TY  - BOOK
AU  - Baily,Peter
AU  - Schoenherr,John
TI  - Accidental Death
T2  - Produced from Astounding Science Fiction February 1959
AV  - PS 
PY  - 2008///
CY  - Salt Lake City, UT
PB  - Project Gutenberg
KW  - Science fiction
KW  - Short stories
KW  - Space flight -- Fiction
KW  - Luck -- Fiction
KW  - Human-alien encounters -- Fiction
N1  - Release date is 2008-02-04; Produced by Greg Weeks, Bruce Albrecht, Stephen Blundell
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net; Original publication data not identified
N2  - "Accidental Death" by Peter Baily is a science fiction novella published in the late 1950s. The story centers on aerospace exploration and the unforeseen dangers that come with it, reflecting the period's fascination with space travel and the unknown. The narrative delves into themes of luck and human error in the face of technological advancement.  The protagonist, Matt Hennessy, recounts his harrowing experience aboard the starship "Whale" during its first long jump to a distant star. Following a series of catastrophic errors, the crew finds themselves crashing back near Earth. Hennessy’s story unfolds through his recorded message after landing in the snowy wilderness, where he reflects on the crew's misfortunes and their encounters with a feline-like alien species known as the Chingsi. As he struggles to survive against the odds, he philosophizes about luck, chance, and the peculiarities of their tragic adventure. Ultimately, his survival raises questions about the nature of luck and the implications of their exploration, serving as a cautionary tale about the unpredictable outcomes of human endeavors in space. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
UR  - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24517
ER  -