The Woman From Altair - Leigh Brackett

Novelette

Number of words : 12000
Percent of complex words : 7.0
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 12.1


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 7.7
Flesch : 76.6
Flesch-Kincaid : 5.6



SETTING

McQuarrie Place

A large, old, expensive house in the New York area.


CHARACTERS


Rafe McQuarrie

The non-spacer brother. Their business manager.

David McQuarrie

Returning starship captain.

Bet McQuarrie

David and Rafe's kid sister.

Ahrian

David's alien wife, from Altair II.

Miss Lewisham

David's fiancee.

Marthe Walter

Old school friend of Bet's. Artist, and becomes Rafe's fiancee.

Griffith

Another spacer.


PLACES

Pleiades

Star constellation the Anson McQuarrie travelled to.


VEHICLES

Anson McQuarrie

The family starship.


ANIMALS

Buck

Rafe McQuarraie's large dog.

Hazel

Bet's old mare.

CONCEPTS

One-Making

Altair II marriage ritual.


PLOT

David McQuarrie comes back from an interstellar mission, surprising his fiancee by bringing an alien wife. She moves into the household. His brother Rafe is the protagonist, and soon after has his own fiancee, a woman from their school days who turns up at the homecoming.

Things turn strange as animals go crazy, killing their younger sister Bet, and almost claiming others. Rafe and Marthe work out Ahrian has the ability to cause this to happen - telepathic talents enhanced by jewellery focuses she has been making as gifts. The pair decide to stop her, but have to deal with her husband and the reason why she has been attacking.


3.5 out of 5