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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
- 101 "In that case," said Joyce with a shudder, "we'd better do our best to get out of here!"But this was found to be impossible. They couldn't climb up out of the pit, and nowhere could they feel any openings in the walls. Only smooth, impenetrable ston
- 102 For a short minute he sat, tense, his body stiffened by the agony that rode it--unable to move a muscle. I watched the torment in his eyes build up to a crescendo of pain, until the suffering became so great that it filmed his eyes, and I knew that, thoug
- 103 "Yes, Daddy," Jack said before his father mentioned his visitor's name. But he was not Jack Crane in his game; he was Uncas. The big chairs and the divan were trees in his imaginative eyes. The huge easy chair in which Daddy's caller (Jack thought of
- 104 "You must change your home because of the change in your family composition," the Ration Board's bright young female had explained, right after Tillie's funeral. "Your present furnis.h.i.+ngs are obsolete. You must replace them.""And if I don't?"
- 105 We stood looking up at the sky over Shattuck mountain where there was a great big-shoot now, I d'no as I can call its name but it was like a trail of fire in the sky, and it was makin' the dangdest racket you ever heard, Rev'rend. Looked kind of like o
- 106 The Golden Age of Science Fiction.Volume II.An Anthology of 50 Short Stories.by Various.A QUESTION OF COURAGE. by Jesse Franklin Bone I smelled the trouble the moment I stepped on the lift and took the long ride up the side of the "Lachesis." There was
- 107 "Good, Marsden, throttle back and hang on your converters."I did as I was told."Ah--there she is--bear left a little. Hmm--she's looking for us--looks suspicious. Now she's turning toward 'Amphitrite.' Guess she figures we are gone. She's in posit
- 108 Leoh plopped down in the nearest chair and ran a hand across his fleshy face. He was balding and jowly, but his face was creased from a smile that was almost habitual, and his eyes were active and alert."I don't understand it," he admitted. "Nothing l
- 109 The result was inescapable. The civilized worlds became constantly more crowded as time wore on. They became jampacked islands of humanity sprinkled thinly across the sea of s.p.a.ce that was still full of unpopulated islands.The expense and difficulty of
- 110 They took to the slideway. Half a second later, Hector jumped off and dashed back to the communications desk for his traveling kit. He hurried back to Leoh b.u.mping into seven bewildered citizens of various descriptions and nearly breaking both his legs
- 111 They worked in the dueling machine day and night now, enclosed in the booths for twelve or more hours a day, driving themselves and the machine's regular staff to near-exhaustion. When they gulped their meals, between duels, they were physically ragged a
- 112 There he was! The shadowy outline of a man etched itself on the detector screen. And at the same time, Ma.s.san heard a m.u.f.fled roar, then a rumbling, cras.h.i.+ng noise, growing quickly louder and more menacing.He looked up the face of the ice cliff a
- 113 The phone chimed in Leoh's office. They both went in. Geri Dulaq's face showed on the tri-di screen."I have just heard the news. I did not know that Lieutenant Hector has challenged Odal." Her face was a mixture of concern and reluctance."He challeng
- 114 "You were whistling."Hector shrugged. "I always whistle, sir. Doesn't mean I'm happy.""All right," Leoh said, rubbing his eyes. "How did the girl take her father's death?""Pretty hard. Cried a lot."Leoh looked at the younger man. "Does she b
- 115 Odal said nothing, but strained every cell in his pain-wracked body to get free of the boulder. Hector reached over his shoulder and began fumbling with the valves that were pressed against the rocks."Sorry to do this ... but I'm not, uh, killing you, a
- 116 "A little different from your usual style, isn't it?"Forell nodded, watching the man tensely. "I'm trying something new," he said. "Go ahead and read it, then tell me what you think."He busied himself with a bottle and gla.s.ses.INFORMAL MEMO.130-
- 117 Jaeger looked again at the boy, who was sitting tensely, his hands gripping the arms of his chair, his eyes fastened fearfully on the officer before him. As Jaeger watched, Elwar half rose from his chair, then sank back, his face appearing to mirror Kweir
- 118 "Look here, youngster. You don't have to worry about that stuff. Pinlighting is getting better all the time. The Partners are getting better. I've seen them pinlight two Rats forty-six million miles apart in one and a half milliseconds. As long as peop
- 119 His telepathic mind caught the idea long before his ears could frame the words. The actual sound followed the idea the way that thunder on an ocean beach follows the lightning inward from far out over the seas."The Fighting Room is ready. Clear to planof
- 120 He could only sit in silence, gripping her hand. And again the gay voices of his guests downstairs came up like a roar of intrusion. They didn't know that she was more than indisposed. She had made him promise not to tell them.Her eyes had closed, and no
- 121 Then at last all the blobs--each of them, to Earth-size conception, a monstrous Universe--all were dwindled into one blob down to one side of Lee's window. And then they were gone....Just darkness now. Darkness and soundless emptiness. But as he stared a
- 122 "Yes," she agreed shyly. She caught her breath as she added, "I have been--waiting for you--a long time." Shyly she gazed up at him. The night-breeze had blown her hair partly over her face. Her hand brushed it away so that her gaze met his. "I hoped
- 123 "I went with them--that d.a.m.ned Franklin--he thought I was as bad as him--" Her faint words were barely audible as he bent down to her. "Just want to tell you, Lee--you're perfectly swell--I guess I fell for you, didn't I? That's over now--just wa
- 124 Duke went steadily on, not varying his steps. The machine paced him uncertainly. "Director Flannery of Earth Foreign Office, Captain O'Neill. He requests your presence," he shouted over the purr of his machine. He started to swing ahead of the marching
- 125 The lights in the palace showed that the Earth guests were still celebrating as the great, heavily-laden wars.h.i.+p blasted up and headed toward Earth.V.Duke O'Neill found a corner of the lounge where no Earthman was near and dropped down with the magaz
- 126 A headline glared up at him, catching his attention. He started to skim the story, and then read it thoroughly. Things weren't going at all as he'd expected in the Outer Worlds, if the account were true; and usually, such battle reports weren't altered
- 127 This time, they were in a building, like a crude shed, and there were men there, standing in front of a creature that seemed like a human in armor--but chitinous armor that was part of him. The alien suddenly turned, though Duke could now see that they we
- 128 "It's quite an experience," Moss said. "They're almost human."They entered the chamber and seated themselves behind the lead wall. After a time, a signal was flashed, and Franks made a motion with his hands.The door beyond the wall opened. Taylor pe
- 129 "This is the entrance to the Council Chamber. There are windows in the Chamber Room, but it is still dark outside, of course. You'll see nothing right now, but in two hours-""Open the door," Franks said.The door slid back. They went slowly inside. Th
- 130 Franks laughed. "Stop us? You saw what happened when they tried to stop us before. They can't; they're only machines. We built them so they can't lay hands on us, and they know that."His voice trailed off.The men stared at the Tube entrance. Around t
- 131 All this happened in a matter of seconds, and the moving head ceased at last to move; the line no longer grew. But, where it had been at first a thin mark of black, it changed now to billowing gray.It was fifty miles away at least; but it showed clear and
- 132 And Danny, as he drove his red meteor into the clear air of the upper levels, was searching the heavens above for the enemy he had expected to sight down below. He knew now that his mad plunge into the seething flames was only a blind impulse--an effort t
- 133 THE PLANETOID OF PERIL.By Paul Ernst Undaunted by crazy tales of an indestructible presence on Asteroid Z-40, Harley 2Q14N20 sets out alone to face and master it.Harley 2Q14N20 stopped for a moment outside the great dome of the Celestial Developments Comp
- 134 Just as the sun fell below the rim of the asteroid, plunging it into a darkness only faintly relieved by the light of the stars, he crashed into the deeper underbrush. A trailing creeper tripped him in his mad flight. He fell headlong, to lie panting, sob
- 135 Trella swung with her whole body, and slapped him so hard he nearly fell from his chair. As she walked swiftly toward the bar, he leaped up to follow her.There were only two other people in the Golden Satellite: the fat, mustached bartender and a short, s
- 136 "Robots and androids frequently look on their makers as their parents," said Jakdane. "Quest may not even know he's artificial. Do you know how Mansard died?""The oxygen equipment failed, Quest said.""Yes. Do you know when?""No. Quest never did
- 137 Varret frowned at him. "Several members gave their lives trying to learn the nature of the disease. We have no information to date, except a theory that it attacks the nervous and circulatory systems, because the reports indicate that the reason of the v
- 138 He would have preferred to avoid the trouble the girl had been stirring up, but he did not relish Brecken's tone. A few days off Luna, he reflected, and already he was getting independent."Listen," said Donna, encouraged in her defiance, "when I touch
- 139 Donna's voice, strained but coldly controlled, came over the intercom with readings from her instruments. He corrected his courses accordingly.Then he saw the image of their target centered on one screen, so he concentrated on steering the other missile.
- 140 In repose, his face looked even younger than his twenty-eight years would have led one to expect. His close-cropped brown hair added to the impression of youth, and the well-tailored suit on his slim, muscular body added to the effect. At any top-flight u
- 141 He was just finis.h.i.+ng his coffee as Bill Griffin came in the door and headed toward the table where MacHeath, Luvochek, and Bessermann were sitting.MacHeath stood up and said: "Excuse me. I'll have to be getting some work done if you guys are ever g
- 142 "I was thinking that if Bern were the saboteur, all our theories about psionics would have to be thrown out--we'd have to start from a different set of precepts. And I didn't even want to think about such an idea!""n.o.body likes their pet theories o
- 143 The voice sounded as if the man had a bad cold, and Clayton turned slowly to look at him. After all the sterilization they went through before they left Earth, n.o.body on Mars ever had a cold, so there was only one thing that would make a man's voice so
- 144 It was the First Officer of the STS-52 who finally got the story straight. As soon as Clayton was in condition, the medic and the quartermaster officer who had found him took him up to the First Officer's compartment."I was checking through the stores t
- 145 A red dot of light was winking on a switchboard. Friday watched the Hawk move in his quick, effortless way to it and pull a lever down, all in the same motion, and then the negro's neck muscles corded as he listened to the sounds that came, choking and b
- 146 And even Harkness, new to the frontiers of s.p.a.ce, knew the name and echoed it haltingly."Judd the Kite...."Of all the henchmen Dr. Ku Sui had gathered about him and banded against Earth, and against Ca.r.s.e, and against all peaceful traders and merc
- 147 They waited.It was hot and stuffy down in the belly of the s.h.i.+p, and also utterly black, for the trader had flicked off his hand-flash. Friday was unhappily possessed of an active curiosity; he wanted terribly to go on with his questions and ask Ca.r.
- 148 Friday noted one of the pirates: a brawny, black-browed giant almost as large as himself, and decided to go for him when the time came. He whispered this to Ca.r.s.e; then, keeping his gaze on the man, he stood ready."Begin, I'm waiting," reminded Hawk
- 149 His face hardened.Blobs of flame that flared from wood torches were cl.u.s.tered about the nearest side of the phanti corral. A dark blur of figures were ringed in a half-circle, and from it came yells of delight and almost hysterical laughter. The Hawk'
- 150 The negro grunted indignantly. "You surely don't imply Ah'm sca'ed of that yellow c.h.i.n.k? h.e.l.l, no! Why--"Ca.r.s.e chuckled and cut him off."I see. Well, then, drag these carrion out to your pit. And then--"There was something in the air, som
- 151 "Hand me that pistol," he ordered."Try to take it, you Vogarian ape!"He moved, and a moment later she was sitting on the ground, her eyes wide with dismayed surprise as he shoved the pistol in his own belt."Resisting a Vogarian with a deadly weapon c
- 152 "No," he said, thinking of Y'Nor's fury if Y'Nor should learn he had had a friendly lunch with a native girl. "About your church--what kind of a church is it, anyway?""What its name implies. Heaven isn't for sale at the pulpit--everybody has to q
- 153 She turned away, and vanished among the trees like a shadow.He was unaware of the pa.s.sage of time as he stood there on the hill that was silent with her going and remembered the day he had met her and the way the song swans had been calling. When he loo
- 154 Allan Randall stared at the man before him. "And that's why you sent for me, Milton?" he finally asked.The other's face was unsmiling. "That's why I sent for you, Allan," he said quietly. "To go to Mars with us to-night!"There was a moment's sil
- 155 "I, the Martian Master, say it. Those first to go shall seize that matter-receiver on earth when first they appear there, shall build other and larger receivers, and through them within days all our Martian hordes shall have been flashed to earth! Shall
- 156 They were seething and crawling in that great ma.s.s; but as the worm monster on the elevation upreared, all in the cavity seemed suddenly to quiet. Then the upreared eyeless thing began to move his long tentacles. Very slowly at first he waved them back
- 157 The score of members of the crew, bronzed s.p.a.ce-sailors out of every port in the solar system, had listened mutely. Now, one of them, a tall tube-man, stepped forward a little."Just what is this dead-area, sir?" he asked. "I've heard of it, but as
- 158 Kent saw Liggett flush angrily, but he ignored Jandron and spoke to Krell. "You said one of your pa.s.sengers had escaped the explosion?"To Kent's amazement a girl stepped from behind the group of men, a slim girl with pale face and steady, dark eyes.
- 159 The struggle was almost instantly over, for, outnumbered and hampered as they were by their heavy s.p.a.ce-suits, Kent and Liggett and their followers had no chance. Their hands, still in the suits, were bound quickly behind them at Jandron's orders.Kent
- 160 She nestled closer inside his arm. "Yes, Rance. Let's look ahead.Contents THE K-FACTOR.By Harry Harrison WE'RE losing a planet, Neel. I'm afraid that I can't ... understand it." The bald and wrinkled head wobbled a bit on the thin neck, and his eyes
- 161 "Good? Bad? What is it?"Neel raised his head and his eyes were ten years older."Positive. Bad. Much worse than it was when we left Earth.""How much time do we have?""Don't know for certain," Neel shrugged. "I can set it up and get an approximati
- 162 Neel rolled over painfully and crawled to his feet. His head throbbed with pain, but he tried to ignore it. As he stood up his hand brushed his ankle. The tiny gun Costa had given him was still in the top of his shoe. Perhaps Hengly wasn't being as smart
- 163 There was absolutely nothing. Nothing to do with wars or battles.h.i.+ps that is. If I had been interested in blackmail I had enough evidence in my hand to support me for life. I was looking for something bigger than political corruption, however.When Fer
- 164 "Billionaire to found own world ... s.p.a.ce yacht filled with luxuries to last a hundred years," the captain's face grew red as he flipped through the stack of notes. "What connection does this tripe have with catching those murderers?"When we were
- 165 "They are afraid!" he sensed. "Two have entered here, and they are afraid of me. I shall remedy that!"Braanol lowered his thought-potential to one-eighth of one magnitude, and felt his mind contact theirs. "Approach, my children," he said kindly. "
- 166 "Did they sound foreign?""In a way." He motioned along the night-shrouded line of trailers toward one with two windows glowing amber. "Let's wait inside. These bugs out here are fierce.""Did you tell them which trailer is ours?""Yes. They didn'
- 167 "You have, in a way, been kidnapped. And the Raimees have fled to your planet--an unregistered planet.""I'm afraid," Martha Graham said shakily."You have nothing to fear," said the man. "You are no longer on the planet of your birth--nor even in t
- 168 Once again Sutter drove out across state and down the highway where he had seen the roadside stand. But when he reached the spot there was no sign of the stand. The big oak tree which had shaded it and the rail fence on the adjoining property were there.
- 169 "That doesn't make it necessary, not this time," Donegan said. "This vengeance syndrome doesn't last forever, you know. Block it, and you're through with it. And think how much more effective it is, letting Fredericks go back alive to tell the tale.
- 170 GET OUT OF OUR SKIES!.By E. K. JARVIS On the first cloudy day in November, Tom Blacker, the s.h.i.+ning light of Ostreich and Company, Public Relations Counsellors, placed a call to a s.h.i.+rtsleeved man on the rooftop of the Cannon Building in New York
- 171 "I'd go out of the apple business.""Precisely." Andrusco rocked on his heels. "In a sense, that's very much the problem that Homelovers, Incorporated may have to face in the next generation.""Somebody swiping your apples?""In a way." The man c
- 172 On the Third of April, the story of Sergeant Walter Spencer's first-born monster broke in newspapers, magazines, and telecasts across the country. It was a five-year-old story, but it carried too much significance for the s.p.a.ce-minded present to be ig
- 173 "Don't you see?" Livia said earnestly. "If we could make Mars our natural home, then the people of Earth would come to us as friendly visitors--or invaders, whichever they prefer. But if we arrived too late-- No, Tom. We feel that it is imperative--to
- 174 "Captain Gary Wright, the commander of the s.h.i.+p." His brow knitted. "Why? Do you know him?""I'm not sure," Tom said weakly. "But if he's the same man--then that flight's in danger.""What are you talking about?"Tom concluded his story abou
- 175 Sometimes Joyce Farquhar wished Cameron were a good deal different than he was. But then he wouldn't have been Cameron, and she wouldn't want to marry him, she supposed. And somehow, while he fell behind on the mid-stretch, he always managed to come in
- 176 The s.h.i.+p was not a Markovian or a terran-type vessel of any kind. Another week's wait would have been required for one of those. As it was, their quarters were not too uncomfortable although very limited. The bulk of the vessel was designed for crew
- 177 "But they must know of the histories written on other Council worlds about their doings," said Joyce. "Maybe we could reach a point where we could at least ask about them. Ask how it is that other histories show that a hundred and twenty years ago a fl
- 178 There was only one possibility of establis.h.i.+ng contact, however, and that was through Sal Karone. A remote chance indeed, Cameron thought, in view of the relations.h.i.+p between the Markovian and his sargh. As a last resort it was worth trying, howev
- 179 "I have something to tell you, Professor," I said."So?" he asked tolerantly. And that did it. The tolerance. I had been prepared to make my point with a dignified recital and apology, but there were two ways to tell the story and I suddenly chose the
- 180 "Don't you miss electricity and cars and tractors?""Goodness, no, I always say that things were better in the old days. Life was more gracious, I always say. Why, I don't miss gasoline or electricity one little bit. Everybody's so considerate and gr
- 181 He opened his eyes and said something in German, then, hazily: "Woman shot me. Spoil her racket, you call it? Who is this?" He grimaced with pain."I'm Miss Phoebe Bancroft, Professor Leuten," she breathed, leaning over him. "I'm so dreadfully sorry
- 182 Major Dampfer sat up straight. "Captain," he said softly, "this is Thinking Big. This could lend billions a year to the Gross National Product. It could mean a major break-through on the Prosperity front. Are you really proposing that each consumer be
- 183 "Don't marry anyone else," Winfree said. "I'll be right out." He hung up the phone and stood at the mirror in his closet to check his uniform. Then he picked up his silver-trimmed dress swagger-stick and marched out into the main office to meet the
- 184 "I'll be candid with you, Mr. Magnan. The group gives me the w.i.l.l.i.e.s.""Oh, the Nenni are a trifle frivolous, I'll concede," Magnan said. "But it's with them that we must deal. And you'd be making a contribution to the overall mission if you
- 185 "We'd never get through the rebel cordon around the palace. And if we did, trying to give an alarm would only set the a.s.sa.s.sinations off early.""We can't just....""We've got to go to the source; this fellow Zorn. Get him to call it off.""We
- 186 A broad-shouldered man with graying hair pushed through the crowd and looked around. "You heard 'em, Kippy. Give," he said.The s.h.i.+ll growled but tucked his knife away. Reluctantly he peeled a bill from a fat roll and handed it over.The newcomer loo
- 187 Zorn ground out his dope-stick, lit another. He snorted angrily."Okay; what's your idea?" he asked after a moment."You know what Petreac is getting in the way of imports as a result of the agreement?""Sure. A lot of junk.""To be specific," Retief
- 188 "You what!" Magnan looked wild. "But the agreement--it's been revised! Amba.s.sador Crodfoller has gone on record....""Too bad. Glad I didn't tell him about it."Magnan leaned back and closed his eyes."It was big of you to take all the ... blame,
- 189 "Yessir," I whipped out softly. I skittered off toward the door to the stage, because that was the easiest direction. I figured I could do with a breath of less grease-painty air. Then, "Oh, Greta," I heard Martin call nicely.He'd changed his levis f
- 190 Yes, the play was going great. The Dagger Scene was terrific where Duncan gets murdered offstage, and so was the part afterwards where hysteria mounts as the crime's discovered.But just at this point I began to catch notes I didn't like. Twice someone w
- 191 This time the s.h.i.+ver was in my back. It felt good. I realized I was grinning back at him, and I knew what I'd been getting ready for the last twenty minutes."I'm on," I said. "Count me in the company."Sid jumped up and grabbed me by the shoulder
- 192 Beau's fingers danced over the dials like a musician's, or a safe-cracker's. The green glow flared and faded flickeringly."There's a storm in that vector of the Void.""Circle it," Sid ordered."There are dark mists every way.""Then pick the like
- 193 "And you've got it!" fumed the detective. "But anyhow you'll make a complaint. We'll get out some warrants, and we'll have somethin' to go on--""But nothing's happened to complain about," said Brink, quite reasonably. "One broken window's no
- 194 "I'd get the job done!" said Fitzgerald indignantly. "A man likes credit, but he likes a lot better to get a good job done!"Brink grinned suddenly."Good man!" he said approvingly. "I'll buy your idea, sergeant. If you'll play fair with a trout,
- 195 Why did I do it? How was it that I went directly to a box of which I knew nothing, opened it as a matter of course, and took out objects I did not even recognize, to give them to that unpleasant small beast? How did I know where to go? Why did I go? Why s
- 196 Jimmy could read, of course. No matter how badly Uncle Al needed a new pair of shoes, Jimmy's education came first. So Jimmy had spent six winters ash.o.r.e in a first-cla.s.s grammar school, his books paid for out of Uncle Al's "New Orleans" money.Un
- 197 Uncle Al had his arm around Pigtail, and Jimmy could see Pigtail's white face bobbing up and down as Uncle Al breasted the tide with his strong right arm.Closer to the bend was the Harmon shantyboat. The Harmons were using their shotguns now, blasting fi
- 198 This was on the twenty-fifth of July in the U.S.A....Half an hour before the fantastic meteorological turn of events, Bureau Chief Botts dangled the forecast sheet before Johnny Sloman's bloodshot eyes and barked, "It's all over the country by now, you
- 199 "Think about it!" gasped the Under-Secretary. "Think about it!""My client is a busy man--the busiest man in his field," Harry Bettis said.The Under-Secretary smiled bleakly. "The only man in his field, you mean. That's why we need him.""We'll s
- 200 THE ATTACK FROM s.p.a.cE.By Captain S. P. Meek "No one knows what unrevealed horrors s.p.a.ce holds and the world will never rest entirely easy until the slow process of time again heals the protective layer."--From "Beyond the Heaviside Layer."Over a