Project Gutenberg 2020-05-09 Public domain in the USA. 141 Cummings, Ray 1887 1957 Cummings, Raymond King King, Ray Musacchia, John B. 1916 2004 Musacchia, J. B. Gods of Space Produced from Planet Stories Spring 1942 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Gods of Space" by Ray Cummings is a science fiction novel written during the early 20th century, reflecting the adventurous spirit of that time's burgeoning interest in interplanetary exploration. The story revolves around Roy Atwood, a young astronaut who embarks on a personal quest to the mysterious Planetoid-150 to retrieve a rare substance called Xarite, which is crucial for curing poliomyelitis on Earth. This journey leads him to encounter a strange world filled with bizarre vegetation, creatures, and the enigmatic Ah-li, a girl who believes herself to be a goddess. In the narrative, Atwood arrives on the planetoid and quickly discovers its unique environment, including a dark, purple-glowing forest and the presence of monstrous beings known as genes, which are tied to the fate of the local inhabitants, the Marlans. The story develops as Atwood interacts with Ah-li, who sees him as a fellow god. Together, they navigate the dangers of the planet, including an uprising by the Marlans influenced by jealousy and ambition. The climax features a struggle for power that pits Atwood against Bohr, a Marlan who seeks to take control. Ultimately, the tale culminates in their escape, securing the Xarite that holds the potential to save countless lives on Earth, while revealing a deeper connection between Atwood and Ah-li—she is actually Gloria Johns, the daughter of his father's colleague. The story blends themes of adventure, identity, and the moral implications of power, leaving readers to ponder the responsibilities that come with such roles. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 85.2 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Human-alien encounters -- Fiction Mines and mineral resources -- Fiction Asteroids -- Fiction Poliomyelitis -- Research -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Adventure 81077 2025-06-24T13:36:41.104440 text/html 57581 2024-10-18T03:16:05 text/html 295837 2025-06-24T13:36:42.995418 application/epub+zip 295539 2025-06-24T13:36:41.482455 application/epub+zip 86703 2025-06-24T13:36:41.268460 application/epub+zip 339461 2025-06-24T13:36:44.318417 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 330925 2025-06-24T13:36:42.793432 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 122246 2022-09-28T01:27:53.936167 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 73724 2023-09-26T12:06:04.964508 text/plain 53901 2024-10-18T03:16:05 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17385 2025-06-24T13:36:44.451412 application/rdf+xml 27005 2025-06-24T13:36:41.348445 image/jpeg 4571 2025-06-24T13:36:41.309415 image/jpeg 466013 2025-06-24T13:36:41.119449 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