The Gift Bearer

Fontenay, Charles L., 1917-2007Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 11K words
Chapters: 2

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 Gift Bearer by Charles L. FontenayAuthor: Fontenay, Charles L., 1917-2007,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 2, 2008

Editor's review

The Gift Bearer is an English-language science fiction short story by Charles L. Fontenay, released free by Project Gutenberg. Fontenay was active in mid-twentieth-century American pulp science fiction magazines, and his work often enters ironic science-fictional premises through concise storytelling; this piece continues that style, unfolding around the central image of the "gift bearer," short in length yet leaving room for reflection. As a public-domain ebook, its value lies first in the accessibility of the text and the authenticity of its language—suitable as an entry point to the English-language science fiction short story and as a sample for researchers of early American genre literature to read closely. In terms of reading situation, it is better suited to being finished in one sitting during fragmented time such as a commute or before sleep than to immersive long-form reading. Note that the description in the Gutenberg edition consists mainly of platform and copyright information; readers should not expect a detailed introduction or annotations, and understanding the work still depends on the text itself.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English learners who want to practice reading with a short English-language science fiction story
Readers interested in mid-twentieth-century American pulp science fiction
Teachers who need a public-domain English text as teaching or research material
Readers of fragmented time who like to finish a complete science-fictional premise in one sitting

Not a good fit for

Deep science fiction readers expecting long-form worldbuilding and complex character arcs
Beginners who need a Chinese translation or detailed annotations as support
Readers who prefer contemporary science fiction themes and writing styles

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then return to see how the foreshadowing at the beginning echoes the twist at the end.
When you meet unfamiliar words, guess from context first and look them up together after finishing the piece, to keep the reading rhythm.
Read it alongside other public-domain science fiction short stories to observe common motifs in genre literature of the same period.
After reading, retell the core premise in your own words to check whether you have truly understood the author's ingenuity.

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 a novel or a short story?

According to the Project Gutenberg catalog, this is an English-language short work by Charles L. Fontenay, not a novel. It can be finished in one or two sittings, so the reading burden is light, but that also means worldbuilding and character portrayal will not unfold as they would in a novel.

How difficult is the English, and what level is it suitable for?

As a mid-twentieth-century pulp science fiction short story, the language is mainly narrative and dialogue, with sentence structures that are not too complex; readers with roughly CET-4 reading ability can finish it with a dictionary. If you rarely read English originals, try one or two paragraphs first before deciding.

Does the Gutenberg edition include an introduction or annotations?

Project Gutenberg mainly provides the original public-domain ebook text; the catalog information is mostly author, language, classification, and release date, and usually does not include a scholarly introduction or detailed annotations. If you need background material, look for research on the author and work separately.

Why does the description talk at length about Project Gutenberg?

Because the description in this catalog record comes mainly from platform information, introducing Project Gutenberg and its founder Michael Hart rather than the plot of the work. Readers should not treat this passage as a content summary; understanding the work still requires reading the main text directly.

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About the author

Fontenay, Charles L., 1917-2007 Author

Charles L. Fontenay (1917–2007) was an English-language writer known mainly for his short science fiction, though public information about his life and nationality is limited; what can be confirmed is chiefly his work itself. The library holds fifteen of his works, including The Jupiter Weapon, Service with a Smile, Rebels of the Red Planet, The Gift Bearer, Family Tree, Wind, Disqualified, and Atom Drive. Judging from these titles, he excelled at setting ingenious science-fictional premises within a limited narrative span, often involving planetary adventure, future technology, and human relationships. His tone tends toward light humor or satire, his plots are tight, and his endings frequently carry an unexpected twist. His stories appeared mostly in mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazines, making him an active participant in the popular short science fiction of that era. In the absence of complete biographical material, his literary standing should not be overestimated, yet his short stories are still read by science fiction enthusiasts today.