Project Gutenberg 2019-12-18 Public domain in the USA. 102 Lafferty, R. A. 1914 2002 Lafferty, Raphael Aloysius The Polite People of Pudibundia 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 "The Polite People of Pudibundia" by R. A. Lafferty is a science fiction novella written in the early 1960s. It presents a peculiar world where extreme politeness is not just a societal norm but a crucial aspect of the inhabitants’ existence, leading to a strange intertwining of manners and existential threats. The tale explores themes of civilization, curiosity, and the consequences of social conduct in a unique and imaginative setting. The story follows Marlow, a captain in the Solar Police Force who ventures to the planet Pudibundia to investigate the mysterious disappearance of pilots who have visited the polite inhabitants known as Puds. This planet requires its citizens to adhere to nuanced social etiquette that includes using different colored glasses to interact with others, reflecting their status and relationship. As Marlow navigates through a week of revelry and absurd politeness, he uncovers the dark truth behind the Puds’ society: direct eye contact is fatal, and the very manners that govern their interactions serve as a veil that conceals deadly truths. Ultimately, Marlow's insatiable curiosity leads to tragic consequences, stressing the balance between politeness and survival. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 85.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Detective and mystery stories Police -- Fiction Human-alien encounters -- Fiction Etiquette -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 45995 2025-06-24T08:55:00.016843 text/html 22074 2024-10-17T15:19:22 text/html 203170 2025-06-24T08:55:01.926857 application/epub+zip 201988 2025-06-24T08:55:00.436896 application/epub+zip 82686 2025-06-24T08:55:00.200858 application/epub+zip 236327 2025-06-24T08:55:03.268848 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 229051 2025-06-24T08:55:01.696830 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 110093 2022-09-27T14:33:53.912831 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 39313 2023-09-26T07:24:39.919769 text/plain 19372 2024-10-17T15:19:22 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17016 2025-06-24T08:55:03.408813 application/rdf+xml 29841 2025-06-24T08:55:00.294851 image/jpeg 4568 2025-06-24T08:55:00.246887 image/jpeg 391398 2025-06-24T08:55:00.029906 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