On the Fourth Planet

Jesse Franklin BoneProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.0
Word count
38K words
Chapters
4

Tags

English Originals Science Fiction Survival in SpaceScience EnlightenmentAdventure JourneyAlien ExplorationCourage and GrowthExploring the UnknownExotic CultureYouth Reading

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.On the Fourth Planet by Jesse F. BoneAuthor: Bone, Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin), 1916-2006,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 12, 2016

Editor's review

On the Fourth Planet is a short English-language work by science fiction writer Jesse F. Bone (1916–2006), released as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. As the earliest provider of free electronic books, Project Gutenberg generally preserves the original text, making it a good way to encounter mid-twentieth-century English science fiction in its original form. Bone's work often involves space exploration and alien encounters; this story centers on the "fourth planet," is short, and moves at a brisk pace, making it a light sample of English-language science fiction short stories. Readers can use it to see how early science fiction handled themes such as planetary exploration, unknown life, and the human condition, or as English extensive reading material for a complete narrative experience in a short time. Note that the Project Gutenberg edition is primarily a text preservation, usually without modern introductions or annotations, so readers should bring their own background awareness.

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Reading tips

  1. Read through once to grasp the plot, then revisit key passages and note how the author describes the planetary environment.
  2. Jot down unfamiliar words and science fiction terms while reading, then look them up afterward to support language learning.
  3. Read alongside other early English science fiction short stories to observe how different authors handle the same themes.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

FAQ

Is this book long or short? According to the Project Gutenberg catalog information, this is an English science fiction work of short length, at the short story or novelette scale. It is suitable for reading in one sitting or over a few sessions, and not for readers expecting a long epic world.
What English level is needed to read it? The text is in the original English and belongs to mid-twentieth-century English science fiction writing, with sentence patterns and vocabulary that feel somewhat dated. Readers with intermediate English reading ability and a dictionary can work through it; beginners are advised to read a Chinese summary first before attempting the original.
What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition? Project Gutenberg is the earliest project providing free eBooks, and its editions mainly preserve the original text, usually without modern introductions, annotations, or illustrations. Readers get a relatively plain electronic text and need to supplement background knowledge themselves.

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About the author

Jesse Franklin Bone Author · American · 1916–2006

Jesse Franklin Bone (1916–2006) was an American veterinarian and science fiction writer, born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1916 and died in Arizona in 2006. He served in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps and later became a professor at Oregon State University. Alongside his professional work, he wrote science fiction over many years, publishing his first story in 1957. Twelve of his works are held in the collection, including Noble Redman, Insidekick, Founding Father, Assassin, On the Fourth Planet, Pandemic, A Prize for Edie and To Choke an Ocean. His short fiction often deals with interstellar exploration, alien contact, and medical or biological crises, frequently approaching them from a professional perspective; the plots are tight and carry the speculative flavor of Golden Age science fiction. His representative work is The Lani People, and his short story Triggerman was nominated for the Hugo Award. Public information is limited, and details of his life and the full range of his work remain to be further organized.