The Beachcomber by Damon Knight

Read now or download (free!)

Choose how to read this book Url Size
Read online (web) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65956.html.images 47 kB
EPUB3 (E-readers incl. Send-to-Kindle) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65956.epub3.images 376 kB
EPUB (older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65956.epub.images 375 kB
EPUB (no images, older E-readers) https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65956.epub.noimages 77 kB
Kindle https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65956.kf8.images 410 kB
older Kindles https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65956.kindle.images 403 kB
Plain Text UTF-8 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65956.txt.utf-8 41 kB
Download HTML (zip) https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65956/pg65956-h.zip 994 kB
There may be more files related to this item.

About this eBook

Author Knight, Damon, 1922-2002
Illustrator Terry, W. E., 1921-1992
Title The Beachcomber
Note Reading ease score: 85.0 (6th grade). Easy to read.
Credits Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Summary "The Beachcomber" by Damon Knight is a science fiction short story first published in the early 1950s. The narrative revolves around the character of the Beachcomber, a man from the distant future who has traveled back to a primitive world. The story explores themes of loneliness, the clash of civilizations, and the existential burdens of advanced knowledge in a simpler society. The plot follows Maxwell and his companion Alice as they visit the planet Gamma Tauri IV, seeking adventure but soon encountering the Beachcomber, a towering figure who represents humanity's peak yet is trapped in a savage world. As Maxwell reveals the Beachcomber's identity and backstory, it becomes clear that he is a relic of a lost civilization, burdened by the reality of a life filled with unfulfilled potential and loneliness. Their interaction delves into the Beachcomber's painful history, detailing his sacrifice during a cataclysmic event that risked the annihilation of his universe. Ultimately, the story questions the nature of progress and the cost of survival across the vast expanses of time and space. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Language English
LoC Class PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Subject Science fiction
Subject Short stories
Subject Time travel -- Fiction
Category Text
EBook-No. 65956
Release Date
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 86 downloads in the last 30 days.
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!