The Return

Henry Beam PiperProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 67K words
Chapters: 7

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 Return by John Joseph McGuire and H. Beam PiperAuthor: Piper, H. Beam, 1904-1964,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Sep 1, 2006

Editor's review

The Return is a short science fiction work by H. Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire, a product of the mid-twentieth-century American science fiction magazine tradition. The story revolves around a "return," with the kind of premise-driven interest and twist structure common to science fiction of that era; it is short and can be read in one sitting. Its strength lies in building a complete situational suspense in a small space, letting readers experience a self-contained science fiction idea in a short time; it also works as an introductory sample of how early science fiction shorts were written. The Project Gutenberg public-domain edition is easy to obtain, suitable for commuting, fragmented reading time, or as short discussion material for a science fiction reading group. One caveat: the work carries obvious period writing habits, and its characterization and scientific premises may not meet contemporary readers' expectations of hard science fiction or depth; judged by the standards of contemporary full-length science fiction, it may feel concise or even thin.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy mid-twentieth-century short science fiction and prefer premise-driven stories with twist structures
English learners with limited time who want short English materials for reading practice
Organizers who need public-domain short science fiction texts for reading groups or classroom discussion
Readers interested in the early science fiction magazine tradition and episodes in science fiction history

Not a good fit for

Deep science fiction readers expecting long-form worldbuilding and complex character arcs
Readers who prefer contemporary hard science fiction or rigorously detailed scientific premises
Readers unaccustomed to reading in English and without suitable reading aids

Reading tips

Read it through in one go first, then revisit the key turning points to appreciate how short science fiction builds suspense through structure.
While reading, note the premise assumptions shaped by the era, and briefly compare them with contemporary short science fiction afterward.
If using it for a reading group, prepare two or three discussion questions around the motif of "return" before starting.
English readers can read through once without looking up words, then organize vocabulary and period expressions on the second pass.

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 work a novel or a short story?

According to Project Gutenberg, this is a short work by H. Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire. It is not long and can be read in one or two sittings; there is no need to plan your reading at the pace of a full-length novel.

Can I understand it without a science fiction reading background?

Yes. The work is short and focused on a single situation, and does not rely on extensive series background knowledge. Readers only need to follow the basic premise of the story's setup; if you are unfamiliar with mid-twentieth-century science fiction writing habits, a little background on the era before reading will make it smoother.

Does this edition include annotations or an introduction?

This is a Project Gutenberg public-domain electronic text, providing mainly the work's main text and usually without a modern introduction or detailed annotations. If you need the author's biography, science fiction history background, or close reading of the text, it is advisable to look up relevant materials to read alongside it.

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About the author

Henry Beam Piper Author · American · 1904–1964

The American science fiction writer H. Beam Piper (1904–1964) was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Self-taught, he worked for many years for the Pennsylvania Railroad. He published his first science fiction story in 1947 and went on to write prolifically; 35 of his works are held in this collection. His best-known works include Little Fuzzy, Space Viking, Omnilingual, and The Cosmic Computer, as well as the Terro-Human Future History series. His fiction often centers on contact with alien civilizations, problems of linguistics and translation, interstellar politics, and future history, driving its plots through solid technical and social world-building and combining adventure with speculative reflection; his depiction of deciphering alien documents in Omnilingual is especially admired. He died in 1964. Public information about him is limited and biographical details remain sparse, yet his work still finds readers in English-language science fiction.