The Great Gray Plague

Raymond F. JonesProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 150K words
Chapters: 15

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 Great Gray Plague by Raymond F. JonesAuthor: Jones, Raymond F., 1915-1994,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Feb 18, 2009

Editor's review

The Great Gray Plague is a science fiction work by Raymond F. Jones, made freely available through Project Gutenberg. Jones was active in the golden age of American science fiction magazines in the mid-twentieth century, and his work is often noted for intertwining scientific speculation with social metaphor. The "gray plague" of the title points to a kind of spreading crisis, and readers can see in it early science fiction's concern with collective panic, runaway technology, and human choice. As a public-domain ebook, it is moderate in length and plain in language, making it a suitable introductory sample for understanding the American pulp science fiction tradition, and also suitable for experiencing the narrative rhythm of genre fiction during a commute or a short reading session. It should be noted that the work bears the conceptual traces of its era, and today's readers would do well to view its premises and characterizations through the lens of literary history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Genre readers interested in mid-twentieth-century American science fiction
Language learners who want to encounter public-domain science fiction in the original English
University students studying themes and narrative conventions of pulp magazine science fiction
Casual readers who want a complete science fiction story in fragmented time

Not a good fit for

Hard science fiction fans expecting rigorous scientific premises and tightly reasoned extrapolation
Readers who prefer contemporary narrative pacing and complex character arcs
Readers sensitive to outdated attitudes and intolerant of the limitations of an era

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then return to how the "plague" image in the title is given metaphorical meaning.
While reading, pay attention to the relationship between scientific speculation and character reactions, and note how the author builds tension.
Read it alongside other golden-age science fiction short stories to appreciate the commonalities and differences of genre writing.
For the original English, use a dictionary tool, reading through first and looking up unfamiliar words afterward to avoid interrupting the narrative rhythm.

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?

Judging from the Project Gutenberg catalog information, this is a science fiction work by Raymond F. Jones, not long, suitable for reading in one sitting or over several. The exact word count is not given in the materials; readers can judge for themselves from the ebook text.

Can I read it without a background in science fiction?

Yes. The work is plain in language and plot-driven, not dependent on complex prior scientific knowledge. If you are unfamiliar with the science fiction tradition of the author's time, you can read the text first and then add a little background on golden-age science fiction.

Why is it recommended to read with a sense of literary history?

The work was born in a particular era, and its characterizations and ideas bear the marks of that time. Placing it back in the historical context of pulp science fiction allows you both to understand its narrative choices and to view more objectively the parts that today's readers may find alienating.

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About the author

Raymond F. Jones Author · American · 1915–1994

Raymond F. Jones (1915–1994) was an American science fiction writer born in Salt Lake City, Utah. His 1952 novel This Island Earth is his best-known work and was adapted into a film of the same name in 1955; he also wrote such novels as Renaissance and The Year of Stardust Fell. The collection here holds nine of his works, including Human Error, The Memory of Mars, The Unlearned, Cubs of the Wolf, The Memory of Mars (Japanese edition), The Great Gray Plague, The Colonists, and A Stone and a Spear, most of them short stories and novellas that often explore technological error, Mars exploration, and the limits of human understanding. His short fiction was nominated for the Hugo Award, and he held a place in the golden age of mid-twentieth-century American science fiction magazines. Public information about his life and career is limited, and existing accounts center mainly on the works listed above.