The Hand

Sohl, Jerry, 1913-2002Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 22K words
Chapters: 3

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 Hand by Jerry SohlAuthor: Sohl, Jerry, 1913-2002,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 19, 2010

Editor's review

The Hand is a short science fiction story by the American writer Jerry Sohl, released as a public-domain eBook by Project Gutenberg. Sohl was active in the golden age of the American science fiction magazines in the mid-twentieth century, and his work often combines everyday technology with psychological suspense. This story turns on a single "hand"; it is short, tightly paced, and typical of magazine science fiction: a simple premise, a clear twist, and an ending that lingers. Its value lies not in an elaborate world but in a concrete, slightly eerie image used to build suspense, giving the reader a complete science-fictional fancy in a very short time. As a public-domain short story, it suits introductory science fiction reading, classroom discussion, or a journey's entertainment. Note that it is a short story, not a novel; the electronic edition is very brief, and readers expecting complex character arcs or hard scientific speculation may find it unsatisfying.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who want a complete science fiction short story in spare moments
Enthusiasts of mid-twentieth-century American science fiction magazine style
Students and teachers needing a short-story example for writing or class discussion
Readers who like suspenseful premises, short length, and a final twist

Not a good fit for

Science fiction readers expecting a long-form world and complex character growth
Readers who prefer hard science fiction with technical detail and rigorous extrapolation
Readers impatient with older works and slower narrative pacing

Reading tips

Read it in one sitting to keep the suspense unbroken; no need to look up background midway.
Afterward, recall the role of the key prop, the hand, and trace how the suspense is set up.
If studying it for writing, break down how the opening quickly establishes the premise and the question.
Read it alongside other magazine science fiction of the same period and compare themes and structure.

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

About how long is this story?

It is a short science fiction story; the electronic edition is very brief and can usually be finished in one bus ride or about half an hour. It suits spare moments and should not be approached as a long-form story.

What kind of writer is Jerry Sohl?

Sohl was a mid-twentieth-century writer active in the American science fiction magazines, known for concise premises and psychological suspense, often published in the science fiction periodicals of the time. The Hand reflects the magazine style: short, compact, and built on a striking fancy.

Is it suitable for children?

The story has a certain suspenseful and eerie atmosphere; whether it suits a child depends on their reading experience and sensitivity. For younger readers, parents should look through it first and then decide whether to read together or discuss it.

Comments

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About the author

Sohl, Jerry, 1913-2002 Author

Jerry Sohl (1913–2002) was an American author of science fiction and suspense, though public information about him is limited and many details of his life remain little known. Five of his works are held in this collection: Brknk's Bounty, The Seventh Order, The Ultroom Error, The Hand, and The Elroom. Judging from their titles and their familiar themes, his writing often centers on technology out of control, unknown forces, and the human condition, and he was skilled at building suspense through tight plotting, combining science-fictional imagination with an atmosphere of suspense. These works show his concern with the ethics of technology and the boundaries of human nature, often using extraordinary situations to probe his characters' choices and fears. Although a fuller account of his life and complete body of work awaits more material, these works still offer readers a window into mid-twentieth-century American genre fiction.