...And It Comes Out Here

Del Rey, Lester, 1915-1993Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 27K words
Chapters: 3

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....And It Comes Out Here by Lester Del ReyAuthor: Del Rey, Lester, 1915-1993,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 26, 2016

Editor's review

Lester Del Rey was a major American science fiction writer of the twentieth century, and this short work is available free to readers in the public domain through Project Gutenberg. It falls under the category of American and Canadian literature and is short enough to serve as an introduction to the writing style of the early science fiction magazine era. Del Rey's narratives often begin with ordinary situations before gradually revealing extraordinary premises, so readers can, within a brief reading time, experience how the science fiction of that era imagined the boundaries of time, identity, and perception. The Project Gutenberg edition is the original English text, with no translator's notes or introduction, making it better suited to readers who already have some foundation in English reading and are curious about the history of science fiction. It does not aim for the vast world-building of contemporary science fiction but succeeds through concept and twist, making it suitable for reading in one sitting during fragmented time such as a commute or before bed, and also suitable as short discussion material for a science fiction-themed book club.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to understand the landscape of mid-twentieth-century American science fiction short stories
Readers with basic English reading ability who prefer short stories
Organizers who need short material for book clubs or classroom discussion
Readers interested in public-domain ebooks and the history of science fiction literature

Not a good fit for

Readers who want a Chinese translation and do not wish to read the English original
Readers who prefer long, complex world-building and contemporary science fiction styles
Readers who need detailed annotations, introductions, or author biography materials

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot twist, then go back to the foreshadowing and hints planted at the beginning.
While reading, pay attention to the author's descriptions of everyday details and consider how they serve the extraordinary premise.
Read it alongside other science fiction short stories from the same period to appreciate the pacing characteristic of magazine-era short fiction.
After finishing, retell the core premise in your own words to test whether you understood the meaning of the ending.

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 the original English-language ebook released by Project Gutenberg, with the main text in English and no Chinese translation. Readers need some English reading ability, though a dictionary can help them complete this short story successfully.

Is this work long, and how long does it take to finish?

This is a short story of limited length, and readers who read English fairly smoothly can usually finish it in one or two sittings. It is suitable for completing during fragmented time such as a commute or before bed.

Do I need to know the author's background before reading?

Not necessarily. The Project Gutenberg edition has no introduction or annotations, and the story can be understood by reading the main text directly. If, after reading, you become interested in the science fiction writing of the author's era, you can look up related materials about the science fiction magazine era on your own.

Is it suitable for book club discussion?

Yes. The short length makes it easy for members to finish within the same period, and the twist in the ending can serve as a focal point for discussion, with exchanges on topics such as how the concept unfolds and how the narrative pacing is arranged.

Comments

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About the author

Del Rey, Lester, 1915-1993 Author

Lester Del Rey (1915-1993) was an American science fiction writer, with 11 of his works held in this collection. Public information is limited, and details of his life are difficult to verify, but the surviving works show that his writing spanned novels and short stories, often dealing with space adventure, the ethics of technology, and catastrophic crises. Representative works include Badge of Infamy, No Strings Attached, Dead Ringer, Let ‘Em Breathe Space!, The Sky Is Falling, Operation Distress, Earthbound, and Victory. These titles suggest a concern with social order, identity, and the human condition, with narratives that carry reflections on the consequences of technology through tight plotting, in a popular style that nonetheless retains tension. His works had a certain influence among mid-twentieth-century American science fiction readers, and some pieces are still selected for science fiction anthologies, offering readers a view of the genre in that era.