Project Gutenberg
2024-07-31
Public domain in the USA.
124
Hunter, Mel
1927
2004
Hunter
Or Darwin, if you prefer
$aNew York, NY :$bKing-Size Publications, Inc., $c1954.
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
"Or Darwin, if you prefer" by Mel Hunter is a science fiction story written in the mid-20th century, specifically the 1950s. The book explores themes of dissatisfaction with contemporary life, the quest for meaning, and the intersection of different realities through the lens of time travel. It follows the surreal journey of Mr. Harbinger, who, amid existential crisis, encounters a disembodied mouth and eyes in his mundane living space. The story begins with Mr. Harbinger resigning from his tedious job and reflecting on his monotonous life, until he discovers a mouth and eyes appearing on his wall. These disembodied beings engage him in conversation about their shared boredom and longing for excitement and meaning. As their odd friendship grows, they discuss the possibility of Mr. Harbinger (who also takes on the name "Darwin") venturing into the future with the help of the mouth, named Jones, who operates a Time Mechanism. Their plans turn awry due to a technical glitch, causing them to be stranded in the unpredictable realm of Variable Time. The tale closes with Mr. Harbinger and Jones adrift in time, hinting at their continuous search for fulfillment beyond the mundane constraints of their realities. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
20240310125007hunter
1954
US
Reading ease score: 69.0 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
en
Science fiction
Short stories
Time travel -- Fiction
PS
Text
Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
48272
2025-06-29T09:28:18.607831
text/html
23892
2024-07-31T15:08:54
text/html
248548
2025-06-29T09:28:22.030831
application/epub+zip
247332
2025-06-29T09:28:20.239845
application/epub+zip
247332
2025-06-29T09:28:19.204859
application/epub+zip
1056508
2025-06-29T09:28:23.266776
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
1049247
2025-06-29T09:28:21.421814
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
41311
2025-06-29T09:28:18.472821
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
21496
2024-07-31T15:08:54
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
16074
2025-06-29T09:28:23.385855
application/rdf+xml
26830
2025-06-29T09:28:19.696844
image/jpeg
4504
2025-06-29T09:28:19.447835
image/jpeg
3375631
2025-06-29T09:28:18.636859
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