The Weakling

Cole, Everett B., 1918-1977Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 96K words
Chapters: 10

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 Weakling by Everett B. ColeAuthor: Cole, Everett B., 1918-1977,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 3, 2009

Editor's review

The Weakling is an English-language literary work by Everett B. Cole, classified under American and Canadian literature and made available as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. A short piece by a mid-twentieth-century author of science fiction and popular fiction, it carries the narrative pacing of the magazine fiction of its era, runs short, and works well as an entry-level text for reading in the original English. The story turns on the titular image of the "weakling," and readers can observe how the author handles themes such as a character's circumstances and the contrast of abilities. The book's value lies not in an elaborate world-building but in offering a light, complete, and freely accessible English narrative that can be finished during a commute or in spare moments, and that also serves as a sample for studying the magazine-fiction era of popular literature. When reading, focus on the language style and period context rather than expecting complex modern science-fiction premises.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English learners who want to practice reading with short original English texts
Readers interested in mid-twentieth-century American popular fiction
Readers who need free public-domain eBooks to fill spare moments
Students studying the writing style of magazine-era science-fiction short stories

Not a good fit for

Science-fiction readers expecting a long, complexly built world
Beginners who need a Chinese translation or a bilingual edition
Modern readers with little patience for old-fashioned narrative pacing

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then read again to look up unfamiliar words and period usage.
Read it alongside other short pieces by the author to observe recurring themes and techniques.
Use the eBook's search function to mark dialogue and get a feel for colloquial expression.
After finishing, write a three-sentence summary to check whether you have grasped the core conflict.

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 book in Chinese or English?

The original is in English, released by Project Gutenberg as a free eBook. The available information does not indicate an official Chinese translation, so readers need some English reading ability.

Is it long? Can it be read in one sitting?

The information does not give a specific word count, but judging by the author's short-fiction output in the same period, it is short enough to finish in one or two commutes. It is advisable to skim the table of contents or the opening to gauge the pacing.

Do I need to know the author's other works first?

No. The book can be read independently and does not depend on earlier works. If the author's style interests you after reading, you can then look for other short stories he published in the same periodicals.

Comments

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About the author

Cole, Everett B., 1918-1977 Author

Everett B. Cole (1918–1977) was an American science fiction writer whose biography and educational background are poorly documented; only a limited body of work survives, mainly from the mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazine era. Seven of his works are held in this collection: The Best Made Plans, The Weakling, Final Weapon, Millennium, Indirection, Alarm Clock, and The Players, all short stories or short science fiction pieces. They generally revolve around future technology, social systems, and human weakness, often using ingenious premises and ironic narration to show the consequences of technology out of control or rigid institutions, and frequently ending with unexpected twists. Cole's style is concise and brisk, with attention to narrative pace and suspense, making him a reasonably representative writer of the popular science fiction magazines of his time.