The Devil's Asteroid

Wellman, Manly Wade, 1903-1986Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 58K words
Chapters: 6

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.The Devil's Asteroid by Manly Wade WellmanAuthor: Wellman, Manly Wade, 1903-1986,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Sep 8, 2007

Editor's review

The Devil's Asteroid is an early science fiction short story by Manly Wade Wellman, a classic short work in the public domain. The story revolves around an asteroid imbued with an ominous significance, carrying the space-adventure flavor common to mid-twentieth-century science fiction: the setup is direct, the pace brisk, and the characters are quickly thrust into crisis within a limited space, carrying the reader forward with the plot. Wellman's approach does not aim for elaborate world-building but relies on suspense and action, making it a suitable sample for understanding the character of early American science fiction short stories. Its strength lies in its brevity and quick entry: it can be finished in one commute or before bed, and it leaves an aftertaste about "unknown celestial bodies and human judgment." It should be noted that the work carries the narrative habits of its era, and its character development and scientific setup should not be judged by today's standards. It is suitable as an introductory short read for science fiction and for readers who enjoy old-school adventure stories to dip into at leisure.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to finish a classic science fiction short story in a very short time
Enthusiasts interested in the character of mid-twentieth-century American science fiction
Readers who enjoy space adventure and suspense-driven stories
Those who need an English public-domain short story for reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer rigorous hard science fiction setups and scientific detail
Readers expecting a long-form worldview and complex character arcs
Readers sensitive to old-era narrative habits and gender depictions

Reading tips

Read it straight through first without looking up words, to preserve the rhythm of suspense, then return to deal with vocabulary and details.
After reading, write down the story's core conflict in a few sentences to help clarify the structure of the short story.
It can be read alongside other early public-domain science fiction short stories to observe similarities and differences in period setups and narrative conventions.
If used for English study, select passages describing action and crisis for close reading and retelling practice.

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 novel a full-length novel or a short story?

As presented in the public-domain ebook, it is a short work of science fiction suitable for reading in one or two sittings. The exact page count varies by formatting, but the overall reading burden is very light, and it is better to schedule time for it as a short story rather than expecting the complex layering of a full-length novel.

Are the scientific setups in the story reliable?

This is an early science fiction adventure work, focused on suspense and plot progression rather than strict scientific reasoning. The asteroid, space travel, and other setups serve the story's atmosphere and bear the imaginative features of their era. Readers can appreciate it as a period sample without checking it line by line against modern astrophysical standards.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It can serve as English extensive reading material. It is short and the plot moves quickly, making it easy to maintain reading motivation; however, the text carries the usage habits of early popular fiction, and some expressions are distant from contemporary English. It is advisable to read through first to grasp the story, then select passages for close reading, and when encountering old-fashioned usage, understand it in context.

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About the author

Wellman, Manly Wade, 1903-1986 Author · American · 1903–1986

Manly Wade Wellman (1903–1986) was an American writer known for fantasy and horror fiction as well as stories drawn from North Carolina folklore. Two of his works are included here, The Golgotha Dancers and The Devil's Asteroid, which show his engagement with fantasy and horror and his frequent use of regional folk tradition as source material. Public information about the details of his life is limited, so this note does not dwell on them. Judging from the works at hand and existing descriptions, his writing tends to combine supernatural elements with a strong sense of place, giving him a place in the popular tradition of American fantasy and horror fiction; his work still draws readers interested in these genres.