The Moralist
The Moralist
Aye, 'tis a difficult thing to be a lady on a far world—but who needs them there?
Book Excerpt
st was on top of the ultra-wave tower and that's where he spent most of his time when he wasn't lazily riding around on the shoulders of one of us or pan-handling Joe, the cook, for something extra to eat.
"He was in his nest when Prunella got him with that delicate-looking, deadly little needle-gun of hers. I'll bet he had a hundred of those tiny slivers of steel in him. One would have been enough, but she must have set the gun on full automatic and then let it spew itself empty."
I made sympathetic noises.
"She said afterward that Johnny had been a possible disease carrier and, besides, he was dirty. There was absolutely no doubt about it--Johnny was dirty and in more ways than one, but as for diseases, Xenon seemed to have none that the human race hadn't already overcome on some other planet far more dangerous than this one."
* * * * *
I laid more wood on the fire as Lee paused to sip and roll the brandy.
He said, "I've always suspected, however, that the
Editor's choice
(view all)
Popular books in Short Story, Science Fiction, Post-1930, Fiction and Literature
Readers reviews
3.0
LoginSign up
Quite contrary to the previous reviewer, I found this story neither sexist nor crude. The female character that receives so much negative attention in the story could have just as easily have been male, and little of the story would be changed. As for crude, I have a hard time seeing much in the way of that, either.
This is just a so-so story with melodramatic characters typical of the era in which it was written. The sci-fi is light, but the storyline does rely on it. Mostly, this is just a story about a group of people annoyed with their overly zealous leader, and their plot to get rid of her. Nothing very exciting at all.
This is just a so-so story with melodramatic characters typical of the era in which it was written. The sci-fi is light, but the storyline does rely on it. Mostly, this is just a story about a group of people annoyed with their overly zealous leader, and their plot to get rid of her. Nothing very exciting at all.
- Upvote (0)
- Downvote (0)
A "humorous" (sexist, crude) story of how devil-may-care space jockeys deal with a by-the-book female administrator by using a native lifeform. This is probably not the high point in the writing of speculative fiction. My hope is you'll find it at least a little offensive, because that would mean society has progressed a little bit since then.
07/01/2013
Books added this week
(view all)
FEATURED AUTHOR - Katlynn Brooke’s formative years growing up in Africa were unusual, even by African standards. As she traveled with her family through the bushveld, she penned plays, poems, and short stories for her family’s entertainment. The seeds of fantasy were planted—seeds that eventually grew into the Ialana Series. Katlynn continued into her adulthood as a gypsy-wanderer, living in exotic countries, always scribbling, before settling permanently in the United States, where she now lives with her… Read more