A World Is Born - Leigh Brackett

Novelette

Number of words : 8000
Percent of complex words : 6.6
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 9.6


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 6.5
Flesch : 77.3
Flesch-Kincaid : 4.9


SETTING

Eros prison blocks

On Mercury, part of the Moulton project.

Darkside

Permanent cold side of Mercury.

Sunside

Permanent hot side of Mercury.

Twilight Belt

The zone in-between.


CHARACTERS

Mel 'Duke' Gray

28 year old war veteran and prisoner.

Tom Ward

Fellow project worker.

John Moulton

Architect of prison on Mercury and the Moulton Project.

Jill Moulton

His daughter, a project leader.

Dio

Martian prisoner.

Caron of Mars

Chairman of the IPA


ORGANISATIONS

Interstellar Police

Chasers of Mel Gray.

Moulton Project

Involved with work on Mercury.

Interplanetary Prison Authority

Also called the IPA.

League of Worlds

Political body, interplanetary.


CONCEPTS

Second Interplanetary War

Yet another outbreak.


ANIMALS

Fire-things

Like to consume lightning.


PLOT

Mel Gray, an ex-criminal and soldier is forced to work as a laborer on Mercury for the Moulton Project. The Moultons want to make Mercury a productive planet, but have a Martian rival in Caron who would rather see it destroyed.

Gray arranges to escape, but comes into conflict with Caron and also has Jill Moulton along. Rather taken with her he decides that he is willing to help her fight for Mercury.


3.5 out of 5