Preferred Risk

McCann, EdsonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 330K words
Chapters: 33

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.Preferred Risk by Edson McCannAuthor: McCann, Edson,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 21, 2016

Editor's review

Preferred Risk is a science fiction novel by Edson McCann, a work of the mid-twentieth-century American science fiction magazine era, made available as a public-domain ebook by Project Gutenberg. The title itself hints at a setting built around "risk" and "preferred" status, carrying the commercial-society imagination and satirical tone common to the science fiction of that period. As a public-domain text, its value lies first at the level of bibliography and genre history: readers can use it to observe how early science fiction handled insurance, probability, institutions, and human nature, and can also feel the brisk pacing and premise-driven narrative style of magazine science fiction. It is not a dense, profound classic but rather a window into the evolution of the genre. It is best approached with a relaxed attitude, without demanding deep characterization, focusing instead on the ingenuity of its premise and the feel of its era. For readers studying American science fiction magazine writing, this book serves as a concrete, compact specimen.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Genre readers interested in American magazine-era science fiction
Readers studying twentieth-century science fiction history and popular literature
Readers who enjoy short, premise-driven stories and easy English reading
Readers looking to expand their science fiction reading with public-domain ebooks

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting extended world-building and complex character arcs
Readers sensitive to early science fiction style and its period limitations
Readers who need a Chinese translation and cannot easily read the English original

Reading tips

Read it as a genre-history specimen and notice how the premise drives the plot.
After reading, compare it with science fiction magazine works of the same era, comparing themes and techniques.
When reading in English, read through the plot first, then revisit how key premises are expressed.
If using it for research, note the details of its imagination of institutions and risk.

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 from how the public-domain ebook presents it, this is a science fiction work of modest length, tightly paced and concentrated on its premise. For the exact length, refer to the actual pages of the ebook; it is suitable for reading in one or two evenings rather than a long-term commitment to a massive novel.

Can I read it without a background in science fiction?

Yes. The book is premise-driven with a straightforward plot and does not depend on extensive series background knowledge. But it is in the original English and carries a mid-twentieth-century feel, so readers need basic English reading ability and some tolerance for early science fiction style.

Why is the author attribution worth noting?

Edson McCann is the author name under which this work was published. Mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazines often used pen names and collaborative authorship, so readers doing edition or authorship research should rely on the attribution provided by the public-domain ebook and should not infer the real identity on their own.

Comments

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About the author

McCann, Edson Author

Edson McCann is an author about whom very little public information is available. The only work currently confirmed is Preferred Risk, and no clear record has been found of a full English name, nationality, dates of birth and death, or subject classification. Because reliable biographical information is lacking, it is not possible to describe McCann's education, professional career, or development as a writer. The title Preferred Risk suggests a subject related to risk, insurance, or decision-making, but the book's actual content and style remain to be documented by readers and researchers. Overall, McCann is an author with sparse records and a single known work, whose writing profile cannot be fully presented from the available sources; assessments should therefore remain cautious and avoid over-inference, pending further verifiable public information.