02684cam a22003493u 4500 24275 UtSlPG 20260610133545.0 m cr n 260607r2008||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PS Nourse, Alan Edward, 1928-1992 Letter of the Law Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2008 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Produced from "Tiger by the Tail and Other Science Fiction Stories by Alan E. Nourse" and was first published in If Magazine January 1954. Release date is 2008-01-14 Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "Letter of the Law" by Alan Edward Nourse is a science fiction short story likely written in the early to mid-20th century. The narrative centers around themes of justice, deception, and cultural misunderstanding as it explores the complexities of interplanetary legal systems and the consequences of actions taken by individuals unacquainted with alien customs. It delves into the interaction between humans and the Altairians, shedding light on the societal norms that dictate the nature of truth and law for the inhabitants of Altair I. The story follows Paul Meyerhoff, who is tasked with dealing with Harry Zeckler, a con artist who has been imprisoned for defrauding the native Altairians by selling the same piece of land to multiple buyers. As Meyerhoff attempts to navigate the bizarre legal proceedings in the alien court, he realizes that the Altairian legal system is built on a culture where truth is convoluted, and lying is a survival tactic. As the trial unfolds with ludicrous accusations against Zeckler, he concocts a dramatic defense based on the paradox of being a liar, turning the courtroom chaos to his favor. Ultimately, his ploy not only secures his own release but also complicates future relations between Earth and Altair, leaving Meyerhoff with the burden of managing the fallout from Zeckler's actions. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Original publication data not identified Science fiction Short stories Legal stories Produced from "Tiger by the Tail and Other Science Fiction Stories by Alan E. Nourse" and was first published in If Magazine January 1954. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24275 65276 65276