Project Gutenberg 2016-02-24 Public domain in the USA. 129 Marlowe, Stephen 1928 2008 Lesser, Milton Thames, C. H. Ridgway, Jason Chase, Adam Wilder, Stephen Granger, Darius John Lesser, Milt Rosenbaum, Harry The Sense of Wonder Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction September 1951 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Sense of Wonder" by Milton Lesser is a science fiction novella written in the early 1950s. The story explores themes of human curiosity and the quest for understanding in a technologically controlled society. The narrative revolves around the protagonist, Rikud, who grapples with the meaning of change and existence aboard a spaceship, where the rhythm of life is dictated by machines, leaving him feeling isolated and confused. In "The Sense of Wonder," Rikud's life aboard the ship takes a turn as he begins to notice changes in the stars outside the viewport, leading him on a journey of self-discovery. He becomes increasingly aware of his surroundings and the limitations imposed by the machine-driven society. Through interactions with companions like Chuls and Crifer, Rikud grapples with his motivations, desires, and the nature of existence itself. As he delves deeper, he uncovers doors hinting at a world beyond his familiar confines, which ultimately leads him to make a bold choice. The climax of the story sees Rikud breaking free from the confines of the machinery, stepping into a vibrant garden, and discovering not only a new environment but also a sense of belonging and connection to others, including women, paving the way for a hopeful new beginning. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 84.6 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Space ships -- Fiction Interstellar travel -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Browsing: Literature Browsing: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Browsing: Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 61827 2025-06-20T14:47:22.561990 text/html 38150 2024-10-23T00:06:13 text/html 281659 2025-06-20T14:47:24.664043 application/epub+zip 280501 2025-06-20T14:47:22.999952 application/epub+zip 86814 2025-06-20T14:47:22.755016 application/epub+zip 319555 2025-06-20T14:47:26.100042 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 312177 2025-06-20T14:47:24.422993 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 118931 2022-09-23T11:00:24.229672 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 54401 2023-09-22T09:00:16.624080 text/plain 34656 2024-10-23T00:06:13 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17325 2025-06-20T14:47:26.250973 application/rdf+xml 25456 2025-06-20T14:47:22.834999 image/jpeg 4422 2025-06-20T14:47:22.794024 image/jpeg 254290 2025-06-20T14:47:22.579009 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