1928-1992 Author

Alan Edward Nourse (1928-1992) is a science fiction author with 24 works held in this collection, though public information about him is limited and biographical details remain to be filled in. Judging from the available titles, he wrote both novels and short stories, often centering on space exploration, medical ethics, and the risks of technology: titles such as Star Surgeon and Brightside Crossing suggest an interest in the intersection of interstellar travel and surgery, while An Ounce of Cure, Consignment, and Marley's Chain reveal a cool scrutiny of technological consequences. He was skilled at carrying speculation through tight plotting, placing ordinary people in extreme situations and using professional detail to heighten realism. Some short pieces, such as Meeting of the Board, adopt a satirical tone, showing that his style was not monolithic. His work had some influence among mid-twentieth-century English-language science fiction readers, but details of awards and sales cannot be verified and are therefore not speculated upon.