Project Gutenberg 2021-01-18 Public domain in the USA. 171 McDowell, Robert Emmett 1914 1975 McDowell, Emmett Napoli, Vincent 1907 1981 Napoli, James Vincent Black Silence Produced from Planet Stories Fall 1947 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Black Silence" by Robert Emmett McDowell is a science fiction novel written in the mid-20th century. The story follows the crew of the spaceship "Argus", as they return from a disappointing two-year expedition to Mars, only to find Earth struck by a mysterious plague that has rendered civilization lifeless. The central character, Matt Magoffin, grapples not only with the haunting silence of the planet they once called home but also with the challenging dynamics developing among his crewmates in a world turned alien and dangerous. The opening of the narrative introduces readers to the crew's excitement for their return to Earth, abruptly shattered by a chilling broadcast announcing a devastating plague spreading uncontrollably. As they attempt to contact Earth to understand what's happened, a palpable tension builds within the crew, culminating in their descent into a desolate and dark world. Upon landing, they discover the grim reality of their situation: abandoned towns, eerie silence, and troubling signs of a societal collapse. The immediate horrors escalate as encounters with wild animals and unforeseen dangers unfold, setting the stage for Matt's intense struggle for survival and leadership amid chaos. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 87.1 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Space travelers -- Fiction Epidemics -- Fiction Earth (Planet) -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 154245 2025-07-25T11:27:14.688264 text/html 132490 2024-10-18T09:51:28 text/html 703848 2025-07-25T11:27:17.885289 application/epub+zip 706317 2025-07-25T11:27:15.233333 application/epub+zip 126071 2025-07-25T11:27:14.929296 application/epub+zip 769376 2025-07-25T11:27:19.875260 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 761096 2025-07-25T11:27:17.583290 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 181291 2022-09-28T23:10:02.124543 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 143458 2025-07-25T11:27:14.129302 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 123652 2024-10-18T09:51:28 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17223 2025-07-25T11:27:20.015242 application/rdf+xml 27785 2025-07-25T11:27:15.041308 image/jpeg 4913 2025-07-25T11:27:14.984286 image/jpeg 700604 2025-07-25T11:27:14.713292 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