The Game of Rat and Dragon

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Linebarger, Paul Myron Anthony, 1913-1966

Series:

Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction, October 1955.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"The Game of Rat and Dragon" by Cordwainer Smith is a science fiction short story written in the mid-20th century. The narrative explores a futuristic setting where telepaths, referred to as pinlighters, and their feline partners must combat mysterious and deadly entities known as Dragons. The story dives into themes of partnership, the connections between humans and their animal counterparts, and the struggles of humanity against malevolent forces in the depths of space. In this tale, the struggle against the Dragons is not only a physical battle but also a mental and emotional one, as shown through the experiences of the characters, particularly pinlighters like Underhill and his partner, the cat Lady May. They engage in a unique telepathic bond that enhances their combative abilities against the Dragons, which embody a terrifying existential threat. The story reflects on the strain this chaotic environment places on the pinlighters and sheds light on their relationships with their partners, illustrating the complexities of fear, camaraderie, and the contrasting perceptions of life between humans and animals. The narrative is both a thrilling science fiction adventure and a poignant exploration of partnership and sacrifice. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Adam Buchbinder, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Notes:

Reading ease score: 81.9 (6th grade). Easy to read.

Release date is 2009-08-05