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    A Wondrous Gift
    A Wondrous Gift
    A Wondrous Gift
    Ebook31 pages22 minutes

    A Wondrous Gift

    By Doug Turnbull

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    About this ebook

    Set in the early 22nd century, this story gives the reader an idea of what life on Mars was like a century after first being settled. Andrew Smither’s life spanned that century and as he recalled it, we get a feel for the new society that was created. Youth restoring treatments, wingless flying machines, sprawling mining towns and plural marriages were just some of the features on the landscape of this new world.

    Take a high speed trip over thousands of miles of Martian desert in an Ariel Sprite Flyer, a wingless flying machine no larger than the family car. Explore an ancient Martian cave and see the spectacular Crystal Room. And meet some of the colorful characters that populated Andrew Smither’s long life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDoug Turnbull
    Release dateJun 12, 2012
    ISBN9781476401553
    A Wondrous Gift
    Author

    Doug Turnbull

    Doug Turnbull is the author of several science fiction books including Zachary Dixon: Officer Apprentice, Footprints in Red, Jupiter IV, The Future Revisited, and The Man Who Conquered Mars, as well as numerous short stories and novellas. In addition he hosted Mars Pirate Radio, weekly podcasts on the subjects of science, science fiction and the future. The podcasts include scores of interviews (135) with scientists, astronauts, as well as SF writers on the subject of space exploration and related topics and during its three year run had over 19,500 listeners, and are still available for listening. Turnbull also co-authored We Are the Martians a non-fiction book about the future settlement of Mars. He is an occasional contributor of non-fiction articles about space flight to Space.com, Astronomie Quebec, and other online publications. Most recently Turnbull was coauthor of a paper published by the Royal Astronomical Society Journal of Astronomy and Geophysics, entitled The Natural Evolution of Mars Soil for the Support of Plant Growth. He has been a guest of Alan Boyle on NBC News, at the University of Hawaii Astronomy Department, and at The Mars Society speaking on space science subjects. In 2013, his short story Tenderfoot won The Mars Society-Bulgaria’s Editor’s Choice award for short science fiction. Turnbull is single and resides in Frankfort, Kentucky, USA.

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      Book preview

      A Wondrous Gift - Doug Turnbull

      A Wondrous Gift

      By Doug Turnbull

      Illustrated by Dheeraj Verma

      An Alien Artifact Story

      Copyright 2012 by Doug Turnbull, all rights reserved.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Formatted by Jo Harrison

      A Wondrous Gift

      Ashmita Chowdury surveyed the tiny gift shop that was part of her domain as a park ranger. Her desk was located near the rear of the shop, facing the entrance. Against the wall to her left stood a bench on which sat a lanky young man with unruly blond hair. He held a cup of coffee in each hand. Behind her was the air lock that accessed the vast caverns to the rear of Lowell Station. The caverns were the other part of her domain.

      A man wearing a pressure suit, helmet under one arm, emerged from the dressing room in the corridor just outside the front door and entered the shop. Ashmita recognized the tall, spare figure even before she could read the nametag on the right side of his chest.

      Good afternoon, Mr. Smithers, she said. "And how are you today,

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