The Ties That Bind

Miller, Walter M., 1923-1996Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 60K 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 Ties That Bind by Walter M. MillerAuthor: Miller, Walter M., 1923-1996,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 11, 2010

Editor's review

Walter M. Miller is best known for A Canticle for Leibowitz, and this novel, The Ties That Bind, continues his engagement with human nature, responsibility, and ethical dilemmas. The narration is measured, the relationships unfold layer by layer, and the theme of "binding" extends from family to society, giving the book a sense of weight. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, it offers a clear English text and serves as a useful supplementary read for understanding the boundaries of twentieth-century American science fiction. It is not a fast-paced adventure but a text that rewards quiet attention—suitable for reading in segments on a commute or before bed, and for comparing with Miller's other works to trace his intellectual development. For readers studying American literature or the science fiction tradition, this eBook provides low-cost, easily accessible primary material.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Walter M. Miller and twentieth-century American science fiction
Students who want to study American literary language and style through public-domain eBooks
Readers accustomed to reading in English and drawn to reflective, idea-driven narratives
Those who need low-cost English reading material for extensive reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for plot-driven, fast-paced science fiction adventure
Beginners whose English reading is not yet fluent and who need extensive annotations
Readers who only want a Chinese translation and prefer not to read the original English

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the relationships, then read again to trace how the theme of "binding" appears on different levels.
Read alongside Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz to observe continuities in subject matter and thought.
Mark long sentences in the English text and return to them after finishing the chapter, so as not to interrupt the reading rhythm too often.

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

What kind of work is this book by Miller?

It is a novel by Walter M. Miller and falls within American literature; Project Gutenberg classifies it under PS (American and Canadian literature). Judging from the title and the author's enduring concerns, the work revolves around responsibility and binding ties between people, and its style is reflective rather than fast-paced adventure—suitable for readers who want to know Miller's longer fiction.

What are the features of the Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, and this edition is a public-domain English eBook that is easy and inexpensive to obtain. The text is presented in the original English, with no Chinese annotations or introduction, so it suits readers who can read English directly; the layout is mainly plain text, and the reading experience is plain, with the emphasis on the content itself.

How difficult is the English?

It is a twentieth-century American literary work, with fairly complete sentence structures and a slower narrative pace; the vocabulary is not especially obscure but requires some stamina in English reading. It is recommended for readers at CET-4 level or above, or those who can read continuously with the help of a dictionary; if it proves difficult, start with shorter works to get used to Miller's style.

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About the author

Miller, Walter M., 1923-1996 Author

Walter M. Miller (1923–1996) was an American science fiction writer. Seven of his works are included in this catalog: Conditionally Human, The Ties That Bind, Death of a Spaceman, Way of a Rebel, The Hoofer, Check and Checkmate, and It Takes a Thief. Public information about him is limited, and biographical details are difficult to verify. These titles nonetheless show that he worked mainly in the short-story form, dealing with space adventure, human predicaments, and moral choice. His narratives are concise and often marked by grim irony and reflection. Most of these pieces appeared during the mid-twentieth-century golden age of science fiction magazines, balancing technical speculation with psychological portraiture and embedding concerns about civilization and individual fate within the popular framework of genre fiction, leaving a modest influence on later short science fiction.