The Star-Sent Knaves

John Keith LaumerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 64K words
Chapters: 7

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 Star-Sent Knaves by Keith LaumerAuthor: Laumer, Keith, 1925-1993,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Aug 20, 2016

Editor's review

This is Keith Laumer's science fiction short story "The Star-Sent Knaves," an English public-domain eBook released by Project Gutenberg. Laumer is known for brisk, ingenious science fiction adventure, and this piece continues in his familiar mode: alien visitors, mistaken identity, and humor-tinged conflict, with a plot that moves smartly and a length suited to a single sitting. Its value lies in showcasing the rhythm of mid-twentieth-century American science fiction magazine narrative—high information density, dialogue-driven, often with a twist at the end. For Chinese readers, it is more a specimen of science fiction history, helping them understand the tastes and conventions of genre writing of that era. It suits short reading on a commute or before bed, and also works as an入门 exercise in reading original English science fiction. Being a public-domain eBook, it has no modern introduction, so readers must grasp the background on their own.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy classic American science fiction short stories and want a light, complete read
Science fiction fans who want to practice reading original English
Readers studying mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazine narrative
Collectors interested in public-domain science fiction from Project Gutenberg

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting hard science fiction with technical detail and rigorous worldbuilding
Readers who prefer long-form worldbuilding and character depth
Beginners who need a Chinese translation or detailed annotations

Reading tips

Read it in one sitting, noting how dialogue drives the plot and appreciating the short story's pacing.
After finishing, revisit the setup at the beginning to see how the twist was prepared.
If English reading is difficult, read a summary first, then the original, to lower the barrier.
Compare it with other public-domain science fiction short stories to observe common features of genre writing from the same period.

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 story in Chinese or English?

The text is in English; it is Laumer's original English short story, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook. Chinese readers need some English reading ability or reading tools to assist them.

Is the story long? Is it suitable to read in one sitting?

It is a short story, suitable for reading in one sitting. The narrative moves through dialogue and action at a fast pace; it can be finished on a commute or before bed, with no long-term commitment.

Will the lack of an introduction affect understanding?

Public-domain eBooks usually have no modern introduction or annotations. The story itself has a clear plot and a low barrier to understanding; if you want to know the author's background and the science fiction historical context, you need to look up materials yourself.

Comments

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About the author

John Keith Laumer Author · American · 1925–1993

Keith Laumer (1925–1993), born John Keith Laumer, was an American science fiction writer from Syracuse, New York. He served in the U.S. Air Force and worked as a foreign diplomat, experiences that informed the action and satire in his later writing. In 1959 he published his first science fiction story, "Greylorn," and entered the field of science fiction. His representative works include the "Bolo" series, centered on self-aware super tanks, and the "Retief" series, which satirizes diplomatic life; he also excelled at time-travel and parallel-world themes, and his work is often marked by tight plotting and dry humor. He was nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards multiple times and had a notable influence on twentieth-century American science fiction.