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Return to Earth
700 headwords
57 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
16 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
John Christopher
197 books543 followersSamuel Youd was born in Huyton, Lancashire in April 1922, during an unseasonable snowstorm.
As a boy, he was devoted to the newly emergent genre of science-fiction: ‘In the early thirties,’ he later wrote, ‘we knew just enough about the solar system for its possibilities to be a magnet to the imagination.’
Over the following decades, his imagination flowed from science-fiction into general novels, cricket novels, medical novels, gothic romances, detective thrillers, light comedies … In all he published fifty-six novels and a myriad of short stories, under his own name as well as eight different pen-names.
He is perhaps best known as John Christopher, author of the seminal work of speculative fiction, The Death of Grass (today available as a Penguin Classic), and a stream of novels in the genre he pioneered, young adult dystopian fiction, beginning with The Tripods Trilogy.
‘I read somewhere,’ Sam once said, ‘that I have been cited as the greatest serial killer in fictional history, having destroyed civilisation in so many different ways – through famine, freezing, earthquakes, feral youth combined with religious fanaticism, and progeria.’
In an interview towards the end of his life, conversation turned to a recent spate of novels set on Mars and a possible setting for a John Christopher story: strand a group of people in a remote Martian enclave and see what happens.
The Mars aspect, he felt, was irrelevant. ‘What happens between the people,’ he said, ‘that’s the thing I’m interested in.’
As a boy, he was devoted to the newly emergent genre of science-fiction: ‘In the early thirties,’ he later wrote, ‘we knew just enough about the solar system for its possibilities to be a magnet to the imagination.’
Over the following decades, his imagination flowed from science-fiction into general novels, cricket novels, medical novels, gothic romances, detective thrillers, light comedies … In all he published fifty-six novels and a myriad of short stories, under his own name as well as eight different pen-names.
He is perhaps best known as John Christopher, author of the seminal work of speculative fiction, The Death of Grass (today available as a Penguin Classic), and a stream of novels in the genre he pioneered, young adult dystopian fiction, beginning with The Tripods Trilogy.
‘I read somewhere,’ Sam once said, ‘that I have been cited as the greatest serial killer in fictional history, having destroyed civilisation in so many different ways – through famine, freezing, earthquakes, feral youth combined with religious fanaticism, and progeria.’
In an interview towards the end of his life, conversation turned to a recent spate of novels set on Mars and a possible setting for a John Christopher story: strand a group of people in a remote Martian enclave and see what happens.
The Mars aspect, he felt, was irrelevant. ‘What happens between the people,’ he said, ‘that’s the thing I’m interested in.’
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 13, 2020
فکر کنم این کتاب جز اولین کتاباییه که خوندم و داستانش کامل یادم هست. کتاب کوچیک ۶۰ صفحه ای از مجموعه ادبیات جهان برای نوجوانان که تو کتابخونه داداشم پیدا کردم. دلیل اینکه داستانش کامل یادم هست این بود که جزو اولین داستانایی بود که برعکس بقیه داستانای کودک و نوجوان که همه چی خوب و شاده یکم تم دارک داشت و برای من این خیلی جدید و جالب بود.
داستان اینه که همه ی مردم زمین رو تله پاتی میکنند ولی همه بچه ها نهایتا تا ۱۰ سالگی زنده میمونند و همشون وقتی بزرگ میشند خودشون رو میکشند چون «آنها هم از افکار زشت و شرمآوریکه در ذهن خودشان میگذشت خبر داشتند هم از ذهن مردم. هر لحظه و در تمام ساعات بیداری افکار و احساسات خودشان و بقیه را میدیدند، میشنیدند و میفهمیدند.»
به بچه نوجوانای فامیل دادم بخوننش خیلی استقبال نکرند:(
داستان اینه که همه ی مردم زمین رو تله پاتی میکنند ولی همه بچه ها نهایتا تا ۱۰ سالگی زنده میمونند و همشون وقتی بزرگ میشند خودشون رو میکشند چون «آنها هم از افکار زشت و شرمآوریکه در ذهن خودشان میگذشت خبر داشتند هم از ذهن مردم. هر لحظه و در تمام ساعات بیداری افکار و احساسات خودشان و بقیه را میدیدند، میشنیدند و میفهمیدند.»
به بچه نوجوانای فامیل دادم بخوننش خیلی استقبال نکرند:(
October 25, 2019
A heartbreaking glimpse of the future. This is a short story with a lot of potential for development. I love the originality of the premise and the insight into what kind of people we really are without the filter of consciousness. I wish the idea could be explored further.
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January 31, 2016dvv
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2017
1. Oxford, Stage 2
2. June 14→80 minutes
3. leave, dangerous, project, future, zoo, silent, spaceship
4a. There were two persons, Ellen and Harl. One day, they walked around the park. Then, they stopped and talked about their lives. They worked as scientists because this kind of work will be famous in the future. Harl planned to leave the earth and live other planets. After that, he established the project X for living other planets. But, Ellen thought it is very dangerous, so she planned to stay the earth.
4b. This story was the fiction story. This book was serious by finish, so i did not think it was interesting. This book situation was the future in 2129. The pictures had animals live in the planet. It was interesting. In the future, I thought the earth would become such pictures. I became a little scared when I thought whether the day human being could not lice in the earth will come.
5. I thoght the author wanted to write serious story. In end of story, human began to live in the earth again, it was happy end. But, this story was serious to there for me, so it was not good for me.
2. June 14→80 minutes
3. leave, dangerous, project, future, zoo, silent, spaceship
4a. There were two persons, Ellen and Harl. One day, they walked around the park. Then, they stopped and talked about their lives. They worked as scientists because this kind of work will be famous in the future. Harl planned to leave the earth and live other planets. After that, he established the project X for living other planets. But, Ellen thought it is very dangerous, so she planned to stay the earth.
4b. This story was the fiction story. This book was serious by finish, so i did not think it was interesting. This book situation was the future in 2129. The pictures had animals live in the planet. It was interesting. In the future, I thought the earth would become such pictures. I became a little scared when I thought whether the day human being could not lice in the earth will come.
5. I thoght the author wanted to write serious story. In end of story, human began to live in the earth again, it was happy end. But, this story was serious to there for me, so it was not good for me.
October 28, 2012
- John Christopher, Oxford university, level2
- Time: 10/22 = 30 minutes, 10/23 = 30 minutes, 10/15 = 15minutes
- 7 words summary: journey - Astronant - experiments - leave - specs - nothing - change
- Discussion questions:
1.Do you want to take Astronant?
Yes, I do. That's because it has become safer than before and I want see Earth.
2. In this story, some person had to stay at Astronant which is a small space. Can you withstand this condition?
I don' t think so. I think I am getting to feel the stress in the condition.
I enjoyed reading this book. But this story isn't real. But I imaged that world while reading this book. It was easy to read, so I want to recommend all students to read it.
- Time: 10/22 = 30 minutes, 10/23 = 30 minutes, 10/15 = 15minutes
- 7 words summary: journey - Astronant - experiments - leave - specs - nothing - change
- Discussion questions:
1.Do you want to take Astronant?
Yes, I do. That's because it has become safer than before and I want see Earth.
2. In this story, some person had to stay at Astronant which is a small space. Can you withstand this condition?
I don' t think so. I think I am getting to feel the stress in the condition.
I enjoyed reading this book. But this story isn't real. But I imaged that world while reading this book. It was easy to read, so I want to recommend all students to read it.
November 18, 2012
30minutes-Nov.3 45minutes-Nov.7 75minutes in total.
Seven words -Earth science space project telepath dangerous journey-
Q What do you think about space journey?
A I would like to go travel to universe!
Q Now, some country spend too much money to go to the universe.
Are you agree or disagree?
A I suppose it is good because it is useful to study science in the space.
I read this book perfectly this week. Although I took time so much, I enjoyed it.
I took 65minutes in total.
Seven word -dead, return, people, future, telepaths, terrible, mind-
Q If you were alone all over the world, what do you do?
A Maybe, I am really sad and wanna meet human..
Q If you could make another world, what would you make?
A I would make peaceful world without war.
Seven words -Earth science space project telepath dangerous journey-
Q What do you think about space journey?
A I would like to go travel to universe!
Q Now, some country spend too much money to go to the universe.
Are you agree or disagree?
A I suppose it is good because it is useful to study science in the space.
I read this book perfectly this week. Although I took time so much, I enjoyed it.
I took 65minutes in total.
Seven word -dead, return, people, future, telepaths, terrible, mind-
Q If you were alone all over the world, what do you do?
A Maybe, I am really sad and wanna meet human..
Q If you could make another world, what would you make?
A I would make peaceful world without war.
May 28, 2014
5/27=100min.
journey, 8, 100, telepath, dead, children, animals.
"our journey through space will take eight years, but for the people on this world(earth), it will be a hundred years."
I thought that i want to experience like time difference. and in the future i want to go other planet.
In this book, scientist made children have a telepath but all of the living things was made have telepath by scientist.
i though this is a kind of interesting. and pictures are in the book, i could image the situation.
journey, 8, 100, telepath, dead, children, animals.
"our journey through space will take eight years, but for the people on this world(earth), it will be a hundred years."
I thought that i want to experience like time difference. and in the future i want to go other planet.
In this book, scientist made children have a telepath but all of the living things was made have telepath by scientist.
i though this is a kind of interesting. and pictures are in the book, i could image the situation.
November 5, 2015
①level2,John Christopher
②11／1…20min,11／2…20min,11／3…20min 11／4…20min
③Harl,Ellen,scientist,Earth,telepath,project X,Drewitt
④"to make a world of telepaths"
This sentence is explanation of project X. At first, I could not understand when I saw this sentence. This story was so large scale, so I thought that this sentence is the most adequate to this book.
⑤The reason why the project X did was to dissolve the struggle all of the world, but I thought that the new struggle must happen because people can understand other people's real thinking. I could not be satisfied this point.
②11／1…20min,11／2…20min,11／3…20min 11／4…20min
③Harl,Ellen,scientist,Earth,telepath,project X,Drewitt
④"to make a world of telepaths"
This sentence is explanation of project X. At first, I could not understand when I saw this sentence. This story was so large scale, so I thought that this sentence is the most adequate to this book.
⑤The reason why the project X did was to dissolve the struggle all of the world, but I thought that the new struggle must happen because people can understand other people's real thinking. I could not be satisfied this point.
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December 8, 2010level 2: It is really good. I like it. First this story reminded me of the movie "Planet of the Apes." Harl is going to the trip to a new planet. His girl friend doesn't want to go with him because it takes 8 years. She has a new project. The project is called "X", which a generator make people telepath. Harl will never see her because when he comes back, Earth will be 100 years. When he got back Earth, he and his crew members find no one there.What happened to them?
May 6, 2014
1.Oxford level2
2.5/5=40minutes, 5/6=45minutes
3. earth, space ship, future, telepaths, children, dead, start
4.(a)Harl had only the memory of a kiss to carry with him on his journey.
(b)I felt painful because I thought to part from his girlfriend was hard for him.
5. I think this book is a little difficult to understand. However, I could learn telepathy is needless in the world because to know each other so much is dangerous.
July 3, 2013
Oxford Readers Level2
Time7/3=86minutes
Seven word summary=nobody-science-telepathic-children-future-space-season
Do you want to be a telepath?
No I don't. I don't want to know everything people thinking.
It was difficult to read. I was little bit shocked at the end of the story. But the story was really interesting.
Time7/3=86minutes
Seven word summary=nobody-science-telepathic-children-future-space-season
Do you want to be a telepath?
No I don't. I don't want to know everything people thinking.
It was difficult to read. I was little bit shocked at the end of the story. But the story was really interesting.
July 7, 2013
Oxford level2
Time 7/7= 90 minutes
Seven word summary=telepatic-future-science-earth-space-journey-Astronant
Do you want to space journey??= If it is really safe, I want to space journey.
This book's first half was a little difficult to understand.However the second half is interesting, so I want to recommend this book.
Time 7/7= 90 minutes
Seven word summary=telepatic-future-science-earth-space-journey-Astronant
Do you want to space journey??= If it is really safe, I want to space journey.
This book's first half was a little difficult to understand.However the second half is interesting, so I want to recommend this book.
October 2, 2013
OXFORD Level 2
2 9/30/2013 90 minutes
3 return earth park future mind journey dead
4 What do you want to be in the future?
I want to be a teacher.
5 This book is complicated. It is hard for me to understand, but
this makes me very sensitive. It took really long time to finish reading, I wanna read books faster.
2 9/30/2013 90 minutes
3 return earth park future mind journey dead
4 What do you want to be in the future?
I want to be a teacher.
5 This book is complicated. It is hard for me to understand, but
this makes me very sensitive. It took really long time to finish reading, I wanna read books faster.
May 22, 2014
5/19=30minutes , 5/20=15minutes
January 22, 2013
Sınavda çıkanlardandı çok da sıkcıydı kitap söyleyecek birşeyde yok pek ...
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April 22, 20171. oxford ,2
2. 4/22=80min
3. spaceship, eight years, new world, telepathic, experiment, monkeys, project X
4. This book is about how to change the world. That world is people have telepathic. I thought this story is very excited because perhaps may happen in our real world in the future.
5. I like these stories because I like adventure story very much! This story tells us about how dangerous to go spaceship and the real world evolves gradually.
2. 4/22=80min
3. spaceship, eight years, new world, telepathic, experiment, monkeys, project X
4. This book is about how to change the world. That world is people have telepathic. I thought this story is very excited because perhaps may happen in our real world in the future.
5. I like these stories because I like adventure story very much! This story tells us about how dangerous to go spaceship and the real world evolves gradually.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews