Star Mother

Robert Franklin YoungProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.8
Word count
11K words
Chapters
2

Tags

English Originals Science Fiction Space ExplorationFamily LoveFateful ChoiceFamily BondsLove EntanglementsSacrifice and DedicationMaternal LoveHeartwarming NarrativeInterstellar SettingFuture World

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. Star Mother by Robert F. Young. Author: Young, Robert F., 1915-1986, Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Oct 18, 2008

Editor's review

Star Mother is a short novel or novella of science fiction by Robert F. Young, from Project Gutenberg's free ebook edition. Young was active in the golden age of American science fiction magazines in the mid-twentieth century, and his works often enter speculative settings through concise narrative; Star Mother likewise continues the era's short science fiction emphasis on concepts and twists. The Project Gutenberg edition is in the original English and works well as an introduction to early English-language science fiction short stories, as well as for science fiction fans looking to expand their reading range. Readers should not expect lengthy world-building; it suits a single-story pace on a commute or before bed, to appreciate the imaginative approach and narrative pleasure of old-style science fiction. For readers studying twentieth-century American genre literature or doing extensive English reading, the book offers a light but representative sample.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. Read through once to grasp the plot twists, then go back to details foreshadowing the setting.
  2. Read alongside background material on the science fiction magazines of the author's era to understand his writing context.
  3. As extensive English reading material, read one or two sections at a time and note new words and expressions.
  4. After finishing, compare with other science fiction short stories of the same era to sort out common motifs of old-style science fiction.

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

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English? According to Project Gutenberg data, the book is in English and is a public-domain English ebook without a Chinese translation. Chinese readers can use it as English reading material or rely on dictionary tools for support.
Is Star Mother long? Is it suitable for reading in one sitting? The data does not give a specific word count, but given the author's reputation for short fiction, it is better read in short-story sessions. There is no need to finish it in one sitting; read it in sections on a commute or before bed to keep the plot twists fresh.
What is special about the Project Gutenberg edition? Project Gutenberg is the earliest project providing free ebooks, founded by Michael Hart in 1971. This edition belongs to its public-domain ebook series and is freely available, mainly in plain text, suitable for reading directly on electronic devices.

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About the author

Robert Franklin Young Author · American · 1915–1986

Robert Franklin Young was an American science fiction writer, born on June 8, 1915, in Silver Creek, New York, and died in the same place on June 22, 1986. He worked mainly in short fiction over a career spanning more than three decades, and his poetic, romantic style has often led critics to compare him with Ray Bradbury and Theodore Sturgeon. His representative works include The Girl in His Mind and Star Mother, and he received a Hugo Award nomination for Best Short Story in 1965. Six of his works are included in the collection, among them Star Mother, Sweet Tooth, Collector's Item, The Servant Problem, The Girl in His Mind, and A Knyght Ther Was, commonly classified under inspirational growth. Public information about the details of his life is limited, however, and existing accounts focus mainly on the themes and style of his work.