Sordman the Protector

Purdom, Tom, 1936-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 45K 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.Sordman the Protector by Tom PurdomAuthor: Purdom, Tom, 1936-,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 14, 2016

Editor's review

Sordman the Protector is an English-language science fiction work by Tom Purdom, available in Project Gutenberg's free e-book library. Purdom was born in 1936 and was long active in science fiction magazines; his work often focuses on individuals under pressure from institutions and technology. The book is concise and well suited as reading practice in English-language science fiction short forms, and as reference for readers studying the style of mid-twentieth-century American science fiction magazine writing. When reading, note how the author handles the tension between the identity of "protector" and the ethics of responsibility. As a public-domain e-book, it is easy to open on an electronic device at any time, and is especially suited to commutes or short reading sessions. It should be noted that the book is in the original English and the available information provides no detailed plot summary; readers should approach the text with an open mind and need not expect a complex world-building setup.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy English-language science fiction short stories and want to broaden their reading
Literature lovers studying the tradition of American science fiction magazines and the genealogy of their writers
Learners who need lightweight English-language original material for close reading practice
Readers interested in themes of responsibility and institutions in twentieth-century science fiction

Not a good fit for

Science fiction readers who expect full-length works with complete world-building and complex setups
Beginners who need a Chinese translation or bilingual edition
Readers seeking detailed plot guides and analysis

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the overall plot, then go back and mark key dialogue and turning points.
When you meet unfamiliar words, guess from context first and look them up after finishing the piece, to keep your reading rhythm.
Read alongside other Project Gutenberg science fiction short stories to observe common features of magazine writing from the same period.
After finishing, write two or three sentences on your understanding of the "protector" setup to test what you have gained from the reading.

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?

The book is in the original English, released by Project Gutenberg and classified under American literature. The available information does not indicate an official Chinese translation, so readers need some English reading ability.

Do I need to know the author's other works first?

No. The book can be read independently; the available information provides only the author's dates and literary classification and does not mention series connections. Go straight into the text, and look up the author's other works afterward if you are interested.

Is this book suitable for learning English?

It can serve as close-reading material in English, but it is a literary work rather than a teaching text, and its sentence patterns and vocabulary carry period and stylistic features. It is best read after acquiring a basic vocabulary, with a dictionary tool at hand.

Why is there no detailed content summary?

The information provided by Project Gutenberg consists mainly of bibliographic and release information and includes no plot summary. The book is short, so readers can go directly to the original text and form their own understanding without relying on a summary.

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About the author

Purdom, Tom, 1936- Author

Tom Purdom (1936– ) is an American science fiction writer about whom limited public information is available; two of his works are held in this collection. Since the 1960s he has published short stories and novellas in science fiction magazines, with representative works including The Green Beret and Sordman the Protector. His writing often draws on military, adventure, and future-society settings, and he is skilled at exploring, within tight narratives, the choices individuals make under organizational and institutional pressure, with brisk pacing and capable, active characters. Purdom is not a prolific bestselling author, and the reach of his work is limited, yet he retains a following among science fiction fans and genre readers, and some of his short stories are regarded as representative adventure science fiction from 1960s magazines. His style leans toward traditional storytelling, emphasizing readability and action scenes, and has offered some inspiration to later writers of military and adventure science fiction.