Project Gutenberg
2016-03-15
Public domain in the USA.
6965
Leiber, Fritz
1910
1992
Leiber, Fritz Reuter
Emshwiller, Ed
1925
1990
Emsh
Emsh, Ed
Alexander, Ed
Emshwiller, Edmund A.
Willer
EMSH
A Pail of Air
Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction December 1951
Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pail_of_Air
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
"A Pail of Air" by Fritz Leiber is a science fiction short story written in the early 1950s. The narrative explores themes of survival and human resilience in a post-apocalyptic setting where Earth has been cast into eternal night by a dark star. The story focuses on a small family who struggles to maintain their existence in a frozen world devoid of life, constantly searching for resources like air to keep themselves alive. The plot unfolds through the perspective of a young boy living with his father, mother, and sister in a makeshift home known as the Nest. Their life is dominated by the harsh realities of their environment, as they must venture outside into the freezing darkness to gather air and other supplies. As the story progresses, the boy sees a mysterious light, which sparks fear and speculation among the family about what might still be lurking in their desolate world. Their fears are suddenly alleviated when they encounter other survivors from Los Alamos who have harnessed atomic energy for survival, leading to the promise of hope and a future beyond their isolated existence. The story beautifully captures the essence of human connection, courage, and the longing for life amid despair. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading ease score: 86.5 (6th grade). Easy to read.
en
Science fiction
Short stories
Survival -- Fiction
Families -- Fiction
PS
Text
Science Fiction
Category: Short Stories
Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
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