The Foreign Hand Tie

Garrett, Randall, 1927-1987Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 70K words
Chapters: 8

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 Foreign Hand Tie by Randall GarrettAuthor: Garrett, Randall, 1927-1987,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 18, 2009

Editor's review

This work is an English-language science fiction story by Randall Garrett, made freely available as an eBook by Project Gutenberg and classified as a public-domain title under American and Canadian literature. Garrett was active in the mid-twentieth-century golden age of American science fiction magazines and was known for blending detective elements into science fiction settings. This story continues that brisk, witty narrative style, building its plot around a suspenseful central object; it is short but tightly paced. As a public-domain eBook, its value lies in offering Chinese readers a low-cost window into early Anglo-American science fiction short stories, and it can also serve as English reading material. It suits fragmented reading time such as commutes or before bed, or as a supplementary read for science fiction fans looking to broaden their reading range. Note that the work is in English and was written fairly early, so some of its technological imaginings and expressions bear the marks of their era; readers should approach it as literary history and genre reading rather than expecting the rigorous setups of contemporary hard science fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Anglo-American golden-age science fiction short stories and want to broaden their reading range
Science fiction fans who want to practice English reading with original short stories
Collectors interested in public-domain eBooks and early science fiction documents

Not a good fit for

Ordinary readers who read only Chinese and will not read the English original
Readers who prefer the rigorous setups and long-form worldbuilding of contemporary hard science fiction
Readers with little patience for old-fashioned narrative pacing and period-specific expressions

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot and suspense, then go back to see how the key object and detective clues are planted.
Look up unfamiliar words against the English original and treat the short story as light English extensive reading material.
After reading, consider the background of Garrett's science fiction magazine era to understand the appeal of his narrative.

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 original is in English, released free by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook. The current offering is the English original, suitable for readers with some English reading ability or those willing to read with tools.

Is it long, and when is a good time to read it?

The information indicates this is a short work, not long, suitable for reading in one sitting during fragmented time such as a commute or before bed, and also convenient for reading closely in sections.

What is Randall Garrett's style?

Garrett was a mid-twentieth-century American science fiction magazine author who often combined detective fiction with science fiction, with brisk narration and attention to suspense and witty dialogue. This work continues that approach and suits readers who like science fiction short stories with a detective flavor.

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About the author

Garrett, Randall, 1927-1987 Author

Randall Garrett (1927-1987) was an American science fiction writer active in the mid-twentieth century. Public information about his life is limited, and details such as his exact birth and death dates and nationality still require further verification. The library holds 43 of his works, including The Highest Treason, Dead Giveaway, The Foreign Hand Tie, Thin Edge, The Asses of Balaam, Anything You Can Do!, That Sweet Little Old Lady, and The Bramble Bush. Judging from these titles, his output consists mainly of short stories and novellas, often built around tricks, misunderstandings, and reversals. He was skilled at creating suspense within a limited space, advancing plots through witty dialogue and a brisk pace, and frequently ending with an unexpected twist. His titles often carry a playful, ironic tone, showing a confident command of science fiction conventions and a humorous attitude toward them. Although public information is limited, these works remain useful samples for studying mid-twentieth-century English-language science fiction short fiction.