Project Gutenberg 2023-02-27 Public domain in the USA. 130 Williams, Jay 1914 1978 Delving, Michael Freas, Kelly 1922 2005 Freas, Frank Kelly Beast of prey $aUnited States :$bStreet & Smith Publications, Inc., $c1957. Produced from Astounding Science Fiction August 1957 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Beast of Prey" by Jay Williams is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. Set in a distant future on a strange planet, the narrative revolves around a team of scientists conducting an ecological survey who encounter a lethal predator that seems to attack its victims through a mysterious mental paralysis. This story explores themes of survival, nature, and the potential for intelligent life in unexpected forms. The plot follows the main character, Fenner, as he and his fellow researchers face a series of unexplained attacks leading to the incapacitation of their team members. Amid growing tension and fear, Fenner becomes determined to discover the nature of the lurking threat. Ultimately, he encounters an unusual creature—initially thought to be dangerous—that turns out to have the ability to nullify the effects of the predatory flowers causing the mental paralysis. Through this experience, Fenner realizes that the creature harbors an intelligent and protective instinct, suggesting a deeper evolutionary relationship between it and the flora of the planet. The story concludes with Fenner recognizing the creature’s capability for compassion, hinting at the complexities of interspecies connections in an alien ecosystem. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20221202105721williams 1957 US Reading ease score: 83.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Human-alien encounters -- Fiction Life on other planets -- Fiction Outer space -- Exploration -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 51076 2025-07-27T14:56:48.802611 text/html 50039 2023-02-27T13:18:46 text/html 574902 2025-07-27T14:56:52.207634 application/epub+zip 573678 2025-07-27T14:56:50.266641 application/epub+zip 235584 2025-07-27T14:56:49.377626 application/epub+zip 1443313 2025-07-27T14:56:53.569609 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1435885 2025-07-27T14:56:51.571597 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 43586 2025-07-27T14:56:48.626651 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 43297 2023-02-27T13:18:46 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19264 2025-07-27T14:56:53.761598 application/rdf+xml 27189 2025-07-27T14:56:49.762609 image/jpeg 4361 2025-07-27T14:56:49.570588 image/jpeg 17041 2023-02-27T13:18:47 application/octet-stream application/zip 2479836 2023-02-27T13:18:47 application/octet-stream application/zip 2482475 2025-07-27T14:56:48.836613 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 en.wikipedia