The Road to Sinharat

The Road to Sinharat

Author: Leigh Brackett

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2020-11-17

Total Pages: 67

ISBN-13: 1649741057

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The people of Mars were perverse. They did not want Earth’s proffer of rich land, much water, new power. They fought rehabilitation. And with them fought Carey, the Earthman who wanted only the secret that lay at the end of the road to Sinharat. Leigh Brackett was the undisputed Queen of Space Opera and the first women to be nominated for the coveted Hugo Award. She wrote short stories, novels, and scripts for Hollywood. She wrote the first draft of the Empire Strikes Back shortly before her death in 1978.


Book Synopsis The Road to Sinharat by : Leigh Brackett

Download or read book The Road to Sinharat written by Leigh Brackett and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2020-11-17 with total page 67 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The people of Mars were perverse. They did not want Earth’s proffer of rich land, much water, new power. They fought rehabilitation. And with them fought Carey, the Earthman who wanted only the secret that lay at the end of the road to Sinharat. Leigh Brackett was the undisputed Queen of Space Opera and the first women to be nominated for the coveted Hugo Award. She wrote short stories, novels, and scripts for Hollywood. She wrote the first draft of the Empire Strikes Back shortly before her death in 1978.


Expectations and Eyre: Dickens, Brontë, Brackett [The road to Sinharat by Leigh Brackett/ Great Expectations by Charles Dickens/Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë]

Expectations and Eyre: Dickens, Brontë, Brackett [The road to Sinharat by Leigh Brackett/ Great Expectations by Charles Dickens/Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë]

Author: Leigh Brackett

Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan

Published: 2024-06-22

Total Pages: 1142

ISBN-13:

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Book 1: Embark on an interstellar adventure with “The Road to Sinharat by Leigh Brackett.” Brackett's captivating tale takes readers to the exotic and perilous world of Sinharat, where Eric John Stark faces challenges, mysteries, and a quest for identity in this classic science fiction masterpiece. Book 2: Immerse yourself in the compelling narrative of “Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.” Dickens weaves a tale of social mobility, love, and self-discovery as the orphaned Pip navigates the complexities of Victorian society and encounters unforgettable characters on his journey toward great expectations. Book 3: Enter the tumultuous life of “Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë.” Brontë's timeless novel follows the orphaned Jane as she faces adversity, discovers love, and confronts the mysteries of Thornfield Hall, creating a powerful and enduring exploration of passion, morality, and independence.


Book Synopsis Expectations and Eyre: Dickens, Brontë, Brackett [The road to Sinharat by Leigh Brackett/ Great Expectations by Charles Dickens/Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë] by : Leigh Brackett

Download or read book Expectations and Eyre: Dickens, Brontë, Brackett [The road to Sinharat by Leigh Brackett/ Great Expectations by Charles Dickens/Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë] written by Leigh Brackett and published by Prabhat Prakashan. This book was released on 2024-06-22 with total page 1142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book 1: Embark on an interstellar adventure with “The Road to Sinharat by Leigh Brackett.” Brackett's captivating tale takes readers to the exotic and perilous world of Sinharat, where Eric John Stark faces challenges, mysteries, and a quest for identity in this classic science fiction masterpiece. Book 2: Immerse yourself in the compelling narrative of “Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.” Dickens weaves a tale of social mobility, love, and self-discovery as the orphaned Pip navigates the complexities of Victorian society and encounters unforgettable characters on his journey toward great expectations. Book 3: Enter the tumultuous life of “Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë.” Brontë's timeless novel follows the orphaned Jane as she faces adversity, discovers love, and confronts the mysteries of Thornfield Hall, creating a powerful and enduring exploration of passion, morality, and independence.


Epic Trilogy: Homer, Dante, Brackett's Sinharat [The Iliad by Homer/ The Odyssey by Homer/The divine comedy by Dante Alighieri]

Epic Trilogy: Homer, Dante, Brackett's Sinharat [The Iliad by Homer/ The Odyssey by Homer/The divine comedy by Dante Alighieri]

Author: Homer

Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan

Published: 2024-06-22

Total Pages: 1697

ISBN-13:

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Book 1: Immerse yourself in the epic world of heroes and gods with “The Iliad by Homer.” Homer's ancient Greek masterpiece recounts the Trojan War, exploring themes of honor, fate, and the struggles of mortal and divine characters in the midst of a legendary conflict. Book 2: Embark on a captivating journey of adventure and exploration with “The Odyssey by Homer.” Homer's epic poem follows the cunning hero Odysseus as he faces mythical creatures, navigates the challenges of the sea, and strives to return home, creating a timeless narrative of perseverance and cunning intelligence. Book 3: Journey through the realms of the afterlife with “The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.” Dante's epic poem takes readers on a guided tour through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, exploring themes of sin, redemption, and the complexities of the human soul in a poetic and allegorical masterpiece.


Book Synopsis Epic Trilogy: Homer, Dante, Brackett's Sinharat [The Iliad by Homer/ The Odyssey by Homer/The divine comedy by Dante Alighieri] by : Homer

Download or read book Epic Trilogy: Homer, Dante, Brackett's Sinharat [The Iliad by Homer/ The Odyssey by Homer/The divine comedy by Dante Alighieri] written by Homer and published by Prabhat Prakashan. This book was released on 2024-06-22 with total page 1697 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book 1: Immerse yourself in the epic world of heroes and gods with “The Iliad by Homer.” Homer's ancient Greek masterpiece recounts the Trojan War, exploring themes of honor, fate, and the struggles of mortal and divine characters in the midst of a legendary conflict. Book 2: Embark on a captivating journey of adventure and exploration with “The Odyssey by Homer.” Homer's epic poem follows the cunning hero Odysseus as he faces mythical creatures, navigates the challenges of the sea, and strives to return home, creating a timeless narrative of perseverance and cunning intelligence. Book 3: Journey through the realms of the afterlife with “The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.” Dante's epic poem takes readers on a guided tour through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise, exploring themes of sin, redemption, and the complexities of the human soul in a poetic and allegorical masterpiece.


Outside the Human Aquarium

Outside the Human Aquarium

Author: Brian M. Stableford

Publisher: Wildside Press LLC

Published: 1995-01-01

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 0893704571

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Brian Stableford's essays cover Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett, Kurt Vonnegut, Barry Malzberg, Robert Silveberg, Mack Reynolds, Clark Ashton Smith, Philip K. Dick, David H. Keller, Theodore Sturgeon, and Stanley G. Weinbaum.


Book Synopsis Outside the Human Aquarium by : Brian M. Stableford

Download or read book Outside the Human Aquarium written by Brian M. Stableford and published by Wildside Press LLC. This book was released on 1995-01-01 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brian Stableford's essays cover Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett, Kurt Vonnegut, Barry Malzberg, Robert Silveberg, Mack Reynolds, Clark Ashton Smith, Philip K. Dick, David H. Keller, Theodore Sturgeon, and Stanley G. Weinbaum.


Science Fiction Quotations

Science Fiction Quotations

Author: Gary Westfahl

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2008-10-01

Total Pages: 485

ISBN-13: 0300127642

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In this unprecedented collection of science fiction and fantasy quotations, the reader revisits the stunning moment when Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein monster first comes to life; witnesses the transformation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde; is present when Bruce Wayne resolves to become Batman; and overhears the cosmic conclusions of The Incredible Shrinking Man. Drawing upon two centuries of the vast and provocative literature of science fiction and fantasy, this comprehensive book presents more than 2,900 quotations from wide-ranging sources, including science fiction and fantasy stories, novels, films, and television programs. The quotations are organized by topic—alien worlds; darkness and light; robots, androids, and cyborgs; machines and technology; weapons; and more than one hundred others. The reader will encounter the wit and wisdom of renowned authors (H. G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, J. R. R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin) along with definitive versions of such important statements as Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics and Star Trek’s Prime Directive. With its thorough index, this book is both an invaluable resource for the writer or scholar and an irresistible page-turner for the curious browser.


Book Synopsis Science Fiction Quotations by : Gary Westfahl

Download or read book Science Fiction Quotations written by Gary Westfahl and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2008-10-01 with total page 485 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this unprecedented collection of science fiction and fantasy quotations, the reader revisits the stunning moment when Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein monster first comes to life; witnesses the transformation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde; is present when Bruce Wayne resolves to become Batman; and overhears the cosmic conclusions of The Incredible Shrinking Man. Drawing upon two centuries of the vast and provocative literature of science fiction and fantasy, this comprehensive book presents more than 2,900 quotations from wide-ranging sources, including science fiction and fantasy stories, novels, films, and television programs. The quotations are organized by topic—alien worlds; darkness and light; robots, androids, and cyborgs; machines and technology; weapons; and more than one hundred others. The reader will encounter the wit and wisdom of renowned authors (H. G. Wells, Ray Bradbury, J. R. R. Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin) along with definitive versions of such important statements as Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics and Star Trek’s Prime Directive. With its thorough index, this book is both an invaluable resource for the writer or scholar and an irresistible page-turner for the curious browser.


The Dragon-Queen of Venus

The Dragon-Queen of Venus

Author: Leigh Brackett

Publisher: eStar Books

Published: 2011-11-01

Total Pages: 12

ISBN-13: 161210424X

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Attempting to make Venus safe for colonists turns out to be a very dangerous job for Tex and his partner Breska.excerptTex stirred uneasily where he lay on the parapet, staring into the heavy, Venusian fog. The greasy moisture ran down the fort wall, lay rank on his lips. With a sigh for the hot, dry air of Texas, and a curse for the adventure-thirst that made him leave it, he shifted his short, steel-hard body and wrinkled his sandy-red brows in the never-ending effort to see.A stifled cough turned his head. He whispered, "Hi, Breska."The Martian grinned and lay down beside him. His skin was wind-burned like Tex's, his black eyes nested in wrinkles caused by squinting against sun and blowing dust.For a second they were silent, feeling the desert like a bond between them. Then Breska, mastering his cough, grunted: "They're an hour late now. What's the matter with 'em?"Tex was worried, too. The regular dawn attack of the swamp-dwellers was long overdue."Reckon they're thinking up some new tricks," he said. "I sure wish our relief would get here. I could use a vacation."Breska's teeth showed a cynical flash of white."If they don't come soon, it won't matter. At that, starving is pleasanter than beetle-bombs, or green snakes. Hey, Tex. Here comes the Skipper."Captain John Smith-Smith was a common name in the Volunteer Legion-crawled along the catwalk. There were new lines of strain on the officer's gaunt face, and Tex's uneasiness grew.He knew that supplies were running low. Repairs were urgently needed. Wasn't the relief goin' to come at all?But Captain Smith's pleasant English voice was as calm as though he were discussing cricket-scores in a comfortable London club."Any sign of the beggars, Tex?""No, sir. But I got a feeling. . . .""H'm. Yes. We all have. Well, keep a sharp. . . ."


Book Synopsis The Dragon-Queen of Venus by : Leigh Brackett

Download or read book The Dragon-Queen of Venus written by Leigh Brackett and published by eStar Books. This book was released on 2011-11-01 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Attempting to make Venus safe for colonists turns out to be a very dangerous job for Tex and his partner Breska.excerptTex stirred uneasily where he lay on the parapet, staring into the heavy, Venusian fog. The greasy moisture ran down the fort wall, lay rank on his lips. With a sigh for the hot, dry air of Texas, and a curse for the adventure-thirst that made him leave it, he shifted his short, steel-hard body and wrinkled his sandy-red brows in the never-ending effort to see.A stifled cough turned his head. He whispered, "Hi, Breska."The Martian grinned and lay down beside him. His skin was wind-burned like Tex's, his black eyes nested in wrinkles caused by squinting against sun and blowing dust.For a second they were silent, feeling the desert like a bond between them. Then Breska, mastering his cough, grunted: "They're an hour late now. What's the matter with 'em?"Tex was worried, too. The regular dawn attack of the swamp-dwellers was long overdue."Reckon they're thinking up some new tricks," he said. "I sure wish our relief would get here. I could use a vacation."Breska's teeth showed a cynical flash of white."If they don't come soon, it won't matter. At that, starving is pleasanter than beetle-bombs, or green snakes. Hey, Tex. Here comes the Skipper."Captain John Smith-Smith was a common name in the Volunteer Legion-crawled along the catwalk. There were new lines of strain on the officer's gaunt face, and Tex's uneasiness grew.He knew that supplies were running low. Repairs were urgently needed. Wasn't the relief goin' to come at all?But Captain Smith's pleasant English voice was as calm as though he were discussing cricket-scores in a comfortable London club."Any sign of the beggars, Tex?""No, sir. But I got a feeling. . . .""H'm. Yes. We all have. Well, keep a sharp. . . ."


Queen of the Martian Catacombs

Queen of the Martian Catacombs

Author: Leigh Brackett

Publisher: eStar Books

Published: 2011-12-10

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13: 161210441X

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Erik John Stark is sent on a perilous mission into the Valkis and encounters the Queen of the Martian Catacombs.ExcerptThe leader of the four men rode slowly toward the tor, his right arm raised.His voice carried clearly on the wind. "Eric John Stark!" he called, and the dark man tensed in the shadows.The rider stopped. He spoke again, but this time in a different tongue. It was no dialect of Earth, Mars or Venus, but a strange speech, as harsh and vital as the blazing Mercurian valleys that bred it."Oh N'Chaka, oh Man-without-a-tribe, I call you!"There was a long silence. The rider and his mount were motionless under the low moons, waiting.Eric John Stark stepped slowly out from the pool of blackness under the tor."Who calls me N'Chaka?"The rider relaxed somewhat. He answered in English, "You know perfectly well who I am, Eric. May we meet in peace?" Stark shrugged. "Of course."He walked on to meet the rider, who had dismounted, leaving his beast behind. He was a slight, wiry man, this EPC officer, with the rawhide look of the frontiers still on him. His hair was grizzled and his sun-blackened skin was deeply lined, but there was nothing in the least aged about his hard good-humored face nor his remarkably keen dark eyes."It's been a long time, Eric," he said.Stark nodded. "Sixteen years." The two men studied each other for a moment, and then Stark said, "I thought you were still on Mercury, Ashton.""They've called all us experienced hands in to Mars." He held out cigarettes. "Smoke?"Stark took one. They bent over Ashton's lighter, and then stood there smoking while the wind blew red dust over their feet and the three men of the patrol waited quietly beside the Banning. Ashton was taking no chances. The electro-beam could stun without injury.Presently Ashton said, "I'm going to be crude, Eric. I'm going to remind you of some things.""Save it," Stark retorted. "You've got me. There's no need to talk about it.""Yes," said Ashton, "I've got you, and a damned hard time I've had doing it. That's why I'm going to talk about it."His dark eyes met Stark's cold stare and held it.


Book Synopsis Queen of the Martian Catacombs by : Leigh Brackett

Download or read book Queen of the Martian Catacombs written by Leigh Brackett and published by eStar Books. This book was released on 2011-12-10 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Erik John Stark is sent on a perilous mission into the Valkis and encounters the Queen of the Martian Catacombs.ExcerptThe leader of the four men rode slowly toward the tor, his right arm raised.His voice carried clearly on the wind. "Eric John Stark!" he called, and the dark man tensed in the shadows.The rider stopped. He spoke again, but this time in a different tongue. It was no dialect of Earth, Mars or Venus, but a strange speech, as harsh and vital as the blazing Mercurian valleys that bred it."Oh N'Chaka, oh Man-without-a-tribe, I call you!"There was a long silence. The rider and his mount were motionless under the low moons, waiting.Eric John Stark stepped slowly out from the pool of blackness under the tor."Who calls me N'Chaka?"The rider relaxed somewhat. He answered in English, "You know perfectly well who I am, Eric. May we meet in peace?" Stark shrugged. "Of course."He walked on to meet the rider, who had dismounted, leaving his beast behind. He was a slight, wiry man, this EPC officer, with the rawhide look of the frontiers still on him. His hair was grizzled and his sun-blackened skin was deeply lined, but there was nothing in the least aged about his hard good-humored face nor his remarkably keen dark eyes."It's been a long time, Eric," he said.Stark nodded. "Sixteen years." The two men studied each other for a moment, and then Stark said, "I thought you were still on Mercury, Ashton.""They've called all us experienced hands in to Mars." He held out cigarettes. "Smoke?"Stark took one. They bent over Ashton's lighter, and then stood there smoking while the wind blew red dust over their feet and the three men of the patrol waited quietly beside the Banning. Ashton was taking no chances. The electro-beam could stun without injury.Presently Ashton said, "I'm going to be crude, Eric. I'm going to remind you of some things.""Save it," Stark retorted. "You've got me. There's no need to talk about it.""Yes," said Ashton, "I've got you, and a damned hard time I've had doing it. That's why I'm going to talk about it."His dark eyes met Stark's cold stare and held it.


The Citadel of Lost Ships

The Citadel of Lost Ships

Author: Leigh Brackett

Publisher: eStar Books

Published: 2011-06-10

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13: 1612103669

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Book Synopsis The Citadel of Lost Ships by : Leigh Brackett

Download or read book The Citadel of Lost Ships written by Leigh Brackett and published by eStar Books. This book was released on 2011-06-10 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


A World Is Born

A World Is Born

Author: Leigh Brackett

Publisher: eStar Books

Published: 2011-06-10

Total Pages: 22

ISBN-13: 1612103723

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The first ripples of blue fire touched Dio's men. Bolts of it fastened on gun-butts, and knuckles. Men screamed and fell. Jill cried out as he tore silver ornaments from her dress...ExcerptMel Gray flung down his hoe with a sudden tigerish fierceness and stood erect. Tom Ward, working beside him, glanced at Gray's Indianesque profile, the youth of it hardened by war and the hells of the Eros prison blocks.A quick flash of satisfaction crossed Ward's dark eyes. Then he grinned and said mockingly."Hell of a place to spend the rest of your life, ain't it?"Mel Gray stared with slitted blue eyes down the valley. The huge sun of Mercury seared his naked body. Sweat channeled the dust on his skin. His throat ached with thirst. And the bitter landscape mocked him more than Wade's dark face."The rest of my life," he repeated softly. "The rest of my life!"He was twenty-eight.Wade spat in the damp black earth. "You ought to be glad--helping the unfortunate, building a haven for the derelict....""Shut up!" Fury rose in Gray, hotter than the boiling springs that ran from the Sunside to water the valleys. He hated Mercury. He hated John Moulton and his daughter Jill, who had conceived this plan of building a new world for the destitute and desperate veterans of the Second Interplanetary War."I've had enough 'unselfish service'," he whispered. "I'm serving myself from now on."


Book Synopsis A World Is Born by : Leigh Brackett

Download or read book A World Is Born written by Leigh Brackett and published by eStar Books. This book was released on 2011-06-10 with total page 22 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first ripples of blue fire touched Dio's men. Bolts of it fastened on gun-butts, and knuckles. Men screamed and fell. Jill cried out as he tore silver ornaments from her dress...ExcerptMel Gray flung down his hoe with a sudden tigerish fierceness and stood erect. Tom Ward, working beside him, glanced at Gray's Indianesque profile, the youth of it hardened by war and the hells of the Eros prison blocks.A quick flash of satisfaction crossed Ward's dark eyes. Then he grinned and said mockingly."Hell of a place to spend the rest of your life, ain't it?"Mel Gray stared with slitted blue eyes down the valley. The huge sun of Mercury seared his naked body. Sweat channeled the dust on his skin. His throat ached with thirst. And the bitter landscape mocked him more than Wade's dark face."The rest of my life," he repeated softly. "The rest of my life!"He was twenty-eight.Wade spat in the damp black earth. "You ought to be glad--helping the unfortunate, building a haven for the derelict....""Shut up!" Fury rose in Gray, hotter than the boiling springs that ran from the Sunside to water the valleys. He hated Mercury. He hated John Moulton and his daughter Jill, who had conceived this plan of building a new world for the destitute and desperate veterans of the Second Interplanetary War."I've had enough 'unselfish service'," he whispered. "I'm serving myself from now on."


The Stellar Legion

The Stellar Legion

Author: Leigh Brackett

Publisher: eStar Books

Published: 2011-11-05

Total Pages: 13

ISBN-13: 1612104266

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MacIan was a man with a secret, and it had followed him to Venus and the Legion, escape was impossible...ExcerptSilence was on the barracks like a lid clamped over tight-coiled springs. Men in rumpled uniforms-outlanders of the Stellar Legion, space-rats, the scrapings of the Solar System-sweated in the sullen heat of the Venusian swamplands before the rains. Sweated and listened.The metal door clanged open to admit Lehn, the young Venusian Commandant, and every man jerked tautly to his feet. Ian MacIan, the white-haired, space-burned Earthman, alone and hungrily poised for action; Thekla, the swart Martian low-canaler, grinning like a weasel beside Bhak, the hulking strangler from Titan. Every quick nervous glance was riveted on Lehn.The young officer stood silent in the open door, tugging at his fair mustache; to MacIan, watching, he was a trim, clean incongruity in this brutal wilderness of savagery and iron men. Behind him, the eternal mists writhed in a thin curtain over the swamp, stretching for miles beyond the soggy earthworks; through it came the sound every ear had listened to for days, a low, monotonous piping that seemed to ring from the ends of the earth. The Nahali, the six-foot, scarlet-eyed swamp-dwellers, whose touch was weapon enough, praying to their gods for rain. When it came, the hot, torrential downpour of southern Venus, the Nahali would burst in a scaly tide over the fort.Only a moat of charged water and four electro-cannons stood between the Legion and the horde. If those things failed, it meant two hundred lives burned out, the circle of protective forts broken, the fertile uplands plundered and laid waste. MacIan looked at Lehn's clean, university-bred young face, and wondered cynically if he was strong enough to do his job.Lehn spoke, so abruptly that the men started. "I'm calling for volunteers. A reconnaissance in Nahali territory; you know well enough what that means. Three men. Well?"Ian MacIan stepped forward, followed instantly by the Martian Thekla. Bhak the Titan hesitated, his queerly bright, blank eyes darting from Thekla to Lehn, and back to MacIan. Then he stepped up, his hairy face twisted in a sly grin.Lehn eyed them, his mouth hard with distaste under his fair mustache. Then he nodded, and said; "Report in an hour, light equipment." Turning to go, he added almost as an afterthought, "Report to my quarters, MacIan. Immediately."MacIan's bony Celtic face tightened and his blue eyes narrowed with wary distrust. But he followed Lehn, his gaunt, powerful body as ramrod-straight as the Venusian's own, and no eye that watched him go held any friendship.


Book Synopsis The Stellar Legion by : Leigh Brackett

Download or read book The Stellar Legion written by Leigh Brackett and published by eStar Books. This book was released on 2011-11-05 with total page 13 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: MacIan was a man with a secret, and it had followed him to Venus and the Legion, escape was impossible...ExcerptSilence was on the barracks like a lid clamped over tight-coiled springs. Men in rumpled uniforms-outlanders of the Stellar Legion, space-rats, the scrapings of the Solar System-sweated in the sullen heat of the Venusian swamplands before the rains. Sweated and listened.The metal door clanged open to admit Lehn, the young Venusian Commandant, and every man jerked tautly to his feet. Ian MacIan, the white-haired, space-burned Earthman, alone and hungrily poised for action; Thekla, the swart Martian low-canaler, grinning like a weasel beside Bhak, the hulking strangler from Titan. Every quick nervous glance was riveted on Lehn.The young officer stood silent in the open door, tugging at his fair mustache; to MacIan, watching, he was a trim, clean incongruity in this brutal wilderness of savagery and iron men. Behind him, the eternal mists writhed in a thin curtain over the swamp, stretching for miles beyond the soggy earthworks; through it came the sound every ear had listened to for days, a low, monotonous piping that seemed to ring from the ends of the earth. The Nahali, the six-foot, scarlet-eyed swamp-dwellers, whose touch was weapon enough, praying to their gods for rain. When it came, the hot, torrential downpour of southern Venus, the Nahali would burst in a scaly tide over the fort.Only a moat of charged water and four electro-cannons stood between the Legion and the horde. If those things failed, it meant two hundred lives burned out, the circle of protective forts broken, the fertile uplands plundered and laid waste. MacIan looked at Lehn's clean, university-bred young face, and wondered cynically if he was strong enough to do his job.Lehn spoke, so abruptly that the men started. "I'm calling for volunteers. A reconnaissance in Nahali territory; you know well enough what that means. Three men. Well?"Ian MacIan stepped forward, followed instantly by the Martian Thekla. Bhak the Titan hesitated, his queerly bright, blank eyes darting from Thekla to Lehn, and back to MacIan. Then he stepped up, his hairy face twisted in a sly grin.Lehn eyed them, his mouth hard with distaste under his fair mustache. Then he nodded, and said; "Report in an hour, light equipment." Turning to go, he added almost as an afterthought, "Report to my quarters, MacIan. Immediately."MacIan's bony Celtic face tightened and his blue eyes narrowed with wary distrust. But he followed Lehn, his gaunt, powerful body as ramrod-straight as the Venusian's own, and no eye that watched him go held any friendship.