The Carnivore

audiobook

The Carnivore

by Katherine MacLean

EN·~12 minutes·1 chapter

Chapters

1 total
1

By G. A. MORRIS

12:23

Description

A lone survivor awakens in a dim hospital room to find a strange delegation of extraterrestrials gathered around his bed. Their sleek suits and glass‑like helmets give them the appearance of a cosmic masquerade, each creature a blend of feathers, fur, and alien anatomy. The visitors speak in soft, filtered tones, their polite gestures hinting at a civilization far beyond humanity’s own. As the last human left on a world blanketed in radioactive dust, he becomes the reluctant representative of a species that has already vanished.

Caught between grief for his lost companion and a desperate need for answers, he presses the visitors about why they arrived too late. Their uneasy glances and hesitant replies reveal a fragile mix of fear, bureaucracy, and perhaps a hidden secret. The narrative unfolds as a tense, introspective dialogue, exploring what it means to confront an indifferent universe while clinging to the hope that understanding might still be possible.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~12 minutes (11K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

Release date

2009-09-20

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

Katherine MacLean

Katherine MacLean

1925–2019

A sharp, thoughtful voice in mid-century science fiction, this American writer became known for stories that explored how new technology reshapes everyday life. Her work combined big ideas with a human touch, and later earned major honors in the field.

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