Short Fiction · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for Short Fiction by Poul Anderson.

Read with companions Book page

Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.

Chapter 1
Star Ship
The crew of the star ship faces challenges and adventures as they navigate through space, encountering alien cultures and internal conflicts.
Chapter 2
I
Bo Jonsson, a space miner, waits on a desolate asteroid for a man who is hunting him. He reflects on the death of his partner Johnny Malone, killed in a bar fight on the asteroid Achilles, and the events that led to his current predicament.
Chapter 3
II
Bo Jonsson, grieving the murder of his friend Johnny Malone, is stranded on the asteroid Achilles until he can find a certified partner to crew the Sirius. He hires Einar Lundgard, a spaceman stranded after an accident on the Drake. As they prepare to depart with passenger Valeria McKittrick, Bo is ambushed and shot while searching the asteroid's surface.
Chapter 4
III
Bo Jonsson, Valeria McKittrick, and Einar Lundgard travel to Luna. Lundgard, a Humanist, critiques the New Enlightenment, arguing that its faith in reason cannot solve emerging problems like automation, cultural resistance, and interplanetary fragmentation. Valeria defends her work on an interplanetary power beam as a solution to energy scarcity. Later, Bo is stranded on an asteroid after a hull breach, fighting for survival against a hidden enemy.
Chapter 5
IV
Bo Jonsson discovers that Einar Lundgard is an impostor, having found a lifelike mask and a Venusian uniform in Lundgard's luggage. Realizing Lundgard is the killer of Johnny Malone, Bo must navigate the confined space of the ship with Valeria McKittrick present, fearing for her safety. He delays their journey to Luna by altering the orbit, hoping to capture Lundgard. The tension escalates as Lundgard hunts Bo across an asteroid, leading to a deadly confrontation.

Free preview

96 more chapter companions sit beside the text in BetterReads — open a free preview to unlock the rest.

96 more companions → free preview

Star Ship

I

II

III

IV