Project Gutenberg 2019-12-13 Public domain in the USA. 96 Stecher, L. J., Jr. 1918 1988 Stecher, Lewis J., Jr. Stecher, L. J. Wesley, Joseph Ritter, Bob A Matter of Taste Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, January 1961 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "A Matter of Taste" by Jr. L. J. Stecher is a science fiction short story written in the early 1960s. The narrative unfolds in a futuristic setting where space exploration and trading with alien civilizations are commonplace. The story likely revolves around the complex interactions between humans and extraterrestrial beings, focusing on themes of mind control and survival in the face of unprecedented challenges. The plot centers on Mark Atkinson, a claims adjuster from Interstellar Insurance, who is dispatched to the icy planet of Sunder's Pride to investigate the mysterious disappearances of crew members due to alien interference. As tensions mount, the expedition's leader, Obadiah Jones, reveals that the aliens have been abducting humans for their own purposes, leaving the team in a precarious situation. Atkinson employs unconventional strategies, relying on his inherent technological advantages rather than succumbing to the aliens' mind control tactics. Ultimately, through clever use of his unique adaptations and understanding of human strengths, Atkinson negotiates a resolution that preserves human lives while ensuring continued trade with the aliens, encapsulating the story's exploration of the balance between technology and emotion in the face of danger. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 81.6 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Human-alien encounters -- Fiction Space colonies -- Fiction Psychic ability -- Fiction Insurance adjusters -- Fiction PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 73753 2025-07-24T08:35:33.289294 text/html 50040 2024-10-17T15:16:30 text/html 302549 2025-07-24T08:35:35.311255 application/epub+zip 301379 2025-07-24T08:35:33.686333 application/epub+zip 93753 2025-07-24T08:35:33.455261 application/epub+zip 341795 2025-07-24T08:35:36.776287 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 334339 2025-07-24T08:35:35.096262 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 126991 2022-09-27T14:19:11.156629 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 66830 2025-07-24T08:35:33.161292 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 47072 2024-10-17T15:16:30 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17666 2025-07-24T08:35:36.927253 application/rdf+xml 29841 2025-07-24T08:35:33.546303 image/jpeg 4568 2025-07-24T08:35:33.499268 image/jpeg 469153 2025-07-24T08:35:33.304261 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