Project Gutenberg 2009-06-19 Public domain in the USA. 202 Miller, Walter M. 1923 1996 Miller, Walter Michael Miller, W. M. (Walter M.) The Hoofer Produced from Fantastic Universe September 1955. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Hoofer" by Walter M. Miller is a science fiction novel written in the mid-20th century. The book explores the emotional and psychological struggles faced by a space rover as he returns to Earth after a long absence, grappling with the changes in his personal life and the impact of his experiences in space. The narrative delves into themes of identity, family, and the human condition, blending elements of science fiction with deeply human storytelling. The story follows Big Hogey Parker, a space rover who struggles to readjust to life on Earth after nine months away. His return is marred by the effects of his time in space, leaving him physically and mentally unsteady. As he makes his way home, Hogey is plagued by anxiety about his family and the circumstances he will face, particularly concerning his wife, Marie, and their child. Ultimately, the narrative leads to a moment of crisis when Hogey finds himself trapped in concrete, both literally and metaphorically, as he confronts the reality of his life choices and his relationships. The story poignantly captures the conflict between ambition and responsibility, embodying the turmoil of a man caught between the allure of space and the demands of family life. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 85.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Science Fiction Browsing: Literature Browsing: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Browsing: Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 49324 2025-06-12T07:12:31.052206 text/html 45528 2009-06-19T14:23:26 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 17905 2009-06-19T14:23:26 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 72979 2025-06-12T07:12:34.950074 application/epub+zip 71792 2025-06-12T07:12:32.729101 application/epub+zip 71792 2025-06-12T07:12:31.635122 application/epub+zip 133789 2025-06-12T07:12:36.633115 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 126256 2025-06-12T07:12:34.357093 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 98409 2022-09-13T13:53:37.131349 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 42933 2025-06-12T07:12:30.787118 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 42843 2009-06-19T14:23:26 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16814 2009-06-19T14:23:26 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 19253 2025-06-12T07:12:36.775066 application/rdf+xml 9257 2025-06-12T07:12:32.195094 image/jpeg 2726 2025-06-12T07:12:31.916117 image/jpeg 69462 2025-06-12T07:12:31.059122 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 en.wikipedia