Answer, please answer

audiobook

Answer, please answer

by Ben Bova

EN·~35 minutes

Chapters

Description

In the stark isolation of an Antarctic research dome, two drafted soldiers—one a former astronomer, the other a reluctant radio specialist—grapple with the biting cold and the weight of a secretive national emergency. Their days are a mix of routine maintenance, stale cigarettes, and uneasy conversation about the world beyond the ice, where the Pentagon believes the South Pole holds the key to controlling global weather.

Against a backdrop of howling winds and humming machinery, they debate the futility and hope of searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, trading technical jargon for personal doubts. As the endless winter stretches ahead, their uneasy camaraderie hints at deeper questions about duty, survival, and the thin line between scientific curiosity and military necessity. Listeners will be drawn into a tense, thought‑provoking slice of speculative fiction that balances hard‑science musings with the human need for connection in the most desolate place on Earth.

Details

Language

en

Duration

~35 minutes (33K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Original publisher

New York, NY: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, 1962.

Credits

Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Release date

2023-11-28

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

Ben Bova

Ben Bova

1932–2020

A major voice in modern science fiction, he wrote adventurous, idea-driven novels while also shaping the field as an influential editor. His work often blended space-age wonder with real scientific curiosity, which helped win him a wide, lasting readership.

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