Sam, This Is You

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

3.5

Word count: 39K words
Chapters: 4

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.Sam, This Is You by Murray LeinsterAuthor: Leinster, Murray, 1896-1975,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: May 10, 2010

Editor's review

This short work comes from Murray Leinster, a prolific writer of early science fiction and pulp fiction. It has the brisk pacing and ingenuity characteristic of Golden Age science fiction. The story turns on mistaken identity, duplication, or confused self-perception; the title itself hints at a "Sam, this is you" twist, drawing readers quickly into a science-fictional situation with an air of suspense. Leinster was skilled at advancing plot through concise dialogue, blending technological speculation with ordinary people's bewilderment. It is not difficult to read, yet lingers in the mind after the ending. As a public-domain eBook, it serves as an accessible sample of mid-twentieth-century American short science fiction and suits a single sitting on a commute or before bed. A caveat: the work is old, and its narrative techniques and scientific premises bear the marks of their time. Readers should appreciate it as literary history and genre reading rather than expect the rigorous extrapolation of contemporary hard science fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want a quick taste of Golden Age short science fiction
Science fiction fans interested in mistaken identity and self-perception
Learners seeking light English public-domain reading practice
General fiction readers who enjoy concise dialogue and twist endings

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting the rigorous scientific extrapolation of contemporary hard SF
Readers who prefer long worldbuilding and complex character arcs
Beginners uncomfortable with the pacing of early English-language science fiction

Reading tips

Read through once for plot, then revisit the title's echo in the ending
Note hints about the self in dialogue and mark key turns
If reading the English original, look up a few period terms rather than reading word by word
Afterward, compare with other short SF of the period to see how the genre evolved

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 a long or short work?

The available information indicates a short work by Murray Leinster, a public-domain eBook of modest length that can be read in one or two sittings. Page count varies with formatting, but it belongs to short science fiction, so there is no need to plan for a novel's pace.

Can I read it without a science fiction background?

Yes. The language is concise and the plot focused, without reliance on an elaborate setting, so newcomers can follow. If reading the English original, a little familiarity with common mid-twentieth-century American pulp science fiction conventions will help you appreciate its ingenuity and period flavor.

Why does the recommendation emphasize mistaken identity?

The title "Sam, This Is You" carries a sense of pointing out and self-recognition; in Leinster's work such titles often relate to duplication, replacement, or a reversal of perception. The recommendation therefore draws attention to the "who am I" thread, but the actual plot should be judged from the text itself rather than over-anticipated.

Comments

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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.