A World is Born

Brackett, Leigh Douglass, 1915-1978Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 47K words
Chapters: 5

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.A World is Born by Leigh Douglass BrackettAuthor: Brackett, Leigh Douglass, 1915-1978,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Sep 8, 2007

Editor's review

This work is by the American science fiction writer Leigh Brackett, a major creator of mid-twentieth-century space opera and planetary adventure fiction. This is a public-domain English ebook, edited and released by Project Gutenberg. It is short and serves as an accessible sample of the early science fiction tradition. Its value lies not in elaborate worldbuilding but in compact storytelling that presents alien environments, survival crises, and human choices, carrying the unmistakable style of the pulp magazine era. As you read, notice how the author builds a sense of world within a limited length, and the trade-offs between adventure pacing and character development. For readers studying the history of science fiction, the evolution of genre fiction, or popular English-language fiction, this book has reference value; for readers seeking deep worldbuilding or the complex structures of contemporary science fiction, expectations should be adjusted. It suits chapter-by-chapter reading in fragmented time such as commutes or short breaks, and can also serve as English extensive reading material.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to understand the style of mid-twentieth-century English-language science fiction short stories
Learners who need public-domain English ebooks for extensive reading practice
Those interested in early space adventure narratives and the history of genre fiction
Casual readers who want to finish a complete story in fragmented time

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting contemporary hard science fiction or complex worldbuilding
Readers unaccustomed to English originals or the feel of early popular fiction

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the main adventure thread, then go back to see how the author uses details to build an alien atmosphere.
If using it for English study, excerpt three to five sentences describing environment or action from each chapter and imitate them in writing.
After finishing, compare it with science fiction short stories of the same era and note its typical techniques in character and setting.

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?

This is an English-language original e-book released by Project Gutenberg. Chinese readers need some English reading ability, or may use it as English extensive reading material.

Can someone with no background in science fiction read it?

Yes. The book is relatively short and its narrative is largely adventure-driven, not dependent on elaborate world-building; it is suitable as an introductory work for encountering early English-language science fiction, though readers must adapt to the popular literary style of the period.

Is it suitable for citation in academic research?

It can serve as a sample for understanding the author Brackett's writing style and early science fiction popular narrative, but it should not be used alone as a research basis; it is advisable to use it in conjunction with histories of science fiction and studies of the author.

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About the author

Brackett, Leigh Douglass, 1915-1978 Author · American · 1915–1978

Leigh Douglass Brackett (1915–1978) was an American science fiction writer and screenwriter. Public information about her is limited, and many details of her life are not widely known, yet her work spans both fiction and film. Two of her works are included here, Black Amazon of Mars and A World is Born, whose subjects reflect the imaginative spirit of early space adventure and alien worlds. She participated in writing the screenplay for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, an experience that links her name to an important work in the history of science fiction film. Brackett's writing combines the tension of genre fiction with a visual, cinematic quality, and has had a certain influence on later science fiction film and popular fiction.