Project Gutenberg 2020-05-05 Public domain in the USA. 171 Long, Frank Belknap 1903 1994 The Mercurian Produced from Planet Stories Winter 1941 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Mercurian" by Frank Belknap Long is a science fiction novella written during the early 20th century. The story is set on Mercury, a harsh and unforgiving environment characterized by extreme heat and molten landscapes. It revolves around a group of miners working to extract uranium when an unexpected encounter with a living creature challenges their perceptions and survival. The narrative follows a young officer named Rawley, who is quickly thrown into the chaotic world of Mercury's mining operations. When the crew inadvertently captures a strange, amphibious creature resembling a frog, tensions rise among the miners, especially when the creature, later revealed to be a highly intelligent being, showcases its telepathic abilities. As the situation escalates, the crew finds themselves in peril as the creature's intentions become clear, leading to a gripping confrontation that tests their resourcefulness and humanity. The ending intertwines themes of scientific exploration with the complexity of human emotions, particularly through the romantic subplot between Rawley and Sylvia, the commander's niece, adding a personal dimension to the unfolding conflict. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 82.3 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Human-alien encounters -- Fiction Mercury (Planet) -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 52782 2025-07-24T13:42:24.154032 text/html 29109 2024-10-18T03:13:21 text/html 349460 2025-07-24T13:42:26.010087 application/epub+zip 348304 2025-07-24T13:42:24.549054 application/epub+zip 84745 2025-07-24T13:42:24.329020 application/epub+zip 383859 2025-07-24T13:42:27.231021 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 376173 2025-07-24T13:42:25.809014 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 112950 2022-09-28T01:15:02.816229 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 46260 2025-07-24T13:42:24.035064 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 26551 2024-10-18T03:13:21 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16860 2025-07-24T13:42:27.577028 application/rdf+xml 30776 2025-07-24T13:42:24.420031 image/jpeg 4812 2025-07-24T13:42:24.376037 image/jpeg 556199 2025-07-24T13:42:24.169028 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