
In a near‑future where women have abandoned the planet, Earth teeters on the brink of extinction, its birthrate at zero and its laws shaped by a female‑only society. Eddie Bowren, the first man to slip aboard a spacecraft bound for Mars, hides in a secret steel cubicle, knowing that the authorities would deem his stunt a crime worthy of the harshest punishment. To survive the brutal acceleration that no male body can normally endure, he must undergo a painful, experimental transformation that will temporarily turn him into a beast.
The story follows Bowren’s desperate calculations and the agonizing physical changes he endures as the ship blasts off. With each wave of pain, his analytical mind fades, leaving only primal instincts to guide him toward an uncertain fate. As the vessel speeds toward the Red Planet, listeners are drawn into a tense exploration of gender dynamics, survival, and the lengths one will go to reclaim a place in a world that has moved on without him.
Language
en
Duration
~46 minutes (44K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2010-06-20
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1918–1988
A prolific American pulp writer, he moved easily between science fiction, mystery, suspense, and early television. His stories often pair fast-moving plots with an interest in fear, pressure, and the strange corners of ordinary life.
View all books