Omnilingual

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Pages: 27

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Read by Mark Nelson · 1 h 56 min · 5 parts

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Part 1
42:00
Part 2
29:10
Part 3
16:01
Part 4
11:57
Part 5
17:42

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About this book

Red dust has buried the streets of a Martian city, leaving an expedition to enter surviving buildings far above their original ground level. Archaeologist Martha Dane studies the remains while Sachiko Koremitsu patiently reconstructs fragile pages from ancient books. Preserving these objects is only part of the problem: the team needs a way to understand a language whose writers lived long before Earth's earliest written records.

H. Beam Piper's science fiction story combines the practical difficulties of excavation with the challenge of finding meaning in unfamiliar symbols. Heavy machinery offers speed but threatens delicate discoveries, while a room lined with books makes the value of the work tangible. Martha's determination gives the scientific puzzle a personal center. Readers interested in archaeology and language will find a story about how physical evidence, careful observation and shared knowledge might open a window onto another civilization.

Science Fiction

About the author

H. Beam Piper

Henry Beam Piper was an American science fiction writer. He wrote many short stories and several novels. He is best known for his extensive Terro-Human Future History series of stories and a shorter series of "Paratime" alternate history tales.