000 02538cam a22003973u 4500
001 64515
003 UtSlPG
005 20260610134504.0
006 m
007 cr n
008 260607r2021||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d
040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aFennel, Erik
245 1 0 _aSynthetic Hero
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2021
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from Planet Stories Fall 1948
500 _aRelease date is 2021-02-10
508 _aGreg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"Synthetic Hero" by Erik Fennel is a science fiction novella written in the late 1940s. The narrative centers around George Carlin, a wealthy and egocentric industrialist who, facing a terminal illness known as Matson's Disease, devises a grandiose plan to become a hero by traveling to the moon. This story explores themes of ego, identity, and the nature of heroism against a backdrop of human ambition and technological advancement. The plot follows Carlin’s descent as he orchestrates a one-way trip to the moon, resulting in an accidental transformation into a public figure celebrated for discovering a potential cure for his disease. However, the true pioneer behind the mission, engineer Verne Harris, is unceremoniously ignored in the narrative, leading to tragic consequences. As Carlin drinks away his troubles, he eventually learns of Harris's sacrifice and the myth that replaces their shared reality, illustrating how society often elevates flawed individuals while the genuine heroes remain unrecognized or forgotten. Ultimately, Carlin’s journey is one of loss, redemption, and the harsh reality of how public perception can shape history, leaving him with the haunting truth of another man's overlooked legacy. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _nOriginal publication data not identified
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
653 _aImpostors and imposture -- Fiction
653 _aRich people -- Fiction
653 _aSpace flight to the moon -- Fiction
653 _aDiseases -- Fiction
700 1 _aVestal, Herman B.,
_d1916-2007
830 0 _aProduced from Planet Stories Fall 1948
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64515
999 _c105338
_d105338