The Eternal Wall

Gallun, Raymond Z., 1911-1994Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 25K words
Chapters: 3

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 Eternal Wall by Raymond Z. GallunAuthor: Gallun, Raymond Z., 1911-1994,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Oct 31, 2008

Editor's review

The Eternal Wall is a short story by early science fiction writer Raymond Z. Gallun, made available as a free ebook by Project Gutenberg. Gallun was active during the pulp science fiction magazine era of the first half of the twentieth century, and his work often explores ideas about time, memory, and the continuity of human civilization. The book is short and tightly paced, making it a good introduction to the flavor of the pulp science fiction era. The Project Gutenberg edition is easy to open anytime on a computer, tablet, or e-reader, and can be read in short sessions on a commute or before bed. Note that this is an English-language original, and the language bears the marks of its time, with some expressions differing from contemporary English usage; also, the scientific premises of early science fiction may seem simple by today's standards. Readers may enjoy it as a literary-historical document, appreciating its imagination and period atmosphere rather than expecting hard science fiction detail.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers curious about early twentieth-century English-language science fiction
English learners who want to practice reading with a short original English text
Collectors interested in public-domain ebooks from Project Gutenberg
Readers who want a complete short story for a commute or spare moments

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting rigorous hard science fiction worldbuilding
Readers who prefer long, continuous narratives and complex character arcs
Readers not yet comfortable reading English who need Chinese annotations

Reading tips

Read through once for the plot, then read again to look up unfamiliar words and note period usage.
Briefly learn about the pulp science fiction magazines of the early twentieth century before reading for better immersion.
Read alongside other Project Gutenberg science fiction shorts to see common themes of early science fiction.
Use the ebook's section breaks to read one or two sections at a time and avoid fatigue from long stretches of English.

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 the original English?

This is the original English ebook released by Project Gutenberg, with an English text and no Chinese translation. It suits readers with some English reading ability who are willing to engage directly with the original. If English is difficult, a dictionary can help.

What is Project Gutenberg?

Project Gutenberg is the earliest project providing free ebooks, founded by Michael Hart in 1971. It organizes and releases works in the public domain, and this book is one of its ebooks, available to read for free.

Is early science fiction hard to understand?

The language carries early twentieth-century usage, and some words and sentence patterns differ from contemporary English, but the narrative overall is straightforward. The scientific premises are simple by today's standards, so readers should appreciate it as a period text rather than demanding scientific detail.

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About the author

Gallun, Raymond Z., 1911-1994 Author

Raymond Z. Gallun (1911–1994) was an American writer of early science fiction. Public information about him is limited, and many details of his life remain unknown. Eight of his works are held in this collection, including The Eternal Wall, Asteroid of Fear, The Planet Strappers, Comet's Burial, People Minus X, The Revolt of the Star Men, Stamped Caution, and Big Pill. Judging from these titles, his writing often centers on space adventure, alien threats, and the ethical dilemmas brought about by technology. He typically drew readers with tight plotting and accessible prose, bearing the clear stamp of mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazine fiction. Although his works have not entered the mainstream canon, they added a distinctive shade to the landscape of Golden Age science fiction and offered some inspiration for later space-themed writing.