Project Gutenberg 2015-12-31 Public domain in the USA. 148 Doede, William R. 1918 Doede, Bill West A City Near Centaurus Produced from Galaxy Magazine October 1962 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "A City Near Centaurus" by William R. Doede is a science fiction novel written in the early 1960s. The story unfolds on a distant planet, Alpha Centaurus II, where the protagonist, an Earth archeologist named Michaelson, discovers an ancient city that holds secrets and artifacts from a long-lost civilization. The narrative explores themes of preservation, divinity, and the interplay between the past and human curiosity. The plot centers on Michaelson's insatiable quest for knowledge as he encounters a native named Maota, who acts as the guardian of the ancient city. Their interactions unveil a deep conflict between Michaelson's desire to study and preserve the city's history and Maota's belief in the sacredness of their ancestors' home, where spirits may still linger. As tensions arise, the story takes a turn when they both inadvertently become embroiled in a struggle for understanding, identity, and existence, leading to profound revelations about life, death, and the possibility of transcendence beyond physical forms. Ultimately, Michaelson's journey takes an unexpected twist, challenging his perception of self and the nature of reality. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 87.5 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Extraterrestrial beings -- Fiction Extinct cities -- Fiction Archaeologists -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 56868 2025-07-20T11:13:21.770281 text/html 33093 2024-10-22T23:40:13 text/html 224336 2025-07-20T11:13:23.543195 application/epub+zip 223159 2025-07-20T11:13:22.137183 application/epub+zip 81639 2025-07-20T11:13:21.935186 application/epub+zip 261108 2025-07-20T11:13:24.738149 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 254036 2025-07-20T11:13:23.344159 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 112753 2022-09-23T06:02:11.348842 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 49595 2025-07-20T11:13:21.645186 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 29829 2024-10-22T23:40:13 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17808 2025-07-20T11:13:24.922156 application/rdf+xml 31361 2025-07-20T11:13:22.007172 image/jpeg 4816 2025-07-20T11:13:21.970188 image/jpeg 202178 2025-07-20T11:13:21.781199 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