Dec 21, 2009 13:28
Short Story
Number of words : 6000
Percent of complex words : 7.8
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 9.1
READABILITY INDICES
Fog : 6.8
Flesch : 76.9
Flesch-Kincaid : 4.8
: Outpost On Io - Leigh Brackett
CHARACTERS
Chris MacVickers
Terran Deep-space trader.
Loris
Venusian Guardsman.
Pendleton
Earthman, The Starfish.
Janu
Pendleton's Martian foreman.
Birek
Prisoner boss, starting to go jewel-like.
RACES
Europans
"His smooth black body had a dull sheen of red under the Jupiter-light. There was no back nor front to him, no face. Only the four long rubbery legs, the roundish body, and the tentacles in a waving crown above."
ORGANISATIONS
Venusian Guard
Military operation.
TECHNOLOGY
Jovium
Metal destroying mineral, probably a radioactive isotope.
PLACES
J-XI
Only other source of Jovium.
PLOT
MacVickers has been captured by the Jovians, and is put to work in a prison mine along with several other prisoners. They are either worked to death or die due to transformation caused by the mineral Jovium they are mining. Jovium allows the Jovians to destroy metal atomically from a distance, giving them a hard to combat superiority.
MacVickers isn't content with this lot, though, and would rather die fighting trying to escape, but has to overcome prison leader Birke first before he can lead a suicidal breakout attempt.
3.5 out of 5
leigh brackett,
short story,
solar system