
Part 1
A sleek starship glides toward a bright, double‑sun planet where fields of alien corn sway under twin golden lights. The crew, Ned and Cynthia Jackson, are on a ten‑yearly inspection mission, returning to the modest farming settlement that first welcomed Earth’s pioneers a century ago. As they descend, memories of the cheerful Sweeney family and their simple, hard‑working life stir both nostalgia and curiosity.
The narrative balances the routine responsibilities of the Central Colonization Bureau with the personal wonder of stepping onto a world that feels both foreign and oddly familiar. Lush valleys, violet‑rimmed hills, and white plastic cottages hint at a society that has blended Earth technology with the planet’s natural bounty. Listeners will be drawn into the gentle tension between the colonists’ hope for progress and the subtle undercurrents that suggest not everything on this idyllic world is as stable as it seems.
Language
en
Duration
~23 minutes (22K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
Dec 5, 2020
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1903–1994
A lifelong New Yorker who wrote across horror, fantasy, and science fiction, he became especially remembered for eerie, imaginative tales tied to H. P. Lovecraft’s circle. His career stretched for decades, from pulp magazines to later novels and memoir-like reflections on the genre.
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by Frank Belknap Long

by Frank Belknap Long

by Frank Belknap Long

by Frank Belknap Long

by Frank Belknap Long

by Frank Belknap Long

by Frank Belknap Long

by Frank Belknap Long