A Madman on Board: Restored Classics to Go Edition

· Otbebookpublishing
Ebook
18
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

Dave Conroy wakes chained aboard an Earth-orbiting satellite, where the contemptuous Major Hawes informs him that he and the other "volunteers" have been condemned to deadly radiation duty. Recruited from convicts and drunks, they are trapped in a brutal system that trades prison for a slow, agonizing death. As Dave pieces together how he was lured there during a drunken night, he faces the horror of the ruined men already laboring in the jetroom and realizes he is expected to suffer the same fate. But Dave is not helpless. Recognizing a door mechanism he once helped design, he uses his engineering knowledge to trigger an emergency release, sparking a desperate breakout among the chained prisoners. In the ensuing chaos, the men overwhelm the guards and Hawes, and Dave slips into the corridor to confront the vast beauty of Earth below. Hiding in a washroom, he sees his own battered reflection and remembers the life he lost after a lab accident and years of drinking. Determined to reclaim himself, he cleans up, disguises his appearance, and prepares to move through the station as a respectable tourist. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
Dave Conroy wakes chained aboard an Earth-orbiting satellite, where the contemptuous Major Hawes informs him that he and the other "volunteers" have been condemned to deadly radiation duty. Recruited from convicts and drunks, they are trapped in a brutal system that trades prison for a slow, agon...

Discover more

About the author

Robert Silverberg is one of the most versatile and influential voices in modern science fiction, a writer whose career has stretched across decades and helped shape the genre's possibilities. Born in New York City in 1935, he was publishing prolifically while still a young man, first making his mark with fast-moving adventures and then evolving into a far more ambitious and reflective artist. Over time, he became celebrated for his elegant prose, psychological depth, and uncanny ability to turn speculative ideas into intimate human dramas. His work has explored the loneliness of the outsider, the fragility of identity, the lure and cost of power, the pressures of technological change, and the strange, often unsettling ways people adapt to new worlds. These themes still resonate today because they speak to modern anxieties about alienation, transformation, and the future of human connection. Silverberg's legacy lies not only in the sheer breadth of his output but also in his role in helping science fiction mature into a literature of ideas, emotion, and moral complexity. Readers who enjoy thoughtful speculative fiction, richly imagined futures, and stories that combine adventure with insight will find him especially rewarding.

Robert Silverberg is one of the most versatile and influential voices in modern science fiction, a writer whose career has stretched across decades and helped shape the genre's possibilities. Born in New York City in 1935, he was publishing prolifically while still a young man, first making his m...

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.