Fallen Spaceman
| "Fallen Spaceman" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Lee Harding | |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science Fiction |
| Publication | |
| Published in | If : Worlds of Science Fiction |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | June 1971 |
"Fallen Spaceman" is a science fiction short story by Australian writer Lee Harding. It was first published in the June 1971 issue of If : Worlds of Science Fiction.[1]
Plot summary
[edit]Mattaro, the spaceman of the title, finds himself along and abandoned in orbit around a planet after his ship, the Star Wind, unexpectedly accelerates away from him while he is undertaking a routine, exterior inspection of the ship's drive systems. With only a few hours of oxygen left in his spacesuit he must find a way to get to the planet below and somehow survive.
Critical reception
[edit]Writing in SF Commentary Bruce Gillespie called this story " a good yarn and very well told." He went on: "A few Hardingisms remain (Harding characters tend to 'shiver' in times of danger and lapse into panicked italics) but not many."[2]
Publication history
[edit]After the story's initial publication in If magazine in June 1971, it was revised and expanded to novella length under the title The Fallen Spaceman. This version was later published as follows:
- 1973, Cassell, Australia[3]
- 1975, Cassell, Australia[4]
- 1980, Harper & Row, USA[5]
- 1982, Bantam Skylark, USA[6]
Award
[edit]- Australian SF Achievement Award, Best Australian Science Fiction, winner, 1972[7]
Note
[edit]You can read the full text of the story on the Internet Archive.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ ""Fallen Spaceman" by Lee Harding". ISFDB. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ ""Fallen Spaceman"" (PDF). .SF Commentary 41/42, February 1975, p11. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "The Fallen Spaceman by Lee Harding (Cassell 1973)". ISFDB. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "The Fallen Spaceman by Lee Harding (Cassell 1975)". ISFDB. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "The Fallen Spaceman by Lee Harding (Harper & Row 1980)". ISFDB. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ "The Fallen Spaceman by Lee Harding (Bantam 1982)". ISFDB. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ ""Ditmar Awards 1972"". SFADB. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ^ ""If May/June 1971"". Internet Archive. Retrieved 27 June 2025.