Project Gutenberg 2021-02-10 Public domain in the USA. 111 Fennel, Erik Fennel, Erick Vestal, Herman B. 1916 2007 Vestal, H. B. (Herman B.) Vestal, Herman Beeson Beeson Synthetic Hero Produced from Planet Stories Fall 1948 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Synthetic Hero" by Erik Fennel is a science fiction novella written in the late 1940s. The narrative centers around George Carlin, a wealthy and egocentric industrialist who, facing a terminal illness known as Matson's Disease, devises a grandiose plan to become a hero by traveling to the moon. This story explores themes of ego, identity, and the nature of heroism against a backdrop of human ambition and technological advancement. The plot follows Carlin’s descent as he orchestrates a one-way trip to the moon, resulting in an accidental transformation into a public figure celebrated for discovering a potential cure for his disease. However, the true pioneer behind the mission, engineer Verne Harris, is unceremoniously ignored in the narrative, leading to tragic consequences. As Carlin drinks away his troubles, he eventually learns of Harris's sacrifice and the myth that replaces their shared reality, illustrating how society often elevates flawed individuals while the genuine heroes remain unrecognized or forgotten. Ultimately, Carlin’s journey is one of loss, redemption, and the harsh reality of how public perception can shape history, leaving him with the haunting truth of another man's overlooked legacy. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 64.0 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Science fiction Short stories Impostors and imposture -- Fiction Rich people -- Fiction Space flight to the moon -- Fiction Diseases -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 48384 2025-06-25T11:31:30.549016 text/html 24362 2024-10-18T10:51:03 text/html 527236 2025-06-25T11:31:32.370108 application/epub+zip 526054 2025-06-25T11:31:30.994109 application/epub+zip 83112 2025-06-25T11:31:30.745013 application/epub+zip 562429 2025-06-25T11:31:33.722059 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 554928 2025-06-25T11:31:32.163051 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 112127 2022-09-29T05:16:40.912958 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 41879 2025-06-25T11:31:30.403038 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 22077 2024-10-18T10:51:03 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17690 2025-06-25T11:31:33.861028 application/rdf+xml 31752 2025-06-25T11:31:30.857034 image/jpeg 5424 2025-06-25T11:31:30.803015 image/jpeg 460733 2025-06-25T11:31:30.567063 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