Missing Link

Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (Frank Herbert)Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 34K 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.Missing Link by Frank HerbertAuthor: Herbert, Frank, 1920-1986,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Oct 27, 2007

Editor's review

This is an early short story by Frank Herbert, published in a magazine and circulated by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain ebook. The English original is short and works well as supplementary reading for understanding the author's creative lineage. Herbert later became famous for Dune, and his early short fiction already shows his interest in the limits of human cognition, alien life and the difficulties of communication. This piece revolves around contact and understanding, with the conceptual-experiment flavor common to science fiction's Golden Age; the plot moves directly and emphasizes premise over characterization. For researchers, it can be set against his longer works to trace continuities in theme and conception; for general readers, it is more like a light appetizer, best read in one sitting as a short story. Note that this edition is an English public-domain electronic text with no Chinese translation or notes, so the barrier lies in the language rather than the length.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Science fiction readers wanting to fill in Frank Herbert's early short fiction
Literary enthusiasts studying short-story writing of science fiction's Golden Age
Readers used to English-language ebooks who prefer short fiction
Readers interested in themes of alien contact and communication difficulties

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting the grand world-building of Dune
Beginners needing a Chinese translation or detailed notes
Readers who prefer long novels and complex characterization

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the premise and the turn, then revisit the opening's groundwork for the contact scene.
After reading, compare with Herbert's later long works and note changes in theme and conception.
With the English text, keep an electronic dictionary at hand to avoid losing momentum over unfamiliar words.
The piece is short; read it in one sitting to preserve the continuity of suspense and ideas.

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?

No. It is a short English work by Frank Herbert, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain ebook. It is short and better read as a short story than scheduled like a novel.

Do I need to have read Dune first?

No. Dune and this piece are independent, with no plot continuity. Readers of Dune can treat it as early work for comparison; those who have not read Dune can read it directly without losing comprehension.

Is there a Chinese translation of this edition?

According to the given information, this edition is an English public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg. Whether a Chinese translation exists is outside the scope of the information; confirm the edition's language before choosing it to avoid mismatched expectations.

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About the author

Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (Frank Herbert) Author · American · 1920–1986

Frank Herbert (1920–1986) was an American science fiction writer, born on October 8, 1920, in Tacoma, Washington, and died on February 11, 1986, in Madison, Wisconsin. He is best known for his 1965 novel Dune, which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards and became one of the best-selling science fiction novels of all time. In addition to his full-length works, he wrote numerous short stories, including Operation Haystack, Old Rambling House, and Missing Link, all represented in this collection. His writing is often noted for its tight plotting and its attention to ecology and social structures. Because public information about his life is limited, this note draws only on the facts available.