Mercenary

Reynolds, Mack, 1917-1983Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 123K words
Chapters: 13

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.Mercenary by Mack ReynoldsAuthor: Reynolds, Mack, 1917-1983,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 20, 2008

Editor's review

Mercenary is a mid-twentieth-century English-language science fiction novella by Mack Reynolds, released free by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain ebook. Reynolds is known for tight narrative pacing and settings with a satirical edge; this work places the ancient profession of the mercenary in a future interstellar or technological society, using the genre's shell to explore the tension between profit, loyalty, and institutions. It is short, with a direct plot, making it a good introductory sample of the American pulp science fiction tradition and easy to finish in one sitting on a commute or in spare moments. While reading, notice how the author builds character through dialogue and action, and the story's light satire of the relationship between business logic and violence. Because it is a public-domain electronic text, the layout is plain, with no modern introduction or notes, so readers must fill in the period background themselves. Overall, it works better as a historical specimen of genre fiction or as casual reading than as serious literature with deep character portrayal.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want a short story as an introduction to mid-twentieth-century American science fiction
Fans of genre fiction featuring mercenaries and interstellar adventure
Learners who need free English ebooks for extensive reading practice
Researchers interested in the narrative style of the pulp magazine era

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer long works with complex worldbuilding and character arcs
Beginners who need modern notes and introductions
Those sensitive to depictions of gender and violence in early science fiction

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then revisit the dialogue to sense the differences in characters' positions.
Read alongside material on the history of mid-twentieth-century American science fiction to understand the genre context.
The English original is short; read it in twenty-minute sessions and note new words.

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 length and genre of the public-domain ebook, it is a novella or short work with a concentrated, fast-moving plot, usually finishable in one or two sittings and suitable for reading in spare moments.

Can I understand it without a background in science fiction?

The setting is not complicated and the language is mainly narrative and dialogue, so beginner readers can follow the plot. But there are no modern notes, and some period usages and social background require looking up.

Why does the recommended edition have no introduction?

This edition comes from the Project Gutenberg public-domain ebook project, which mainly provides free original texts and usually includes only basic information such as author, language, and classification, without a modern introduction or notes.

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About the author

Reynolds, Mack, 1917-1983 Author

Mack Reynolds (1917–1983) was an American science fiction writer, born Dallas McCord Reynolds. Because public information is limited, no speculation is made here about his early life or education. The collection holds twenty-five of his works, including I’m a Stranger Here Myself, The Common Man, Happy Ending, Dogfight—1973, Black Man’s Burden, Off Course, Summit, and Ultima Thule. These titles suggest that he excelled at short stories and novellas, often addressing social issues, race relations, political conflict, and future warfare. His titles are frequently blunt and ironic, his narratives tight, and he makes effective use of suspense and reversal to discuss real-world problems within the framework of popular science fiction. His work appeared mainly in mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazines and has had some influence on later socially engaged science fiction.