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001 24275
003 UtSlPG
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006 m
007 cr n
008 260607r2008||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d
040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aNourse, Alan Edward,
_d1928-1992
245 1 0 _aLetter of the Law
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2008
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from "Tiger by the Tail and Other Science Fiction Stories by Alan E. Nourse" and was first published in If Magazine January 1954.
500 _aRelease date is 2008-01-14
508 _aProduced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"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.)
534 _nOriginal publication data not identified
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
653 _aLegal stories
830 0 _aProduced from "Tiger by the Tail and Other Science Fiction Stories by Alan E. Nourse" and was first published in If Magazine January 1954.
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24275
999 _c65276
_d65276