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
- 255 Eleven-thirty by the watch on Robert Delamater's wrist found him seated in the bow of a speed-boat the following morning. They patrolled slowly up and down the sh.o.r.e. There were fellow operatives, he knew, scores of them, posted at all points of vanta
- 254 But the squinting eyes at the telescope had seen something first. They had seen the spare form of the district attorney throw itself from the chair as if it had been dealt a blow--or had received an electric shock.Blinky put in new fuses--heavier ones--an
- 253 "What is it?" he said. "What do you want?" He looked in the direction she had pointed. "I don't see anything.""They're coming.""They? Who? Who are coming?""They are. The police. During the night the Sheriff had the state police send cars. All
- 252 "No. That's right."They drove in silence. Conger studied the outline of the girl. Probably she was the boy's mistress. Perhaps she was his trial wife. Or had they developed trial marriage back so far? He could not remember. But surely such an attracti
- 251 Conger picked up the Slem-gun and held it against his cheek. The metal of the gun was cool and smooth. He practiced moving the sight. It was a beautiful gun, the kind of gun he could fall in love with. If he had owned such a gun in the Martian desert-on t
- 250 But Toolls was wrong. They had forgotten one thing. A minor detail, relatively....On Toolls' world his race, in the course of its evolution, had adjusted itself to its own particular environment. Logically, the final result was that they evolved into bei
- 249 She paused again, frowning in thought. "Well, they traveled a long, long way and saw many things. Then one day something went wrong."Her voice was low and soft. It had the quality of a dream, the texture of a zephyr, but the little boy was still wide aw
- 248 The foundling could not have been more than three years old. Yet he held a secret that was destined to bring joy to many unhappy people.Unlike Gaul, the north continent of Venus is divided into four parts. No Caesar has set foot here either, nor shall one
- 247 "Poor, dear Schaughtowl," said Curtis gently.It was unmistakable now--the skin actually brightened and emitted a sort of eerie, luminous glow.Curtis leaned over and put his hand on what would have been Schaughtowl's neck. The loose skin writhed joyousl
- 246 "Mr. Stern?" he asked, throwing away the empty package.Stern looked with hard eyes at the youthful reporter. He recognized the type."So they're sending around cubs now," he said."I'm no cub--I've been on the paper a whole year," the reporter prot
- 245 "And miss the chance to address Congress this year? We've worked too long for this; I don't want to m.u.f.f it now. We've all the statistical proof we need, even to convince those pinchpenny halfwits. During the past eight years we've handled more th
- 244 Twenty years is a long time to live in antic.i.p.ation. At least, Professor Pettibone thought so--until the twenty years were up.This was to be the day, but of course Professor Pettibone had no way of knowing it. He arose, as he had been doing for the pre
- 243 There are so many stars in an asteroid sky that they look like clouds; like ma.s.sive, heaped-up silver clouds floating slowly around the inner surface of the vast ebony sphere that surrounds you and your tiny foothold. They are near enough to touch, and
- 242 "Jim, don't go. I'd rather not be alone just now.""Well." He looked at her, keeping his expression blank. "All right, dear. How about some coffee? I could stand another cup." And he thought: Tomorrow I'll go. I'll talk to Holland tomorrow."Let
- 241 I felt some cheer was needed, and ordered a cask of my best and strongest ale broached. An evil Norn made me do that, but no man escapes his weird. Our bellies seemed all the emptier now when our noses drank in the sputter of a spitted joint, and the ale
- 240 The Golden Age of Science Fiction.Volume III.An Anthology of 50 Short Stories.by Various.THE MAN WHO CAME EARLY. By Poul Anderson Yes, when a man grows old he has heard so much that is strange there's little more can surprise him. They say the king in Mi
- 239 "If I kill it," he murmured, "I may never find Agnes. And if I let it carry me off, it may take me where she is."He walked toward the monster, across the red sand.It stood uncertainly upon green metal legs, seeming to stare at him strangely with eye-l
- 238 It was this monster that had spilt the pool of blood drying on the floor, near the door. And it was these glistening, green, snake-like tentacles that had crumpled the revolver into a broken ma.s.s of steel!Abruptly the machine-monster darted forward, run
- 237 "The way to find adventure is to go after it," he murmured. "And this is the invitation!"It was not many minutes later that he sprang out of a taxi at the front of the building in which Dr. Travis Whiting made his home and maintained a private experim
- 236 "Skip it," he said."That sure is a beautiful picture," she said. "Looks just like heaven or something.""Or something," said the painter. He took a list of names from his smock pocket. "Duncan, Duncan, Duncan," he said, scanning the list. "Yes--
- 235 "That's what I said. What were you doing all that time?"Adams grasped the table and hung on. "But it wasn't....""Yes," said the general to the operator. "Yes, I'll wait."He held his hand over the receiver and looked inquiringly at Adams. "I im
- 234 The chief of Central Intelligence was white-lipped when he finished talking."You're sure of your information?" asked the President."Mr. President," said the CIA chief, "I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life."The President looked
- 233 "They wouldn't do that. They know what the thing they have found would mean. They wouldn't sell us out.""Hudson came with a preposterous proposition," said the man from the state department."They had to protect themselves!" yelled the general. "I
- 232 "No, that's one thing I never tried.""Me, either. How about you, Chuck?""Not me," said the ex-amba.s.sador extraordinary bluntly.Cooper squatted down beside the coals of the cooking fire and twirled the spit. Upon the spit were three grouse and hal
- 231 "He's our first president," said Hudson. "Our George Was.h.i.+ngton, you might say.""What is the purpose of this visit, Mr. Hudson?""We'd like to establish diplomatic relations. We think it would be to our mutual benefit. After all, we are a sist
- 230 That meant the others had heard the rock hitting Hollingwood's plexalloy helmet. They were coming toward him.Wayne sprang back defensively and glanced around. He hoped there were only five of them, that the rule of six was still being maintained. Otherwi
- 229 Petersen shrugged and rubbed his hands against his iron-grey temples. "Captain," he said finally, "you have a very fine record. You have never before been known to strike an enlisted man for any cause whatever. I hold that in your favor.""Thank you,
- 228 "Yeah," said Wayne. "The question is: was he wearing just the helmet, or the whole suit? If he was wearing the whole suit, we're not going to be as well protected as we thought, even with our fancy suits."Fifteen minutes pa.s.sed slowly before the me
- 227 Peter Wayne took the letter out of the machine, broke the seal, and examined it curiously. It was an official communication from the Interstellar Exploration Service. It read: FROM: Lieutenant General Martin Scarborough, I.E.S.TO: Captain Peter Wayne, Pre
- 226 "We get as much as we want," replied Manto carelessly."Gosh, I wish I did."Miss Burton collected her brood. "Come together, children, I have something to say to you. Soon it will be time to go in and hear Mr. George. Now, if Mr. George is so kind as
- 225 The other little girl was pushed forward. "Now, who are you?" Miss Burton asked."I'm Doris Palit. I went with Carolyn to the bathroom-"Miss Burton made a sound of annoyance. Imagine losing two children and not noticing it right away. The other teache
- 224 The newspaper stories made heroes out of both of us. They said it was miraculous that Larry, who had fallen right on top of the grenade, had managed to get it away from himself and so placed that when it exploded no one was hurt.For it did go off--and the
- 223 "I will undoubtedly be there, complete with Dr. Rives," Melroy replied. "It will be a pleasure!"An hour later, Ben Puryear called from the reactor area, his voice strained with anger."Scott, do you know what those--" He gargled obscenities for a mom
- 222 "The union's gotta be represented while these tests is going on," the union steward announced. "Mr. Crandall says I'm to stay here an' watch what you do to these guys.""This man working for us?" Melroy asked Puryear."Yes. Koffler, Julius. Electr
- 221 "Right away, Mr. Melroy," the box replied.Replacing the handphone, Melroy wondered, for a moment, why there had been a hint of suppressed amus.e.m.e.nt in his secretary's voice. Then the door opened and he stopped wondering. Dr. Rives wasn't a him; sh
- 220 Two days before the opening of the Convocation, the Irma came into radio-range, five light-hours away, and began transmitting in taped matter at sixty-speed. Erskyll's report and his own acknowledged; a routine "well done" for the successful annexation
- 219 "We hadn't thought of that," Khreggor Chmidd said. "A slave, even a chief-slave, was never allowed to have money of his own, and if he got hold of any, he couldn't spend it. But now...." A glorious vista seemed to open in front of him. "And he can
- 218 n.o.body said anything for a few minutes. Then Rovard Javasan, the Chief of Administration and the owner of the mountainous Khreggor Chmidd, rose."Lords and Gentlemen, we cannot resist anything like this," he said. "We cannot even resist the force they
- 217 "Our Emperor sent us. That is his picture, behind me. But we are not his slaves. He is merely the chief man among us. Do your Masters not have one among them who is chief?""That's right," Chmidd said to Hozhet. "In the Convocation, your Lord-Master
- 216 There has always been strong sympathy for the poor, meek, downtrodden slave--the kindly little man, oppressed by cruel and overbearing masters. Could it possibly have been misplaced...?Jurgen, Prince Trevannion, accepted the coffee cup and lifted it to hi
- 215 Pete shook his head. "Hundredweight."The captain raised his eyebrows. "I see. And there are--" he consulted the papers in his hand--"roughly two hundred and twenty colonists here on Baron IV. Is that right?""That's right.""Seventy-four men, eigh
- 214 "Fifty-five!" The doctor leafed through the medical record on his desk. "But this is incredible. You haven't had a checkup in almost ten years!""I guess I haven't," said Wheatley, apologetically. "I'd been feeling pretty well until--""Feeling
- 213 As he spoke Kepta swaggered through the tall gra.s.s to call a greeting: "Ho, rock dweller, I would speak with you--"Dandtan edged around the screen, Garin a pace behind."I see you, Kepta.""Good. I trust that your ears will serve you as well as your
- 212 "We shall claim protection from the Gibi of the cliff. By the law they must give us aid," said Thrala, as, turning up her long robe, she began to run lightly. Garin picked up her cloak and drew it across his shoulder to hide his welts. When he could no
- 211 "As an outlander I am not bound by their limits," returned Garin, "as you will learn if you do not call off your stinking pack."The master of the Caves laughed. "You are as the Tand, a fool without a brain. Never shall you see the Caverns again--""
- 210 CHAPTER FOUR.The Defeat of the Ancient Ones "In the days before the lands of the outer world were born of the sea, before even the Land of the Sun (Mu) and the Land of the Sea (Atlantis) arose from molten rock and sand, there was land here in the far sou
- 209 As they roared over the ice Garin wondered if it might have been speech--from, perhaps, a secret enemy expedition, such as the Kattack one.In his sealed c.o.c.kpit he did not feel the bite of the frost and the s.h.i.+p rode smoothly. With a little sigh of
- 208 "Nora tried to get them to stop it, Father, but she couldn't get in to see anybody but the butler. He told her he'd tell Mrs. Keith, but nothing happened. It's just as loud as before.""Well, as long as Donny doesn't mind--""He just says that. You
- 207 "Do you remember that Steve Farran song?"She paused, frowning thoughtfully. There were a lot of Steve Farran songs, but after a moment she picked the right one, and sang it softly ..."O moon whereo'er the clouds fly, Beyond the willow tree, There is a
- 206 "What about that Russian whose place you took?" he asked. "Maybe we can pump something out of him."Thelma swayed for a moment."Don't, Mr. Carnes," she cried, her voice rising almost to a shriek. "Don't make me think of it! I--I had to--to stab hi
- 205 He recovered consciousness to find his feet shackled and fastened to rings set in the concrete of the cavern wall. His head throbbed horribly. He raised his hands and found a huge b.u.mp on his head, from which thickened blood trickled sluggishly down his
- 204 "Certainly not. Why would she come down here?""I thought she might be useful, Doctor.""Carnes, as you know, I dislike using women because they can't control their emotions or their expressions. She would just be in the way.""It seems to me that sh
- 203 Contents THE GREAT DROUGHT.By Capt. S. P. Meek "Is the maneuver progressing as you wish. Dr. Bird?" asked the Chief of the Air Corps.The famous scientist lowered his binoculars and smiled. "Exactly, General," he replied. "They are keeping a splendid
- 202 "We can't stand here and see murder done!" I protested."It's not murder. Pete, those children aren't being hurt. They are being hypnotized so that they can be transported to Mercury.""Why are they taking them to Mercury?" I demanded."As nearly a
- 201 "Yes.""Mounted on our flyer are six ultra-violet searchlights. By the side of each one is a wide angle telescopic concentrator which will focus any reflected ultra-violet onto a radium coated screen and thus make it visible to us. In effect the apparat
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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,
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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,
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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'
- 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. "
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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