Ten From Infinity

Paul Warren FairmanProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 241K words
Chapters: 25

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.Ten From Infinity by Paul W. FairmanAuthor: Fairman, Paul W., 1916-1977,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 20, 2007

Editor's review

Paul W. Fairman's Ten From Infinity is an English-language science fiction novel in the space-adventure vein of American popular literature. The story revolves around ten figures from a distant place, with the hallmarks of mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazines: premise first, brisk pacing, and suspense-driven plotting. Its value lies in showing how that era's science fiction imagined unknown visitors and puzzles of identity, making it a useful sample of the American pulp science fiction tradition. Released as a public-domain text by Project Gutenberg, it is moderate in length and not demanding to read through. It should be noted that the work leans toward genre entertainment rather than thought experiment; characterization and scientific setup both serve the plot, so readers should not hold it to the rigorous standards of hard science fiction. It suits chapter-by-chapter reading on commutes or in short sessions, and can also serve as supplementary material for discussions of postwar popular science fiction in science fiction history courses.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Genre readers who enjoy mid-twentieth-century American science fiction
Fans who want to understand the pulp science fiction tradition and its narrative conventions
Learners who need a short English-language text for reading practice
Teachers and students doing popular-text analysis in science fiction history courses

Not a good fit for

Science-minded readers who demand rigorous hard science fiction worldbuilding
Readers who prefer literary depth and psychological characterization
Contemporary readers who find old-style science fiction pacing hard to adjust to

Reading tips

Read chapter by chapter, treating each chapter-ending suspense point as a pacing marker; there is no need to finish in one sitting.
While reading, note the clues about each of the "ten" figures' origins; this helps clarify how the identity puzzle is laid out.
Read it alongside other public-domain science fiction short works from the same period to compare themes and narrative conventions.
English readers can first read through for plot, then revisit key dialogue passages to appreciate the period's language style.

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?

In its public-domain release form it is a novel of moderate length, suitable for chapter-by-chapter reading. For specific chapters and word count, see the file information on the Project Gutenberg page; different format versions vary slightly in layout.

Is it suitable for science fiction beginners?

It can serve as one introductory read: the narrative is straightforward and the suspense clear, without relying on complex worldbuilding. But it is early popular science fiction, markedly different in style from contemporary works, so beginners should read it expecting to learn about the genre's history.

Why is there only an English version?

The book is released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain ebook, and its original language is English; the platform provides the original text. Chinese readers need a translation or to read it alongside the original; the available information mentions no other language editions.

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About the author

Paul Warren Fairman Author · American · 1916–1977

Paul W. Fairman (1916–1977) was an American science fiction writer and editor, born in Missouri and died in Newark, New Jersey. He edited the magazines If, Amazing Stories, and Fantastic, leaving his mark on science fiction publishing. Under pen names such as Ivar Jorgensen, he also wrote detective, science fiction, and Western stories, showing a wide range of subjects. His representative works include Ten From Infinity, Deadly City, and The Beasts in the Void; his short story Deadly City was adapted into the film Target Earth, indicating the reach and influence of his work at the time. Three of his works are held in the collection. Public information about his life and writing career is limited, but even this shows that he combined the roles of editor and writer across multiple genres.