The Dope on Mars

Jack SharkeyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8

Word count: 32K 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.The Dope on Mars by Jack SharkeyAuthor: Sharkey, Jack, 1931-1992,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Oct 8, 2008

Editor's review

The Dope on Mars is a short science fiction story by Jack Sharkey, available in Project Gutenberg's public-domain ebook collection. Sharkey was active in the mid-twentieth-century American pulp science fiction magazine scene, and his work often features witty dialogue and light twists. Set on Mars, the title's "dope" is a pun that points both to inside information in the colloquial sense and to some unexpected setup in the story, reading more like a humorous science fiction vignette than hard technical speculation. Its strengths are its tight pacing and short length, suitable for finishing in one sitting on a commute or in spare moments, and also as an entry sample for understanding the style of Golden Age pulp science fiction. Note that the public-domain ebook provides only the text, without background introduction; readers who want a deeper understanding of the period context may supplement with general knowledge about mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazine culture. Overall, this is a light, mildly satirical diversion.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Casual readers who want to finish a science fiction story in a short time
Readers interested in mid-twentieth-century American pulp science fiction
Short fiction fans who enjoy humorous twists and light satire
Intermediate English learners who need lightweight reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting hard science fiction technical details and rigorous worldbuilding
Readers who prefer long-form worldbuilding and character growth arcs
Readers not interested in the narrative tone of old-style magazine science fiction

Reading tips

Best read in one sitting: enjoy the plot twist first, then revisit the title's pun.
After reading, look up the author Sharkey's background to understand pulp science fiction magazine writing conventions.
If using it for English study, pick out dialogue passages to build colloquial expression.
Read alongside other public-domain science fiction short stories from the same period to appreciate stylistic differences.

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 novel or a short story?

It is a short science fiction story, not long, suitable for reading in one or two sittings. Its structure is tight, with the focus on plot momentum and the ending twist rather than extensive worldbuilding, so you need not pace it like a novel.

What does "Dope" in the title mean?

In English, "dope" can mean "inside information, the truth" and also carries the slang sense of "fool, stupid person"; in old pulp fiction titles it often works as a pun. Given the Mars setting and the story's satirical tone, the title most likely plays with words, and its specific meaning is best appreciated after finishing the text.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It can serve as intermediate-level English extensive reading material. The text comes from a mid-twentieth-century pulp magazine, with much dialogue and shorter sentences, but it contains slang and colloquial expressions of the time. Focus on understanding the plot; skip unfamiliar words that do not affect the gist, and look them up afterward.

Are there missing pages or formatting issues in the ebook?

This book is a public-domain electronic text released by Project Gutenberg. The content is complete, but the formatting is mainly plain text and may lack an elegant table of contents. Display varies slightly across reading software; use a reader with adjustable font size and line spacing for a more comfortable experience.

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

Jack Sharkey Author · American · 1931–1992

Jack Sharkey (1931–1992) was an American author born John Michael Sharkey in Chicago. From 1959 he published science fiction in magazines such as Fantastic and Galaxy. His representative works include The Secret Martians, The Dope on Mars, and This Is Magic, Dummy!, as well as Arcturus Times Three, The Business, As Usual, and Minor Detail. His science fiction often draws on Mars and future societies, with ingenious plots, humorous language, and a satirical edge. He later turned to playwriting, publishing more than eighty scripts under his real name and four pseudonyms, many of them concerned with personal growth and inspiration. Eleven of his works are held in this collection. Public information about his life and career is limited.