Project Gutenberg 2021-01-16 Public domain in the USA. 133 Holden, Fox B. 1923 Vestal, Herman B. 1916 2007 Vestal, H. B. (Herman B.) Vestal, Herman Beeson Beeson Beyond the X Ecliptic Produced from Planet Stories November 1953 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Beyond the X Ecliptic" by Fox B. Holden is a science fiction novel written in the early 1950s. The story is set in a future where Earth has succumbed to despair, and the protagonist, Cragin, a seasoned space pilot, ventures beyond the mysterious Barrier into a realm that complicates scientific understanding. The book explores themes of humanity's quest for meaning and control in an indifferent universe, particularly through the narrative of Cragin's encounters with an enigmatic race known as "The Owners." The plot follows Randolph Cragin as he embarks on a perilous mission through Deep Space, where he encounters Lin Griffin, the daughter of a great scientist. Lin reveals that her father discovered a machine-planet with the ability to control celestial bodies, but was killed by The Owners, who rule the universe with absolute power. As Cragin and Lin navigate this perilous landscape, they grapple with profound philosophical questions about existence, purpose, and the consequences of wielding such immense control. Ultimately, Lin seeks to destroy the machine-planet to free humanity from the constraints imposed by The Owners, leading to a climactic confrontation between the forces of control and the yearning for autonomy. Through these characters' journeys, the novel examines the dichotomy between scientific mastery and the fundamental truths that transcend human understanding. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 83.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Adventure stories PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 112879 2025-06-25T10:30:42.058408 text/html 90395 2024-10-18T09:50:01 text/html 495628 2025-06-25T10:30:44.541377 application/epub+zip 496328 2025-06-25T10:30:42.555434 application/epub+zip 100507 2025-06-25T10:30:42.284366 application/epub+zip 546991 2025-06-25T10:30:46.278354 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 538857 2025-06-25T10:30:44.308366 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 143281 2022-09-28T23:05:26.510807 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 104869 2025-06-25T10:30:41.874364 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 85038 2024-10-18T09:50:01 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17079 2025-06-25T10:30:46.409319 application/rdf+xml 30404 2025-06-25T10:30:42.395380 image/jpeg 5054 2025-06-25T10:30:42.340334 image/jpeg 476214 2025-06-25T10:30:42.087418 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