Morgue Ship: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
Morgue Ship: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
Morgue Ship is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Bradbury, Ray (1920–2012).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"Morgue Ship" by Ray Bradbury is a science fiction short story written during the mid-20th century. Set in the vastness of space amidst the backdrop of an ongoing war, the narrative centers around the grim duty of retrieving the bodies of fallen warriors and preserving them for burial. It explores themes of loss, the futility of war, and the human desire to escape from a cycle of violence. The story follows Sam Burnett, a weary coroner aboard the morgue ship "Constellation", who has spent ten years collecting the bodies of dead soldiers in the aftermath of galactic battles. During a final mission, Burnett discovers that among the bodies is Lethla, the assistant to a powerful enemy commander, Kriere. As the story unfolds, Lethla reveals that Kriere is still alive but in danger, prompting a tense standoff aboard the ship. The climax arrives as Burnett must navigate the dichotomy of his grim duties against the weight of his burgeoning morality. In a decisive moment, he captures Kriere using the ship's retrieval claws, symbolically completing his duty but also shedding light on the impact of the war on humanity and the cycle of death it perpetuates. Ultimately, Burnett's journey ends in a poignant reflection on the cost of war and what it means to survive in its wake.
Book and edition facts
- Title: Morgue Ship
- Author credits: Bradbury, Ray (1920–2012)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Morgues -- Fiction
- Science fiction
- Short stories
- Space ships -- Fiction
- War stories
Gutenberg collections
- Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
- Category: Short Stories
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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
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