Fly By Night
Fly By Night
Free DownloadA young man and a young woman alone on the first over-the-moon ship. The world cheered them as the most romantic adventurers in all history. Do-gooders decried them as immoral stunters. Gaunt, serious militarists pronounced them part of the most crucial experiment ever undertaken....
Book Excerpt
in. And again. Surely there never was, never could be, a greater delight embracing than in the floating, heady, free fall of null-G. Certainly the psychologists knew no other method of retaining sanity in the cruelly endless jet pit engulfing the stars. Which was why they had planned it that way.
* * * * *
Well out of atmosphere he began to brake skillfully, easing the craft into an orbital arc that would later be changed to a descending spiral. Biting into rarified air, he adjusted the hull heat distributor, cut in the refrigeration unit, increased oxygen a trifle. He removed a small envelope from its taped position on a panel and opened it to read his landing instructions. Then he looked questioningly at Carol.
"Southwest Oregon. The Oregon Caves National Monument. We're to go in on a beacon signal."
"You don't suppose they want us to show survival ability?"
"On a deal like this? No, something's haywire here. First, there's not a strip that'll take the Latecomer f
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In a word, this story is odd. The science is laughable by any standard, and the social presumptions are absurd. Beyond that it is an interesting premise, although it shuts down quickly in what I'm sure the author thought was a "twist" for and ending. Not very satisfying, but worth a read just because of how different it is.
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Written in 1954, set in 1966, the atomic space ship to the moon encounters interplanetary time slowing and space fear: a couple of things we've found don't happen. If you can ignore that, the story is okay. The characters are cardboard (Ken is a major, Carol a lieutenant, she's there to follow his orders--any orders).
There just seems to be too much wrong with the story.
There just seems to be too much wrong with the story.
03/20/2013
End-of-the-world short story with an unusual premise and a bit of a surprise ending. Worth a read.
06/05/2012
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FEATURED AUTHOR - Art Blegen is the author of “The Adventures of Kris”, a series of early middle-grade chapter books for young readers from six to ten years old. Each child is important, and each family matters to Art. He is an advocate for educating children and their parents to ensure they have a healthy balance of positive examples in their lives. Wholesome stories and a healthy imagination can lay the foundation they will use for the rest of their lives. Whether playing with his grandchildren or coaching… Read more