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The Golden Age Of Science Fiction Novel Chapters
List of most recent chapters published for the The Golden Age Of Science Fiction novel. A total of 1755 chapters have been translated and the release date of the last chapter is Apr 02, 2024
Latest Release: Chapter 1 : The Golden Age of Science Fiction.An Anthology of 50 Short Stories.by Various.VOL I.A ST
The Golden Age of Science Fiction.An Anthology of 50 Short Stories.by Various.VOL I.A STRANGE Ma.n.u.sCRIPT FOUND IN A COPPER CYLINDER.
By James De Mille CHAPTER I.THE FINDING OF THE COPPER CYLINDER.It occurred as far back as February 15, 1850. It happene
- 1 The Golden Age of Science Fiction.An Anthology of 50 Short Stories.by Various.VOL I.A STRANGE Ma.n.u.sCRIPT FOUND IN A COPPER CYLINDER. By James De Mille CHAPTER I.THE FINDING OF THE COPPER CYLINDER.It occurred as far back as February 15, 1850. It happene
- 2 We could not imagine how these creatures lived, or where. There were no signs of vegetation of any kind--not a tree or a shrub. There were no animals; but there were great flocks of birds, some of which seemed different from anything that we had ever seen
- 3 Melick smiled. "Why, it isn't much to see through," said he."See through what?" said the doctor, hastily, p.r.i.c.king up his ears at this, and peering keenly at Melick through his spectacles."Why, the ma.n.u.script, of course.""Well," said the d
- 4 THE CAVERN OF THE DEAD.On going forth into the outer grotto I saw the table spread with a sumptuous repast, and the apartment in a blaze of light. Almah was not here; and though some servants made signs for me to eat, yet I could not until I should see wh
- 5 "Don't move," she said, "for your life! We are lost if you move. Keep still--restrain yourself--shut your eyes."I tried to do so, but could not. There was a horrible fascination about the scene which forced me to look and see all. The Kohen took the
- 6 "The amir?" I asked; "what is that?""It is the metropolis," said she.I was utterly overwhelmed, yet still I tried to console her; but the attempt was vain."Oh!" she cried, "you will not understand. The sacrifice is but a part--it is but the begin
- 7 Women and men are in every respect absolutely equal, holding precisely the same offices and doing the same work. In general, however, it is observed that women are a little less fond of death than men, and a little less unwilling to receive gifts. For thi
- 8 "Oh, almighty and wondrous power of Love!" he exclaimed, "how thou hast transformed this foreigner! Oh, Atam-or! you will soon be one of us altogether. For see, how is it now? You pretend to love riches and life, and yet you are ready to give up everyt
- 9 "You love Almah, Atam-or; but say, do you not love me? You smile at me, you meet me always when I come with warm greetings, and you seem to enjoy yourself in my society. Say, Atam-or, do you not love me?"This was a perilous and a tremendous moment. The
- 10 "From here?--why, I open the gates, and the athaleb flies away; that is all.""But shall we not be prevented?""Oh no. No one here ever prevents anyone from doing anything. Everyone is eager to help his neighbor.""But if they saw me deliberately moun
- 11 CHAPTER XXIV.RECAPTURE.How long I slept I do not know; but in the midst of my sleep there sounded voices, which at first intermingled themselves with my dreams, but gradually became separate and sounded from without, rousing me from my slumbers. I opened
- 12 This much at least I remember. I said to Layelah that these athalebs were wild ones, which had come here because they saw or scented our wounded one; but Layelah shook her head with mournful meaning."Oh no," said she; "Almah has come back for you. This
- 13 Layelah next came to see me. She was as amiable as ever, and showed no resentment at all. She gave me an account of what had happened at the Council of State, which was the same as what I had heard from the Kohen Gadol.I asked her why she had made such a
- 14 Many joms now pa.s.sed away. I grew more and more melancholy and desperate. I thought sometimes of fighting my way out. My fire-arms were now my chief consolation; for I had fully made up my mind not to die quietly like a slaughtered calf, but to strike a
- 15 "On January twelve, nineteen-ninety, I was offered a job by certain citizens of the Galactic Civilization. These citizens of the Galactic Civilization wanted to take a s.h.i.+pload of Terrestrial animals to their own planet, Gelakin. They knew almost not
- 16 "Yeah, Leo; thanks." McLeod pushed his quarter across the bar with one hand and scratched negligently at his beard with the fingers of the other. n.o.body questioned him in this neighborhood. The beard, which had taken two months to grow, disguised his
- 17 "What are you talking about?" But he released his hold."Just think about it, Jackson. The Government can't get its hands on that money unless I permit it. As I said, we'll arrive at an equitable arrangement. And that will be a d.a.m.n sight less than
- 18 "Okay, okay! It ain't my fault. Lemme go." Ward rubbed his bruised wrist. "Sure, somebody--I ain't sayin' who--sent you here, knowin' you'd want to escape. I'm here to help you. You get free, I get paid, the Big Boy gets what he wants. Okay?"Gra
- 19 Gray was up and running again. He knew the way into the explored galleries. From there on, it was anybody's guess.Caron was brazen enough about it. The subtle way had failed. Now he was going all out. And he was really quite safe. With the broken cables
- 20 They were evidently on the verge of leaving. But they looked cheerful. Caron's sickly-sweet face all but oozed honey, and Ward was grinning his rat's grin.Thunder banged and rolled among the rocks. Lightning flared in the cloudy murk. Gray saw the hull
- 21 "The Chang natives aren't very technical--haven't got s.p.a.ce travel for instance. They're good astronomers, though. We were able to show them our sun, in their telescopes. In their way, they're a highly civilized people. Look more like cats than pe
- 22 'So I shall intervene now. I shall destroy one fleet completely without loss to the other. One civilization shall thus survive.'Nightmare. This had to be nightmare, Carson thought. But he knew it wasn't.It was too mad, too impossible, to be anything bu
- 23 He limped up to the barrier, felt to make sure that it was still there. It was. He stood watching the Roller for a while; it was keeping a safe distance from the barrier, out of effective stone-throwing range. It was moving around back there, doing someth
- 24 It reached the end of the rope, and he was jerked forward by the pull on his wrist. It dragged him a few feet and then stopped. Carson kept going, pulling himself towards it hand over hand along the rope. It stopped there, tentacles trying in vain to pull
- 25 At ten o'clock I joined Effie and Bert on the verandah. There hadn't been a car for quite a while."Guess we might as well close up," I said.It had been a good day; a rush since before noon. There was quite a bit of cash in the register.We waited till
- 26 Peterson came back with the water. The wub began to lap gratefully, splas.h.i.+ng the men.Captain Franco appeared at the door."Let's have a look at it." He advanced, squinting critically. "You got this for fifty cents?""Yes, sir," Peterson said. "
- 27 "Can you look me in the eye and do it?" the wub said. "Can you do that?"The Captain gazed down. "I can look you in the eye," he said. "Back on the farm we had hogs, dirty razor-back hogs. I can do it."Staring down at the wub, into the gleaming, mo
- 28 Back at his office, he waited for the police. Stark stared down at his reflection in the polished top of the desk. A yellow, moist film of sweat covered his face. The red eye set in his forehead blinked. But the pain visible just behind the surface of tha
- 29 He'd been back on Earth now for three days, and the problem of Scholar James Duckworth was still bothering him. He hadn't known anything about it until he'd arrived at his apartment after a year's absence.The apartment door sighed a little as Dave Tur
- 30 Thornwald was easier to deal with, since he knew both Duckworth and Turnbull. Turnbull showed him Duckworth's letter on the screen. "I know he's on Mendez; I just don't want to have to look all over the planet for him.""I know, Dave. I'm sure it's
- 31 It took him a moment to recognize the face--then he recalled stereos he'd seen.It was Scholar Jason Rawlings.Turnbull tried to lift himself up and found he couldn't.The scholar smiled. "Sorry we had to strap you down," he said, "but I'm not nearly a
- 32 Jordan nodded again and there was a faint look of fear in his expression. "You can pick up your pay on the way out. And make it quick, before I change my mind and call the boys in white!"It could have been worse. It had been worse before. And there was
- 33 Yuan Saltario started it. He was serving in my Company and he was one of them. A Menelaus XII-5 "unstable," and don't ever call that d.a.m.ned little planet by its number if you meet one of them. They call it Nova-Maurania. But you won't meet one of t
- 34 I said, "Thank me later, if we're still around."We beamed the Companies and in twenty minutes they were on their way. Straight into the biggest trouble we had had since the War of Survival. I expected trouble, but I didn't know how much. Pete Colenso
- 35 He didn't, not any more. He felt sick to his stomach. A touch of sober thought had corroded the happiness of his intoxication, and he was sick and afraid. Today their G.o.d was a hero, today they would forgive him everything. But did they actually prefer
- 36 For a long time no one in the earth-borer spoke--didn't even try to--for though the thunder of the disintegrators was muted, inside, to a steady drone, conversation was almost impossible. The three were crowded quite close in the spherical inner control
- 37 Phil nodded grimly. "I see," he said, voicing his thoughts. "Then he would say that he and Professor Guinness are still partners--and the radium ore will belong to him. Very nice. Very nice...."He snapped back to action, and without another word hoist
- 38 James Quade stepped through, automatic in hand. He was fresh from the light inside, and he could not see well. He was quite unconscious of what was oozing down on him from above, of the flabby heap that was carefully stretching down for him. He peered int
- 39 "d.a.m.n!" Phil whispered hoa.r.s.ely. "It's still hungry--and it's after us!"David Guinness sighed wearily. "It's heavy and sluggish, now," he said, "so maybe if we run again.... Though I don't know how I can last any longer...."Holmes did no
- 40 "The same thing that's on yours, I suspect," she said. "Do you have a drink to spare?"Drake unlimbered himself from the bed, selected a bottle from the menu and dialed. The robot bellhop whirred, a chute opened in the wall, and a bottle slid out. Dra
- 41 "I don't like his kind of slime, and I'll do my best to get rid of them. That's all, Miss B.; it was nice knowing you."He walked out of the room, leaving her to stand there in helpless fury.His phony necklace had come in handy after all; the police h
- 42 "How are things going?" the girl said in her pleasant smooth voice."I am fine," Mrs. Wladek said deliberately. She did not inquire about the girl's health. That would show her; that impoliteness would show her what an old woman thought of her!"That
- 43 "It's not that Tom's a bad boy, you know," the woman said. "But he's-easily led. That's the only thing.""Of course," Gloria said. She looked at the middle-aged woman, wearing a gray suit that did not fit her overweight frame, and a silly little
- 44 "And the others?" Mr. Gerne paused a minute and then went on. "You can't discount the girl's record like that.""I wasn't trying to," Mr. Fredericksohn said mildly. "I was only pointing out-""Let those go," Mr. Gerne said. "Obviously she had
- 45 She was glad she hadn't had to tamper with him at all.And now it was over, and she could forget about it. Humming under her breath, she put her beret on at last, and gave the stack of folders a pat to keep them absolutely neat, before she left the office
- 46 "True," answered the Russian; "but can we do all that we wish? As for us Russians, pressed on our eastern frontier by the Chinese, we must at any cost put forth our strength for an effort toward the west.""O, is that all? In that case," said Mr. Smi
- 47 There was an ironic humor in the situation, but Nanlo was not disposed to recognize it. Lenient as the law was, yet it required some grounds before it could free her. And she had no grounds whatever. Negu Mah was at all times the model of courtesy and con
- 48 "I am Robert Reeger, my brother Evin," said the first twin.Muldoon introduced himself. There was no handshaking."You are right about the ad," Robert Reeger said. "We worded it that way for a reason. We wanted a man of quick intelligence. Mind you, no
- 49 "I won't get into anything crooked!" his voice rose."The way you're thinking you couldn't follow a straight line.""They can't draw a straight line.""Well, you do what you want. Only, the next time I have to pay for a dinner don't give me that
- 50 THE END.Contents LOST IN TRANSLATION.By Laurence Mark Janifer In language translation, you may get a literally accurate word-for-word translation ... but miss the meaning entirely. And in s.p.a.ce-type translation ... the effect may be the same! The cell
- 51 Korvin was very glad that wasn't a question. It was, after all, the only logical deduction.But it happened to be wrong."The name of your planet is Earth?" the Ruler asked. A few minutes had pa.s.sed; the experts were cl.u.s.tered around the single chai
- 52 "Take Thaddeus McIlvaine," said Harrigan."I never heard of him.""I suppose not," said Harrigan. "But I knew him. He was an eccentric old fellow who had a modest income--enough to keep up his hobbies, which were three: he played cards and chess at a
- 53 "'Thaddeus McIlvaine,' Leopold explained."'That's my name,' was the only answer he got."'I mean the Thaddeus McIlvaine who used to play cards with us over at Bixby's,' said Leopold."He shook his head. 'Sorry, you must be looking for someone e
- 54 "NOW WHAT?" roared Stetson into the speaker."I've got a mini over that mob, Stet. They're talking about us. It's a definite raiding party.""What armament?""Too gloomy in that jungle to be sure. The infra beam's out on this mini. Looks like hard
- 55 Behind Orne, there came a deep rumbling roar that receded as the scout cruiser climbed its jets. All other sounds hung suspended in after-silence, then resumed: the strongest first and then the weakest.A heavy object suddenly arced through the headlights,
- 56 "You know that, too?""You have one of their rifles," said Orne."Your race is no match for us, Orne ... in cunning, in strength, in the prowess of the mind. Your s.h.i.+p landed to repair its tubes. Very inferior ceramics in those tubes."Orne turned,
- 57 "We told you that this is the most modern, most complex and delicate computer in the world ... nothing like it has ever been attempted before--anywhere.""I know that They don't have anything like it," the CIA man agreed."And you also know, I suppose
- 58 She nodded."Weren't you frightened?""Of dying? Hardly. Too many people are doing it nowadays."He grimaced, looking more satanic than ever. "You have a point," he admitted, "but it isn't a good one. Young people should be afraid of dying.""You'
- 59 "If you feel a little rocky there's a bottle of Scotch in my desk. I'll split a drink with you when we get out of here.""Thanks," Mary said. "I think I could use one.""Barton! Where is the MacNeal stain!" Kramer's voice came from the lab. "I l
- 60 REMEMBER THE ALAMO!.By T. R. FEHRENBACH THIS IS, I THINK, ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL COMMENTS ON THE MODERN SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY I HAVE SEEN-A REALLY BLOOD-CHILLING LITTLE TALE....Toward sundown, in the murky drizzle, the man who called himself Ord brought Lie
- 61 Suddenly, Ord's head was erect, and the old, clear light was in his blue eyes. "Now I understand!" he shouted. "I thought Travis was raving back there, before he shot himself-and your talk of the Emperor! American respect for Indian rights! Jeffersoni
- 62 It was merely a dog. A little dog, yellow, nondescript, pathetically delighted. With a sharp, eager bark, it leaped up at Thad, pawing at his armor and licking it, standing on its hind legs and reaching toward the visor of his helmet.It was very thin, as
- 63 The first sinister note there entered the diary: "Some of the men say we shouldn't have disturbed the temple. Think it will bring us bad luck. Rubbish, of course. But one man did vanish while they were smelting the gold. Poor Mr. Tom James. I suppose he
- 64 "Eh?" Lancaster's eyes widened behind the contact lenses. "But no one else has informed me-""No one of your acquaintance knows of this. Nor shall they. But tell me, you've done work on dielectrics, haven't you?""Yes. It's been a sort of special
- 65 "Okay, okay, I won't argue politics. Tell me about some of the people here, will you? They're an odd bunch.""I can't tell you much, Allen. That's where Security does apply. Isaacson is a Martian colonist, you've probably guessed that already. Jess
- 66 Lancaster woke up again lying on a cot. He must have been brought awake by a stimulant, for a white-coated figure was beside him, holding a hypodermic syringe. Harris was there too, looking exasperated."Can you talk?" he asked."I-yes." Lancaster's vo
- 67 "Just the biggest on Earth, is all. And not only on Earth. He operates in all the systems for a hundred pa.r.s.ecs around, and he never sinks a dry hole. Every well he drills is a gusher that blows the rig clear up into the stratosphere. Everybody wonder
- 68 "No need, darling. Two other men out there. The old man probably won't need it--I think I got him into the safe quick enough--the other guy and I will help each other. So lie down there on the bunk and take it easy until I come back here and help you ge
- 69 "I see." Lopresto forced his anger down. "But I've got to be sure we can get back without 'em.""You can be d.a.m.n sure. I got to get back myself, don't I? But get one thing down solid. I get the big peroxide blonde.""You can have her. Too big.
- 70 "Tear-out." Jones objected."Bailey it--spidered out to twenty or so big, flat feet. That'll take metal, but we can cannibal the whole Middle without weakening the structure.""Sure ... surges--backlash. Remote it.""Check. Remote everything to Baby
- 71 The new setup began its operation, instantly the last contact closed. The three-dimensional map served as a matrix to control it. The information-beam projector swung and flung out its bundle of oscillations. It swung and flashed, and swung and flashed. I
- 72 Electricians half-floated, half-dragged extra batteries to the radar room. Baird hooked them in. The universe outside the s.h.i.+p again appeared filled with brilliantly colored dots of light which were stars. More satisfying, the globe-scanners again rep
- 73 "Sir! The Niccola is effectively a wreck and unrepairable. But the Plumie s.h.i.+p is operable if cut loose. As weapons officer, I intend to take the Plumie s.h.i.+p, let out its air, fill its tanks with our air, start up its drive, and turn it over to y
- 74 Gramps Ford, his chin resting on his hands, his hands on the crook of his cane, was staring irascibly at the five-foot television screen that dominated the room. On the screen, a news commentator was summarizing the day's happenings. Every thirty seconds
- 75 "Gee!" Em said dreamily. "I wonder what kind of wires you'd have to pull to get put away in solitary?""All right, pipe down," said the turnkey, "or I'll toss the whole kit and caboodle of you right out. And first one who lets on to anybody outsid
- 76 The Reverend Elijah Cook was sitting with an expression of strong distrust on his face. Preaching much had brought home certain truths to him very vividly, and he always suspected rhetoric. "Are those things figures of speech," he asked; "or am I to ta
- 77 "We want to go to Venus, if that ray of yours can put us there.""To Venus? Impossible. My orders are to use the Express merely between the sixteen designated stations, at New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, London, Paris--""See here, Charley," with a ca
- 78 Sweat oozed out on his clammy forehead. That stuff of Herman's that he had drunk during the game--it had had a rank taste, but he wouldn't have thought anything short of marihuana could produce such hallucinations as he had just had. Wild conjectures ca
- 79 Two workmen were moving a heavy cabinet in the side service door. To get in, they climbed up the back of the rear workman, walked across the cabinet, and scaled down the front of the leading man. They went up the stairs to the fifteenth floor. Here they c
- 80 Ned Vince was eager for the company of the girl he loved. That was why he was in a hurry to get to the neighboring town of Hurley, where she lived. His old car rattled and roared as he swung it recklessly around Pit Bend.There was where Death tapped him o
- 81 She was the guardian of the worlds, but HER world was dead.Even here, on the black terrace before the forgotten mountain retreat of Asti, it was possible to smell the dank stench of burning Memphir, to imagine that the dawn wind bore upward from the pilla
- 82 Varta tried to help but even their united strength was useless against the force which held the loops in place. Breathless the girl slumped back against the wall of the cabin while Lur settled down on his haunches. One of the odd patches of color drifted
- 83 "Yes!""All right," I said.It's wonderful what three little white pills will do. I wasn't even shaking."There's six men, see? In a s.p.a.ce the size of a Buick, and that's all the room there is. Two of us in the bunks all the time, four of us on w
- 84 The investigator pa.s.sed to the power room ahead of the Outsiders, who were anxiously trying to learn the reason for their companion's plight.Directed by the Center of Rulers, the investigator sought the power room, and relayed the control signals from
- 85 "Man is gone, and it is better, Trest," said Roal, dreaming again. "And I think we had best go soon.""We, your heirs, have fought hard, and with all our powers to aid you, Last of Men, and we fought to save your race. We have failed, and as you truly
- 86 "They had tried it many times, they said, but nothing had been on the spot at that time and they had rotated nothing but the air above it from the one time to the other, and the reverse. I told them of the thunderclaps that had been heard at the spot in
- 87 Below the skin, the surface layers of fatty tissue, the substance of the tissue changed from the dark red of the wounded tissue to a dark and greenish hue that spoke of deadly decay.But Dr. Winters was shaking his head. "No. It's not gangrene. That's t
- 88 He shaved, bathed and dressed, then began emptying the drawers, one by one. There were many souvenirs, mementos. She was always collecting these. Her bottom drawer was full of stuff that he'd glimpsed only occasionally.In the second layer of junk in the
- 89 The chamber was one of scores stationed throughout the s.h.i.+p as required by law. The escape chambers contained s.p.a.ce suits for personal exit from the s.h.i.+p in case of emergency. They were never expected to be used. In any emergency requiring aban
- 90 The man bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement. "Yes, Mr. Hastings," he said.Mel was dismayed. "How do you know who I am?" he said.James Connemorra looked through the port beside Mel and at the stars beyond. "I have been looking for you long enou
- 91 "I only wanted to look at the Moon," she said, turning around, and then it was all gone--the face, the night, the Moon, the magic--and she was back in the grubby, stale little hole, facing an angry, stale little man. It was then that the eternal thud of
- 92 "Even that business of carrying the wrist.w.a.tch in your pocket instead of on your arm," he went on with channeled hysteria. "A neat bit of camouflage, Effie. Very neat. And telling me it was my child, when all the while you've been seeing him for mo
- 93 The day pa.s.sed, and the next. He made another search of the bubble's interior with the same results as before. He felt almost sure, then, that there was nothing in the bubble with him. He established a routine of work, pastime and sleep that made the f
- 94 "See," said Professor Eddinger quietly. And his one thin hand pointed to a far shelf, where, in the shadow, was a huddle of brown fur and a bit of crust. It fell as they watched, and the "plop" of the soft body upon the floor sounded loud in the silen
- 95 The specified two minutes pa.s.sed. He cut off the power. The great ring lost speed, stopped whirling. And on the plate was--nothing.At least it seemed there was nothing. But a moment later a deep voice sounded out: "I guess I'm invisible, all right, ac
- 96 "There, it is gone," said Kori, blinking. "But something, Excellency, made that distortion of line. And something made Soyo's wolfhound act as it did! Something--""Art thou attempting to say a spy listens unseen in this room?" demanded the gray-mus
- 97 MacReidie looked over toward me and frowned. I shrugged my shoulders helplessly. I was a little afraid of the stranger, too.The trouble was the look of him. It was the look you saw in the bars back on Earth, where the veterans of the war sat and stared do
- 98 He didn't walk fast. He took his time. He always returned to his front door at exactly 7:45. No one ever stopped to talk with him. Even the man at the Red Star confectionery, where he bought his cigar, remained silent while the purchase was being made. M
- 99 He had to know more. He had to find someone who could tell him.He moved through the hall to the door, emerged into the street. On the walk he looked skyward, trying to make out the sun. But there wasn't any sun ... only an all pervading grayness that shr
- 100 "We've struck it, Joyce. And it's much denser than the moon's, even as we'd hoped. There'll be life on Zeud, my boy, unless I'm vastly mistaken. You'd better look to the motor now."Joyce went to the water-motor. This was a curious, but extremely