Operation Terror

Leinster, Murray, 1896-1975Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 262K words
Chapters: 27

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. Operation Terror by Murray Leinster. Author: Leinster, Murray, 1896-1975. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: Feb 27, 2006

Editor's review

Operation Terror is a science fiction work by Murray Leinster, released as a free electronic edition by Project Gutenberg. Leinster is known for tight plotting and imaginative premises, and this book continues in his signature vein of suspenseful science fiction, built around the action of "Operation Terror." It serves as an accessible introduction to American science fiction short stories and novellas of the mid-twentieth century. The Gutenberg edition is the original English text, with a moderate language barrier and a short length that makes it easy to read on a commute or in fragments of time. For readers curious about how early science fiction handled themes such as alien threats, technology out of control, and human response, this book offers a lightweight but representative sample. Note that this is a public-domain electronic edition without a modern introduction or annotations, so readers must supply their own context. Overall, it is a worthwhile read for science fiction fans expanding their reading map and for researchers collecting early genre texts.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy classic English-language science fiction and want to understand mid-twentieth-century genre writing
Learners who need short English reading material for practice and commute-time reading
Students or enthusiasts studying early science fiction themes and public-domain ebook resources

Not a good fit for

Serious researchers expecting in-depth literary analysis or a modern annotated introduction
General readers who are not used to reading original English texts and need a Chinese translation
Science fiction readers who prefer long, complex worldbuilding and character development

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the pace of the plot, then revisit key premises and note how the author builds suspense.
While reading, jot down unfamiliar science fiction terms and period-specific words, and use a dictionary or background materials to understand them.
Read it alongside other science fiction short stories from the same period to appreciate the commonalities and differences of genre writing.

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 in Chinese or English?

This Project Gutenberg edition is the original English text, in English, and contains no Chinese translation. It suits readers with some foundation in English reading; those who need a Chinese version will have to look for a translation separately.

Do I need to know the author or historical background before reading?

Not necessarily. The plot is relatively self-contained, so you can go straight into the story. For a deeper understanding, you can briefly familiarize yourself with common themes of mid-twentieth-century American science fiction magazines and genre writing, such as alien threats and technological risk.

Does this edition have annotations or an introduction?

Project Gutenberg provides public-domain electronic texts that usually contain no modern editor's introduction, annotations, or analysis. Readers who want background information can consult public materials on the author and the work, or refer to relevant books on the history of science fiction.

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About the author

Leinster, Murray, 1896-1975 Author

Murray Leinster (1896–1975) was an American science fiction writer whose real name was William Fitzgerald Jenkins. He was a prolific author of short stories and novels, and this site holds thirty-nine of his works, including The Mad Planet, The Pirates of Ersatz, The Machine That Saved The World, The Forgotten Planet, The Wailing Asteroid, The Invaders, The Runaway Skyscraper, and Scrimshaw. His science fiction often deals with interstellar adventure, strange planets, and technological speculation, with tightly plotted, boldly imaginative narratives that also reflect on human society and the conditions of survival; some works are also categorized as inspirational growth. Public information is limited, making biographical details difficult to describe, but the surviving works show his important place in twentieth-century American popular science fiction and his influence on later writers in the genre.