The Keeper

by H. Beam Piper

Evil men had stolen his treasure, and Raud set out with his deer rifle and his great dog Brave to catch the thieves before they could reach the Starfolk. That the men had negatron pistols meant little--Raud was the Keeper....

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1957

About the author

Henry Beam Piper was an American science fiction author. 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.

Reviews

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

2019 grade B

A novelette about the far future. The start wasn't really SciFi and could have lead anywhere. It changed slowly eliminating options as it went. By the end the situation is fully obvious.

The story is mostly single character social SciFi in what initially appears to be a primitive society. But that is just the protagonist's situation.

The prose is almost all narrative, with fairly long paragraphs. But they are not too long and there was no need for speed reading. Overall, an enjoyable read with low level surprises as it develops. Available in the H. Beam Piper Megapack for Kindle.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

onderfDul fantasy reading 📚

Due to eye issues Alexa reads to me, a will written fantasy Sci-Fi adventure thriller novella. The characters are interesting and will developed. The story line is intense, fast moving, and violent as Eve main character tries to recover a crown that was stole from his keeping. I would recommend this novella to readers of fantasy Sci-Fi. Enjoy reading 🔰2021 😁

[Mason Kendrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inoffensive. A short fun romp that unfolds gradually. Unlike most of the other works in the series, this one is better take individually. The storytelling suffers from the knowledge of what it comes after compared to just reading it standalone.

[Cornel Diaconu · Rating 3 out of 5]

quite interesting

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good little chase story set in the far future, when Earth has been abandoned but not necessarily forgotten. Nothing special, but a decent addition to the future history that Piper has built.

[Wampuscat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short story about the fate of the Crown of England after 300 centuries of the boom and bust cycle of humanity in the galaxy. The Keeper of the Crown is already old, and almost destitute, when the crown's rediscovery causes its worth to be known to unscrupulous men. Consequently, it is stolen from him, forcing him to take on the task of its recovery across the frozen glacier in the northern hemisphere of an Earth that has also become old and destitute. A poignant read to which I give 3 stars. I call it a Good Read.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Science fiction

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice short sci-fi story.