Project Gutenberg 2019-03-31 Public domain in the USA. 103 Ellis, Mike Willie's Planet Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, April 1955 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Willie's Planet" by Mike Ellis is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. Set in a future where space exploration is common, the story explores themes of isolation and the human yearning for connection with nature. The central topic revolves around the discovery of a sterile, Earth-like planet, and the choices faced by the crew regarding colonization and personal desires. The narrative follows a small crew aboard a spaceship, led by Captain Bart, as they discover a seemingly perfect yet lifeless planet abundant with ferns but devoid of animal life. The crew debates the possibility of colonization, but Willie, the navigator, longs for solitude and decides to stay behind to pursue his dream of farming in peace. Tensions escalate when Bart, frustrated with Willie’s deteriorating capabilities, threatens to report him for desertion, ultimately resulting in Willie getting accidentally shot in his attempt to escape. In his final moments, Willie expresses his belief that his presence could help bring life to the planet, symbolizing the merging of seed and soil. The story ends with Willie dying content, leaving the protagonist Tom to reflect on the significance of Willie's sacrifice for a new beginning on Willie's Planet. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 94.0 (5th grade). Very easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Outer space -- Exploration -- Fiction Extrasolar planets -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 63190 2025-06-23T13:38:17.847254 text/html 59806 2019-03-31T10:07:20 text/html 319856 2025-06-23T13:38:19.901277 application/epub+zip 318704 2025-06-23T13:38:18.270314 application/epub+zip 81168 2025-06-23T13:38:18.025278 application/epub+zip 358674 2025-06-23T13:38:21.282224 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 351204 2025-06-23T13:38:19.677234 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 113957 2022-09-26T21:05:46.929319 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 56280 2025-06-23T13:38:17.711270 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 56532 2019-03-31T10:07:20 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18973 2025-06-23T13:38:21.419229 application/rdf+xml 21611 2025-06-23T13:38:18.113273 image/jpeg 4083 2025-06-23T13:38:18.069284 image/jpeg 429045 2019-03-31T10:07:20 application/octet-stream application/zip 21504 2019-03-31T10:07:20 application/octet-stream application/zip 430612 2025-06-23T13:38:17.862255 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