The Troublemakers

George Oliver SmithProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 106K words
Chapters: 11

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 Troublemakers by George O. SmithAuthor: Smith, George O. (George Oliver), 1911-1981,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 26, 2016

Editor's review

This work by George O. Smith also comes from Project Gutenberg and is catalogued under American literature. The author is known for an engineer's rigor combined with genre-fiction suspense; this piece revolves around "troublemakers," with the emphasis not on spectacle but on how conflict is pushed step by step into the open. The narration is clean and efficient, character motivations are clear, and the reading experience has strong momentum. Its value lies in showcasing the narrative pleasure of "problem—solution" in early science fiction: readers can follow the characters in assessing the situation and weighing costs. It works as a supplementary read for understanding the diverse faces of mid-twentieth-century English-language science fiction, and also for readers looking for a tightly paced short story that requires little prior knowledge and is easy to relax with. While reading, notice how the author balances technical detail with character relationships—this is precisely what makes his work hold up.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy problem-solving science fiction narratives
Readers who want to understand the diverse styles of early English-language science fiction
Readers who need tightly paced English reading material of moderate length
Readers interested in genre fiction from an engineer's perspective

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer highly literary works with delicate psychological portrayal
Readers expecting grand contemporary science fiction settings and complex structures
Beginners who find reading English originals very difficult

Reading tips

Read the main conflict straight through first, then go back to the foreshadowing at key turning points.
Jot down each character's goals and obstacles as you read; this helps clarify the logic of the progression.
If reading in English, read the first and last sentence of each paragraph first to grasp the direction, then fill in the details.

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 is the core appeal of this story?

The appeal lies in how the conflict advances: how characters judge the situation, make choices, and bear the consequences with limited information. The author excels at weaving technical details into everyday dialogue, so the story is suspenseful without being opaque.

Is it suitable as an introduction to science fiction?

Fairly suitable. It does not depend on an elaborate worldbuilding, is moderate in length, and has clear narrative threads. Readers need only accept the pacing of early genre fiction to read it smoothly and, in the process, get a sense of common mid-twentieth-century English-language science fiction writing.

Do I need to know the author's background to read it?

Not necessary. The work is self-contained; you can understand it without knowing the author's life. For an extra layer of understanding, you can briefly look into the publishing environment of contemporary English-language science fiction magazines after reading, which makes it easier to appreciate the writing conventions of such short stories.

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About the author

George Oliver Smith Author · American · 1911–1981

George Oliver Smith (1911–1981) was an American science fiction writer and electronics engineer. Active during the Golden Age of science fiction in the 1940s, he is known for the "Venus Equilateral" series of space-communications-station stories, which often combine engineering detail with space adventure. The library holds 10 of his works, including Operation Interstellar, The Fourth R, History Repeats, Amateur in Chancery, Instinct, Highways in Hiding, The Troublemakers, and The Big Fix. Most of these are short stories or novellas dealing with interstellar communication, future societies, and the ethics of technology, reflecting his preference for exploring technological consequences from an engineer's perspective. Public information about his life and career is limited, but these works sufficiently show his distinctive place in Golden Age science fiction.