The Colors of Space (illustrated)

📘 About This Book

It was a week before the Lhari ship went into warp-drive, and all that time young Bart Steele had stayed in his cabin. He was so bored with his own company that the Mentorian medic was a welcome sight when he came to prepare him for cold-sleep.The Mentorian paused, needle in hand. "Do you wish to be wakened for the time we shall spend in each of the three star systems, sir? You can, of course, be given enough drug to keep you in cold-sleep until we reach your destination."Bart felt tempted-he wanted very much to see the other star systems. But he couldn't risk meeting other passengers.The needle went into his arm. In sudden panic, he realized he was helpless. The ship would touch down on three worlds, and on any of them the Lhari might have his description, or his alias! He could be taken off, unconscious, and might never wake up! He tried to move, to protest, but he couldn't. There was a freezing moment of intense cold and then nothing....

📖 Summary

The Colors of Space by Marion Zimmer Bradley, presented in this illustrated 2017 edition spanning 192 pages, plunges readers into a gripping interplanetary narrative driven by suspense, identity, and the perils of space travel. The story opens with a young protagonist named Bart Steele, who has spent an entire week secluded in his cabin aboard a Lhari ship preparing for warp-drive. Overwhelmed by boredom with his own company, Bart welcomes the arrival of the Mentorian medic who enters to administer the preparation for cold-sleep. As the medic pauses with a needle in hand, he offers Bart a choice: whether to be awakened for the brief periods the ship spends visiting each of the three star systems along their route, or to remain deeply under the influence of the drug in continuous cold-sleep until they reach their final destination. Bart is immediately tempted by the prospect because he possesses a deep desire to witness the other star systems with his own eyes. However, the heavy weight of caution pulls him back, reminding him that he cannot possibly risk running into other passengers. The narrative tension escalates instantly when the needle pierces Bart's arm and injects the sedative. In a sudden wave of panic, he is struck by the terrifying realization that he is now completely helpless. As the ship prepares to touch down on three different worlds during its journey, Bart understands the grave danger he is in. On any one of those planets, the Lhari might already possess his physical description or his assumed alias, leaving him vulnerable to being discovered, hunted, and taken captive. Bradley crafts a tense atmosphere of paranoia and high-stakes interstellar intrigue, where a single moment of vulnerability can unravel an entire hidden identity. The illustrated nature of this 2017 release adds a visual dimension to the journey, enhancing the cold-sleep chambers, the alien star systems, and the claustrophobic anxiety of Bart Steele's clandestine voyage. Through the framing of Bart's journey, the book explores themes of concealment, the yearning for discovery weighed against the instinct for survival, and the cold efficiency of futuristic transit systems where a sleeping passenger is entirely at the mercy of the crew and the authorities waiting at each planetary port of call.

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✍️ About the Author

Marion Zimmer Bradley

Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930-1999) was an American author known for the 'Darkover' science fantasy series and 'The Mists of Avalon', a feminist retelling of Arthurian legend.

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