영어로 읽는 고전 _ 핸리 커터너의 공허 속의 천둥
Henry Kuttner의 "공허 속의 천둥"은 1940년대 초에 쓰인 공상과학 소설입니다. 이야기는 인류의 첫 우주 모험을 탐구하며, 인간의 생명력을 먹고 사는 명왕성의 악한 외계 종족의 위험성을 드러냅니다. 이야기는 자신에게 잘못을 저지른 자들에게 복수를 추구하면서 우주 여행의 위험을 헤쳐나가는 주인공 사울 던컨을 따라갑니다. 줄거리는 사울 던컨이 부도덕한 브렌트 올코트의 도움으로 트랜스폴라 교도소의 가혹한 감금에서 탈출하는 것으로 시작됩니다. 아내 안드리아와의 재회에 대한 희망에 이끌린 던컨은 귀중한 화성 라듐을 획득하기 위해 우주선을 납치하지 않을 수 없게 됩니다. 그러나 배신적인 공허에 대한 제목의 불길한 경고는 던컨이 곧 바라라는 존재들에 대해 알게 되면서 현실이 됩니다. 바라는 인류와 공존해왔지만 사악한 비밀을 품고 있는 수수께끼의 에너지 존재들입니다. 명왕성인들의 손에 의한 안드리아의 배신과 죽음은 던컨을 폭력적인 복수의 여정으로 이끌고, 그는 바라 자신들이 공허 속의 진정한 위협일 수도 있다는 것을 발견하게 됩니다. 이 소설은 던컨이 별들 너머에 숨어있는 우주적 공포와 맞서면서 희생, 배신, 그리고 인간 야망의 어두운 깊이라는 주제들을 엮어냅니다.
Classics Read in English _ Thunder in the void by Henry Kuttner
Henry Kuttner's "Thunder in the Void" is a science fiction novel from the early 1940s that explores humanity's inaugural ventures into space while revealing the deadly threat posed by a malevolent alien species on Pluto that sustains itself by consuming human life force. The narrative centers on protagonist Saul Duncan, who pursues vengeance against those who have wronged him while navigating the treacherous dangers of interplanetary travel.
The story opens with Saul Duncan's dramatic escape from the brutal confines of Transpolar Penitentiary, facilitated by the morally compromised Brent Olcott. Driven by desperate hope of reuniting with his beloved wife Andrea, Duncan finds himself compelled to hijack a spacecraft in order to secure valuable Martian radium that might facilitate their reunion.
However, the ominous implications suggested by the title prove prophetic as Duncan soon encounters the Varra?mysterious energy beings that have coexisted alongside humanity while harboring a sinister secret that threatens the very fabric of human existence. When Andrea falls victim to betrayal and death at the hands of the Plutonians, Duncan is propelled into a violent quest for retribution that leads him to a shocking discovery: the Varra themselves may represent the true cosmic threat lurking within the void.
The novel masterfully weaves together themes of sacrifice, betrayal, and the dark depths of human ambition as Duncan confronts incomprehensible cosmic horrors that exist beyond the familiar boundaries of Earth. Through Duncan's journey, Kuttner explores how personal tragedy can drive individuals to confront forces far greater and more terrifying than they could have ever imagined, ultimately questioning whether humanity is truly prepared for the realities of cosmic exploration.
Among the contents
The Arctic blizzard swept needles of stinging ice against Saul Duncan’s face. Doggedly he plowed on, head lowered, heavy shoulders hunched against the fury of the winds. Once he heard the drone of a heliplane overhead, and flung himself flat till the sound had been swallowed by the gale. Then for a few moments his body refused to obey the grim demands of his mind. Deceptive warmth was stealing over him, inviting him to rest. But that, he knew, meant death then and there.
If he kept going, there was a chance of safety and freedom?not much of a chance, though, for few men ever escaped alive from the Transpolar Penitentiary. Situated within the Arctic Circle, the grim, guarded fortress of stone and metal and tough plastics was safer than Alcatraz had been a century and a half ago. Yet Duncan had escaped....
His bitter lips twisted in a harsh smile.
