Project Gutenberg 2008-03-09 Public domain in the USA. 82 Maddren, Gerry The Alternate Plan Produced from Amazing Science Fiction Stories September 1958. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "The Alternate Plan" by Gerry Maddren is a science fiction short story published in the late 1950s. The narrative explores themes of consciousness and identity through the experience of Bart Neely, a man facing serious surgery for cancer of the larynx. The story delves into Bart's determination to retain his identity and voice, highlighting the struggle between the physical and mental aspects of human existence. The plot follows Bart Neely as he prepares for surgery, wrestling with the implications of losing his voice. He passionately argues that he prefers to be conscious during the operation and harbors a powerful desire to survive without losing his ability to communicate. As he undergoes the surgery, he mentally envisions an alternate plan to escape bodily confines and reach a new state of existence. Ultimately, he finds himself in a limbo where he must confront an entity that challenges his understanding of communication and identity. Bart's journey unveils profound reflections on the nature of communication beyond mere words, leading to a dramatic struggle for survival as he attempts to re-enter his own body amidst an existential crisis. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 78.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Short stories Science fiction, American PS Text Science Fiction Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 37649 2025-07-10T08:55:18.577439 text/html 33575 2021-01-03T09:48:14 text/html 75673 2025-07-10T08:55:22.099441 application/epub+zip 74444 2025-07-10T08:55:20.049444 application/epub+zip 74444 2025-07-10T08:55:19.082469 application/epub+zip 159426 2025-07-10T08:55:23.531411 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 152874 2025-07-10T08:55:21.407448 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 127241 2022-09-11T11:59:45.584533 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 31842 2025-07-10T08:55:18.359450 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 31717 2021-01-03T09:48:14 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19156 2025-07-10T08:55:23.650432 application/rdf+xml 12202 2025-07-10T08:55:19.567453 image/jpeg 3274 2025-07-10T08:55:19.327438 image/jpeg 13507 2021-01-03T09:48:14 application/octet-stream application/zip 12476 2021-01-03T09:48:14 application/octet-stream application/zip 73416 2025-07-10T08:55:18.582444 application/octet-stream application/zip 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