Alpha Centauri Or Die! - Leigh Brackett

Novel

Number of words : 40000
Percent of complex words : 7.0
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 11.0


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 7.2059
Flesch : 76.7072
Flesch-Kincaid : 5.2864

: Alpha Centauri Or Die - Leigh Brackett


SETTING

Kahora

Martian Trade City.

Alpha Centauri

Destination for those not liking the restrictions



CHARACTERS

Phil Kirby

A widower, now with a Martian. Head escapee.

Wilson

Sally's husband and Kirby's co-conspirator.

Harry March

Brother-in-law of Kirby, Divisional superintendent and his boss. A government man.

Shari

Kirby's partner, she is Martian. Minor telepath.

Hockley

Fellow escapee.

Pop Barstow

Fellow escapee, experienced.

Sally Wilson

Objector to leaving.

Joe Zimmerman

Passenger.

Joe Marapese

Young man acts as co-pilot in the escape.

Krejewski

Ship builder.

Mrs Krejewski

His wife.

Weiss

Junior assistant in the Cybernetic Division

Fenner

The radioman.

VEHICLES

R-Ships

Ships flown without humans.

R-40

Heavy freighters.

R-10

Mixed carriers.

R-3

Planetary patrol ships.

Lucy B. Davenport

The ship Kirby and the others escape in.


TECHNOLOGY

RSS-1

A probe.


ORGANISATIONS

Pax Terrae

Government organisation.




MEDIA

Trade Stabilization

Legislative act.

Population Stabilization

Legislative act.

Crop Stabilization

Legislative act.


PLACES

King City

Ancient Martian area.


CONCEPTS

High Martian

A language.

Low Martian

A language.


ANIMALS

Espees

Animals with teleportation abilities: "They can shift atoms," Shari said. "They can hold the unstable ones so that there is no emission of particles. In fact, they have complete mental control over matter, and they can do all these things
singly or as a group with enormous potential. And in this way they feed themselves and repel their enemies and keep their wallows at just the right temperature, all without the slightest effort. It isn't fair! Men have labored so hard for thousands of years to learn just a little of what these creatures are born with but never understand!"

PLOT

Phil Kirby and other are sick of not being allowed to space travel, and decide to do something about it by taking a ship and leaving, even if it means taking some people against their will. It is a several year voyage to Alpha Centauri, and even then the robot ships may be able to find them. What they did not bank on was finding native lifeforms with immense mental powers.


3.5 out of 5