Second Landing

Floyd Lee WallaceProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 14K words
Chapters: 2

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.Second Landing by F. L. WallaceAuthor: Wallace, F. L. (Floyd L.), 1915-2004,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 30, 2008

Editor's review

This is a short science fiction work by F. L. Wallace, released free of charge through Project Gutenberg. Wallace was active in the mid-twentieth-century American pulp science fiction magazine era, and his work is often marked by tight narration and suspenseful premises. The book is short and belongs to the early digitized public-domain texts, retaining the pacing and imagination of magazine science fiction; it works well as supplementary reading for those exploring the margins of Golden Age science fiction. The text is the original English version, of moderate language difficulty, with no modern annotations or introduction, so readers need a certain command of English and experience with the science fiction genre. In terms of reading situation, it is better suited to being read in one sitting during fragmented time such as a commute or short break, rather than as systematic research material. Because public-domain ebooks lack editorial processing, typesetting and proofreading depend on the original scan transcription; readers are advised to take possible textual flaws with an open mind and focus on the story's conception and period atmosphere.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy mid-twentieth-century English-language short science fiction
Science fiction fans who want low-cost access to public-domain ebooks
Genre fiction readers with moderate English reading ability
People who want to read one complete short story in fragmented time

Not a good fit for

Readers who need a Chinese translation or bilingual edition
Readers expecting a long-form world and deep character development
People sensitive to typesetting flaws in public-domain ebooks

Reading tips

Read through once first to grasp the story's suspense, then revisit key premises and turns.
Can be read alongside contemporary American science fiction short story anthologies for comparison.
Pay attention to period language in the text and keep a dictionary handy for quick reference.

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 the Project Gutenberg release information, this is a short work by F. L. Wallace, suitable for reading in one sitting. For the exact length, refer to the actual electronic text; it is advisable to check the word count after downloading before planning reading time.

Can I read this book if my English is not good?

This is an original English public-domain book with no Chinese translation or annotations. Readers with moderate English reading ability and familiarity with science fiction genre language will find it smoother; if your English foundation is weaker, you can first use a dictionary or compare with a translation to understand the plot.

What should I pay attention to with public-domain ebooks?

Project Gutenberg texts come from early transcriptions and may contain minor typesetting or proofreading flaws, and they have no modern introduction. It is best to focus on the story; when you encounter obvious errors or omissions, you can refer to other editions and need not fret over every word.

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About the author

Floyd Lee Wallace Author · American · 1915–2004

F. L. Wallace (Floyd Lee Wallace, 1915–2004) was an American science fiction and mystery writer and a mechanical engineer. He was born in 1915 in Rock Island, Illinois, and died in 2004 in Tustin, California. From the 1950s onward he wrote short stories for science fiction magazines such as Galaxy as well as novels. Thirteen of his works are held in this collection, including Delay in Transit, The Man Who Was Six, End as a World, Forget Me Nearly, Address: Centauri, Student Body, Bolden's Pets and Accidental Flight. His writing often starts from the practical details of engineering and technology, combining precise speculation with suspense and reversal, and his subjects frequently involve space travel, mistaken identity and sudden crises. Public information about his life and career is limited, and readers' knowledge of him and his work still rests mainly on these short stories and novels scattered across various publications.