Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog Project Gutenberg 2008-01-14 Public domain in the USA. 402 Nourse, Alan Edward 1928 1992 Edwards, Al Nourse, Alan E. (Alan Edward) The Native Soil Produced from "Tiger by the Tail and Other Science Fiction Stories by Alan E. Nourse" and was first published in Fantastic Universe July 1957. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "The Native Soil" by Alan Edward Nourse is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. Set on Venus, the narrative examines the challenges faced by a corporation, Piper Pharmaceuticals, Inc., as it attempts to exploit the planet’s unique and mysterious resources. The central theme revolves around the misunderstandings and mishaps that arise between human colonizers and the native Venusian inhabitants while uncovering the true potential of the planet's mud. In the story, Robert Kielland, a special investigator for Piper Pharmaceuticals, arrives on Venus to evaluate a struggling research installation that has encountered unexpected difficulties in extracting valuable resources from the planet's lush and clinging mud. The Venusian natives, known for their playful and seemingly unintelligent nature, are initially viewed by the Earthmen as a hindrance to their objectives. However, as Kielland navigates through the series of logistical failures and absurd incidents involving the natives and their unique knowledge of the environment, he gradually realizes that the Mud-pups are not as simple as they appear. The narrative culminates in a revelation about the natives' actual intelligence and their connection to the very resources the humans seek, leading to a reconsideration of the exploitation strategy in favor of a more mutually beneficial arrangement. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 74.5 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Human-alien encounters -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 69231 2025-08-10T06:47:18.441255 text/html 65700 2021-01-03T06:43:05 text/html 98934 2025-08-10T06:47:23.096218 application/epub+zip 98262 2025-08-10T06:47:20.922205 application/epub+zip 81925 2025-08-10T06:47:19.903240 application/epub+zip 201818 2025-08-10T06:47:24.711218 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 195084 2025-08-10T06:47:22.496244 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 169608 2022-09-11T09:14:01.844332 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 62670 2025-08-10T06:47:18.196240 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 62552 2021-01-03T06:43:05 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19134 2025-08-10T06:47:24.835193 application/rdf+xml 14190 2025-08-10T06:47:20.389232 image/jpeg 3632 2025-08-10T06:47:20.145254 image/jpeg 25628 2021-01-03T06:43:05 application/octet-stream application/zip 24537 2021-01-03T06:43:05 application/octet-stream application/zip 99328 2025-08-10T06:47:18.448244 application/octet-stream application/zip en.wikipedia