Neutron Star
Critique • Quotes
First paperback edition, 1968First publication
1966, serialized in magazine Worlds of If
First book publication
1968, in collection Neutron Star
Literature form
Story
Genre
Science fiction
Writing language
English
Author's country
United States
Length
Approx. 6,500 words
Notable lines
The Skydiver dropped out of hypersapce an even million miles above the neutron star.
— First line
How did I get myself into this hole?
All I'd done was walk into a drugstore to get a new battery for my lighter.
A puppeteer is unique. Imagine a headless, three-legged centaur wearing two Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent puppets on its arms, and you'll have something like the right picture. But the arms are weaving necks, and the puppets are real heads, flat and brainless, with wide flexible lips. The brain is under a bony hump set between the bases of its necks.
"A million stars? I'd be fascinated, I'll even sign a contract if it states what we're hiding. How do you like being blackmailed for a change?"
— Last lines
Critique • Quotes
