Project Gutenberg
2016-03-01
Public domain in the USA.
146
Neville, Kris
1925
1980
Neville, Kris Ottman
Rogers, Karl
Fresh Air Fiend
Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction February 1952
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
"Fresh Air Fiend" by Kris Neville is a science fiction novella written during the early 1950s. The narrative explores themes of isolation, survival, and the human condition amidst the vastness of space. The story revolves around a man suffering from a debilitating disease on a distant satellite, where the harsh and indifferent environment significantly impacts his life and relationships. The plot centers on the protagonist, who is incapacitated by liguna fever and relies on a native woman named Hertha for care. As he grapples with his deteriorating health and feelings of despair, he learns that Hertha is not only essential for his survival but also embodies the complexities of human connection in a desolate world. He tasks her with the critical mission of collecting plants from outside their hut, as they are necessary for purifying the air that sustains them. Through this dynamic, the story delves into themes of dependency, the struggle for agency, and the nature of love in a place where survival seems increasingly futile. The protagonist's reflections on civilization's call and his existential fears serve as poignant undercurrents to their fragile coexistence. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading ease score: 84.0 (6th grade). Easy to read.
en
Science fiction
Short stories
Sick -- Fiction
Caregivers -- Fiction
PS
Text
Science Fiction
Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
53725
2025-07-20T13:29:46.785830
text/html
30050
2024-10-23T00:07:18
text/html
212121
2025-07-20T13:29:48.519842
application/epub+zip
210968
2025-07-20T13:29:47.153839
application/epub+zip
82554
2025-07-20T13:29:46.951818
application/epub+zip
249224
2025-07-20T13:29:49.707836
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
242178
2025-07-20T13:29:48.319902
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
111446
2022-09-23T11:17:59.902303
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
46131
2025-07-20T13:29:46.662834
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
26386
2024-10-23T00:07:18
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
17921
2025-07-20T13:29:49.834804
application/rdf+xml
25758
2025-07-20T13:29:47.020828
image/jpeg
4341
2025-07-20T13:29:46.985814
image/jpeg
191098
2025-07-20T13:29:46.796836
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