This World Is Taboo

Leinster, Murray, 1896-1975Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 213K words
Chapters: 22

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.This World Is Taboo by Murray LeinsterAuthor: Leinster, Murray, 1896-1975,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 14, 2006

Editor's review

This World Is Taboo is an English-language science fiction work by Murray Leinster, released free of charge through Project Gutenberg. Leinster was a twentieth-century American science fiction writer who excelled at combining technological speculation with adventure plots; his stories are typically brisk in pace and clear in conflict. The title itself points to the core tension: a world is deemed "taboo," and the protagonist must judge between prejudice and fact. The value of such work lies not only in plot twists but in how it imagines "the other" and "segregation"—when a group is labeled, how can communication and understanding be possible? As a public-domain ebook, it is moderate in length and plain in language, suitable as an introduction to English-language science fiction and for observing how early science fiction handled themes of social prejudice. While reading, note how the author depicts alien environments and character motivations—that is precisely what makes this kind of popular science fiction readable.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want a shorter introduction to English-language science fiction
Fans of popular fiction who prefer adventure plots and clear conflict
Learners who need English extensive reading material to build language intuition
Readers interested in themes of prejudice and segregation in early science fiction

Not a good fit for

Science fiction fans seeking hard science settings and rigorous extrapolation
Readers hoping for complex character psychology and literary experimentation
Classroom users who need detailed annotations and background introductions

Reading tips

Read through chapter by chapter first; don't pause over unfamiliar words—let the context carry the plot forward.
After each chapter, retell the main line in two or three sentences to check whether you've grasped the conflict and turning points.
Pay attention to how the "taboo" label affects characters' judgments, and organize brief thematic notes after finishing.
Read alongside other short works by the same author to observe common patterns in his adventure narratives.

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

How difficult is the language in this book?

The main text is in English, in a popular science fiction narrative style with short sentences and frequent dialogue; unfamiliar words are mostly everyday and adventure-scene vocabulary. An intermediate level of English reading ability is enough to attempt it; skip proper nouns at first and rely on the plot to carry you forward.

What is the core theme of the story?

It revolves around "why a world is considered taboo," involving prejudice, segregation, and the risks of contact with the other. Through an adventure plot, the author discusses how group labels obscure facts, and readers can see how early science fiction imagined social prejudice.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It works well as extensive reading material. It is not long and the narrative is straightforward, which helps maintain reading rhythm; but it is popular fiction rather than a textbook, lacking vocabulary notes and grammar explanations, so it is best used with a dictionary tool and post-reading retelling practice.

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About the author

Leinster, Murray, 1896-1975 Author

Murray Leinster (1896–1975) was an American science fiction writer whose real name was William Fitzgerald Jenkins. He was a prolific author of short stories and novels, and this site holds thirty-nine of his works, including The Mad Planet, The Pirates of Ersatz, The Machine That Saved The World, The Forgotten Planet, The Wailing Asteroid, The Invaders, The Runaway Skyscraper, and Scrimshaw. His science fiction often deals with interstellar adventure, strange planets, and technological speculation, with tightly plotted, boldly imaginative narratives that also reflect on human society and the conditions of survival; some works are also categorized as inspirational growth. Public information is limited, making biographical details difficult to describe, but the surviving works show his important place in twentieth-century American popular science fiction and his influence on later writers in the genre.