02279cam a22003613u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000350011324500140014826400510016230000470021333600260026033700260028633800360031249000580034850000310040650801140043752010970055153400450164865300200169365300180171365300390173170000290177083000580179985600430185799900170190031665UtSlPG20260610133725.0mcr n260607r2010||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aFritch, Charles E.,d1927-201210aSkin Game 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2010  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from If: Worlds of Science Fiction May 1954.  aRelease date is 2010-03-16  aProduced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net  a"Skin Game" by Charles E. Fritch is a science fiction novel likely written in the early to mid-1950s. The story revolves around a con-artist duo, Harding and Sheckly, who engage in schemes to swindle the alien inhabitants of outer planets. The narrative explores themes of deception and cultural misunderstanding in a setting far removed from Earth.  The plot follows Harding and Sheckly as they arrive on a planet inhabited by humanoid lizard creatures. Despite Sheckly's unease about their intentions, Harding is confident they can easily exploit the locals. However, their plans take a dark turn when they discover that the lizard aliens intend to "help" them shed their skins literally, as they have misunderstood the nature of the human con. Sheckly's desperate attempts to escape highlight the tension between their criminal intentions and the horrifying realization of their imminent fate. The story culminates with a twist, leaving readers questioning the true nature of deception and survival in a world where roles can suddenly reverse. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aScience fiction  aShort stories  aSwindlers and swindling -- Fiction1 aFreas, Kelly,d1922-2005 0aProduced from If: Worlds of Science Fiction May 1954.40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31665  c72511d72511