The expendables: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The expendables: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.

The expendables is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Van Vogt, A. E. (Alfred Elton) (1912–2000).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"The Expendables" by A. E. Van Vogt is a science fiction novel written in the early 1960s, emerging from a period when space exploration was a burgeoning theme in literature. The book explores themes of power, survival, and human ingenuity in a high-stakes interstellar setting. It tells the story of a spaceship carrying generations of colonists as they face existential threats from alien beings and internal discord. In the narrative, the spaceship "Hope of Man" arrives at the alien world of Alta III, where the crew must navigate a complex web of power struggles and alien encounters. When Captain Browne decides to send a lifeboat crew to the planet, tensions rise as John Lesbee, a skilled technician, recognizes that he and his conspiratorial friends are being manipulated into a dangerous situation. Upon encountering the telepathic Karn aliens, Lesbee seizes on the opportunity to turn the tables against Browne, who represents a lineage of command that oppresses his own family. As the tension escalates to a climax involving betrayal, strategic maneuvers, and the quest for supremacy, Lesbee must ultimately decide between power and the well-being of the entire expedition. With themes of betrayal and the question of what it means to be "expendable," Van Vogt's story engages with notions of loyalty, authority, and the moral complexities of leadership.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The expendables
- Author credits: Van Vogt, A. E. (Alfred Elton) (1912–2000)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Human-alien encounters -- Fiction
- Interpersonal conflict -- Fiction
- Science fiction
- Space travelers -- Fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: Novels
- Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
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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.


