Round-and-Round Trip

Fyfe, H. B. (Horace Bowne), 1918-1997Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 41K 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.Round-and-Round Trip by H. B. FyfeAuthor: Fyfe, H. B. (Horace Bowne), 1918-1997,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 12, 2016

Editor's review

Round-and-Round Trip is a short story by the American science fiction writer Horace B. Fyfe, a typical product of the mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazine golden age. The story revolves around a repeated round trip, with the clever premise and brisk pace common to short science fiction; it is brief enough to read in one sitting. Fyfe's work often handles technical premises with an engineer's rigor and a sense of humor, and this story is no exception: the setup is clear, the pacing is crisp, and the ending often carries a twist. Readers can treat it as a sample of early short science fiction or as light reading material in the original English. Because it is a public-domain ebook, version information is limited; do not expect lengthy development or deep characterization, but enjoy its conceptual appeal and narrative efficiency.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy classic short science fiction
Fans curious about mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazine style
Learners who want to practice reading short original English texts
Light science fiction readers for commutes or fragmented time

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer long-form worldbuilding and deep characterization
Readers expecting hard science argumentation or contemporary science fiction premises
Those uncomfortable with early science fiction narrative pacing

Reading tips

Read it in one sitting and note how the round-trip imagery in the title echoes the plot
On a second reading, trace the logic of the premise and the groundwork for the ending twist
Compare it with contemporaneous short science fiction to appreciate the magazine writing rhythm
English learners can read for plot first, then revisit key sentences for expression

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

What is this story roughly about?

It is a short science fiction story by Fyfe, built around a repeated round trip, driven by a clear technical premise and brisk narrative, with the clever twist common to early science fiction. For specifics, read the original; it is short and easy to finish in one sitting.

Who is the author, Fyfe?

Horace B. Fyfe (1918–1997) was an American science fiction writer whose work appeared mostly in mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazines and often carried an engineering mindset and a sense of humor. For his life and complete works, rely on reliable science fiction reference sources.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It can serve as light reading material. The short length is manageable and the narrative is straightforward, suitable for practicing plot comprehension and common expressions. However, early science fiction usage and period background may require checking; read for plot first, then study the language, and do not get stuck on every word.

Why is the version information so simple?

This book comes from the Project Gutenberg public-domain ebook project; the entry mainly provides basic information such as author, language, and classification, without detailed publication notes. Focus on the text itself and do not expect a modern edition's introduction or annotations.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Fyfe, H. B. (Horace Bowne), 1918-1997 Author

H. B. Fyfe (Horace Bowne Fyfe, 1918–1997) is an English-language author with sixteen works held in the collection, though little is publicly known about his life or nationality. Judging from the listed titles, his writing centres on science fiction and speculative fiction, dealing with alien envoys, satellite systems, war and peace, deadly weapons, and the end of the world; titles such as The Envoy, Her, Satellite System, The Outbreak of Peace, Irresistible Weapon, and This World Must Die! suggest a preference for concise, forceful short stories that explore technology, conflict, and human destiny. The works often carry the tension and speculative flavour of Cold War-era science fiction, with tight plotting and endings that frequently turn on irony or warning. Fyfe is not a widely celebrated classic author, but his productivity and breadth of subject matter are noteworthy.