The voices: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The voices: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
The voices is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Wellen, Edward (1919–2011).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
The voices by Edward Wellen is a science fiction short story written in the mid-20th century. It follows a man who briefly becomes an accidental human radio receiver and overhears a deadly domestic exchange, touching on themes of technological happenstance, infidelity, and fatalism. Nicholas Kane, a meticulous chemical engineer, has accumulated metal in and on his body over the years—dental work, a metal tooth, steel-rimmed glasses, a hearing aid, and a gold wedding ring he habitually taps against his teeth. One morning that tap completes a momentary, freakish circuit aided by a migrating sliver of graphite in his palm, and he hears a distorted conversation between a woman and a man named Bill that ends with a blow from a clock and a horrified “What have I done?” Shaken, he suspects accidental radio pickup and leaves work early to surprise his wife. At home he finds her dozing, murmuring “Bill?” with one hand near her glasses and the other toward the bedroom clock—recreating the scene he overheard. The tale ends on the chilling realization that he has listened to the imminence of his own murder, and that going home has set it in motion.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The voices
- Author credits: Wellen, Edward (1919–2011)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Science fiction
- 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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