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The Highest Mountain: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition

The Highest Mountain: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.

Published by Pop Culture Files••2 min read•Automatically generated · review not guaranteed
AI-generated editorial illustration — not a photograph of the subject
AI-generated editorial illustration — not a photograph of the subject

The Highest Mountain is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Walton, Bryce (1918–1988).

Catalogue synopsis

Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:

"The Highest Mountain" by Bryce Walton is a science fiction story originally published in the early 1950s. The book explores themes of human conquest versus spiritual enlightenment, set against the backdrop of Mars and its highest mountain, an enigmatic and towering peak that challenges the crew of the spaceship Mars V. The narrative examines the psychological state of the characters as they grapple with their motivations for exploration and the consequences of their actions in a desolate and alien landscape. The story follows Bruce, a reluctant participant in a mission to conquer the highest mountain in the solar system. As the descent into madness claims members of his crew, Bruce grapples with feelings of guilt and the weight of a violent past marked by colonial conquest. Simultaneously, he experiences vivid dreams of an idyllic Martian civilization that contrast sharply with the crew's aggressive motivations. The mountain becomes a symbol of humanity's destructive tendencies, leading to confrontation and self-discovery. Ultimately, Bruce’s journey culminates in a profound realization about the nature of existence, as he finds himself detached from the harsh realities of the physical world and embraced instead by the dreamlike, peaceful reality of the Martian landscape liberated from the mountain's tyranny.

Book and edition facts

  • Title: The Highest Mountain
  • Author credits: Walton, Bryce (1918–1988)
  • Catalogue language: English

Catalogue subjects

  • Mars (Planet) -- Fiction
  • Science fiction
  • Short stories

Gutenberg collections

  • Category: Novels
  • Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
  • Science Fiction

Read this edition

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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