Project Gutenberg 2020-04-19 Public domain in the USA. 110 Winterbotham, R. R. (Russell Robert) 1904 1971 Winterbotham, Russell Robert Winterbotham, Russ Winterbotham, R.R. Lynch, Don (Artist) The Monster That Threatened the Universe Produced from Planet Stories Spring 1941 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Monster That Threatened the Universe" by R. R. Winterbotham is a science fiction novella published in the early 1940s. The narrative explores themes surrounding the nature of progress and individuality through the confrontation between humanity and a colossal, monstrous creature named Limio that inhabits a dying star in a black hole. As the story unfolds, it reflects on the implications of progress, competition, and existence within the universe. The book follows Marmaduke Karns, a man facing execution due to his act of individualism in a world where a mind-controlling gland extract has eradicated criminality and individuality. After being instructed to confront Limio, who threatens space navigation and absorbs life forms, Marmaduke embarks on a dangerous mission accompanied by Commander General Adstrom and his daughter, Sandra. Through a series of tense encounters and philosophical discussions with Limio, Karns realizes that the antidote to the extract he possesses represents not just survival, but a return to individuality and progress. As he introduces chaos into Limio's mind—turning the creature into multiple intelligences—he ultimately challenges the concept of progress, highlighting the importance of diversity and conflict in fostering it. The story concludes with a transformative effect on both the human race and Limio as they begin to navigate their existential growths and conflicts. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 77.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Extraterrestrial beings -- Fiction Criminals -- Fiction Human-alien encounters -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 55292 2025-07-24T12:43:24.107078 text/html 31368 2024-10-17T17:38:36 text/html 234416 2025-07-24T12:43:25.933048 application/epub+zip 233218 2025-07-24T12:43:24.520091 application/epub+zip 80220 2025-07-24T12:43:24.289073 application/epub+zip 271417 2025-07-24T12:43:27.213100 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 264122 2025-07-24T12:43:25.723104 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 111357 2022-09-27T23:08:19.379845 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 48225 2025-07-24T12:43:23.959130 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 28406 2024-10-17T17:38:36 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17592 2025-07-24T12:43:27.347050 application/rdf+xml 32953 2025-07-24T12:43:24.384079 image/jpeg 5292 2025-07-24T12:43:24.338051 image/jpeg 449423 2025-07-24T12:43:24.124086 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