Project Gutenberg 2021-02-12 Public domain in the USA. 97 Palmer, Lloyd Vestal, Herman B. 1916 2007 Vestal, H. B. (Herman B.) Vestal, Herman Beeson Beeson The Bloodhounds of Zirth Produced from Planet Stories May 1952 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Bloodhounds of Zirth" by Lloyd Palmer is a science fiction novel written during the early 1950s. The story revolves around the grim landscape of Zadda, a penal colony on the planet Zirth, where prisoners are closely monitored by telepathic guards and their mental "bloodhounds," the mertha. This book delves into themes of escape, mental anguish, and the nature of reality and identity in a world where minds are tracked instead of bodies. The plot follows Greg Purnell, a special investigator as he witnesses the aftermath of a prison escape by a convict known as 4W382ZT. As the chase unfolds, Purnell learns about the Zirthan's unique telepathic abilities, which allow them to pursue the fugitive through mental techniques rather than physical sight. The psychological tension escalates as the escaped prisoner struggles against the torment of the mertha, who haunt him telepathically and mentally break him down. Ultimately, the story culminates in a surreal twist when the escaped prisoner encounters an unexpected figure, leading to an eerie conclusion that merges elements of history with science fiction, challenging perceptions of identity and reality. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 84.2 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Prisons -- Fiction Life on other planets -- Fiction Escaped prisoners -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 43919 2025-06-25T11:33:42.830936 text/html 19861 2024-10-18T10:52:39 text/html 459697 2025-06-25T11:33:44.487986 application/epub+zip 458528 2025-06-25T11:33:43.232971 application/epub+zip 73934 2025-06-25T11:33:43.004993 application/epub+zip 492143 2025-06-25T11:33:45.609948 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 484968 2025-06-25T11:33:44.292942 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 100339 2022-09-29T05:20:58.290060 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 37650 2025-06-25T11:33:42.733931 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17807 2024-10-18T10:52:39 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17535 2025-06-25T11:33:45.735926 application/rdf+xml 34324 2025-06-25T11:33:43.106909 image/jpeg 5617 2025-06-25T11:33:43.054945 image/jpeg 452854 2025-06-25T11:33:42.847031 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