02482cam a22003853u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000300011324500190014326400510016230000470021333600260026033700260028633800360031249000450034850000310039350800960042452012470052053400450176765300200181265300180183265300390185065300270188965300380191665300200195470000340197483000450200885600430205364596UtSlPG20260610134505.0mcr n260607r2021||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aKnight, Damon,d1922-200214aThe Star Beast 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2021  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from Planet Stories Spring 1949  aRelease date is 2021-02-19  aGreg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net  a"The Star Beast" by Damon Knight is a science fiction novel written in the mid-20th century, specifically in the years following World War II. The story revolves around an alien creature named Oscar and explores themes of communication, identity, and the consequences of advanced science. It highlights the complexities and misunderstandings that can arise when different forms of intelligence and perception interact.  The plot begins with the murder of Professor Thomasson aboard a spaceship called the "President Marcus". Security agents Philip Horitz and his team must unravel the mystery of the murder while racing against time to recover the Thomasson Equations, essential for faster-than-light travel. Oscar, the tentacle-headed alien, is the only witness to the crime but communicates in a way that is foreign to human understanding. As they navigate a lineup of suspects, tensions rise among the ship's crew and passengers, but the true twist reveals that Oscar's perception may be more complex than anyone could imagine. Ultimately, the story challenges preconceived notions about intelligence and life, culminating in a shocking realization that blurs the lines between friend and foe. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aScience fiction  aShort stories  aMurder -- Investigation -- Fiction  aSpace ships -- Fiction  aHuman-alien encounters -- Fiction  aMystery fiction1 aVestal, Herman B.,d1916-2007 0aProduced from Planet Stories Spring 194940uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64596