Project Gutenberg 2009-10-28 Public domain in the USA. 141 Hernhuter, Albert 1934 Hernhunter, Albert Ahearne, Bert The Smiler Produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction July 1952. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "The Smiler" by Albert Hernhuter is a science fiction short story originally published in the early 1950s. The narrative unfolds in a tense and intriguing atmosphere, centered around the themes of infiltration, control, and the potential dangers of creative expression. It explores ideas about the power of imagination and its impact on society through the lens of an extraordinary premise involving Martians disguised as humans. The story revolves around Martin Cole, a literary agent who admits to killing a fellow writer, Sanford Smith, to protect a Martian conspiracy aimed at taking over Earth. During a coroner's inquest discussing Smith's death, Cole reveals that the Martians view science fiction writers as a significant threat due to their ability to disclose forbidden knowledge and undermine their plans. As the inquest progresses, it becomes apparent that Cole's seemingly controlled demeanor masks a chilling reality, leaving a haunting impression of how deeply their influence pervades society. The riveting conclusion sees Cole using a deadly weapon disguised as a common fountain pen, emphasizing the story's themes of hidden dangers and the subversive potential of fiction. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 78.5 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Extraterrestrial beings -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery Category: American Literature 32028 2025-07-12T11:31:26.698877 text/html 7978 2024-10-24T20:29:40 text/html 180634 2025-07-12T11:31:30.145873 application/epub+zip 178990 2025-07-12T11:31:28.201867 application/epub+zip 69684 2025-07-12T11:31:27.220875 application/epub+zip 251893 2025-07-12T11:31:31.615873 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 244833 2025-07-12T11:31:29.552879 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 105854 2022-09-14T05:51:33.307584 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 25678 2025-07-12T11:31:26.471912 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 5968 2024-10-24T20:29:40 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 25689 2021-01-05T19:37:36 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20863 2025-07-12T11:31:31.739850 application/rdf+xml 10920 2025-07-12T11:31:27.697905 image/jpeg 3072 2025-07-12T11:31:27.458872 image/jpeg 119679 2021-01-05T19:37:36 application/octet-stream application/zip 9655 2021-01-05T19:37:36 application/octet-stream application/zip 177273 2025-07-12T11:31:26.707909 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