The white rain came

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

78055

Title

The white rain came

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In a future Mars where multiple marriages are mandatory for population, homesick telepath Lynne Fenlay is tricked into a drunken union with Rolf. Together, they harness a mysterious alien entity to summon the first snowfall in Martian history, saving the planet's dying agriculture.

Summary up to 500 words

Set on the colonized planet Mars, "The White Rain Came" by Sam Merwin, Jr. follows Lynne Fenlay, an Earth-trained telepath sent to the Red Planet to aid in its population and defense. Unlike her reckless, genetically adapted Martian twin brother, Revere, Lynne feels profoundly out of place among the settlers who view marriage as a pragmatic, assembly-line necessity for producing offspring to populate the harsh environment. Her wedding to Rolf Marcein is a chaotic affair marked by forced unions and heavy drinking, leaving Lynne feeling isolated and rebellious. Consequently, Rolf secretly transports her to the desolate moon of Callisto, a remote outpost established to mine a rare, radioactive element. Upon arrival, Lynne and Rolf discover a camp destroyed by a mysterious, super-intelligent entity known as "E." This entity reacts violently to physical disturbance but possesses immense power, capable of manipulating the atmosphere with terrifying force. The local mission is cut off, unable to send for help without provoking another destructive blast. Recognizing that E is sensitive to mental suggestion, Lynne proposes a daring plan: use her telepathic abilities to irritate the entity, forcing it to release its stored atmospheric energy in the form of rain or snow. Despite skepticism from the crew and the inherent danger of the experiment, the team constructs a relay system to direct E's energy. They theorize that if E can generate lightning and thunder, it can also generate precipitation. Lynne argues that since Mars lacks sufficient atmosphere for rain, any moisture E creates would be a net gain for the planet. The experiment succeeds when the team activates the relay, causing a miraculous snowstorm that revitalizes the frozen landscape of Woomera Station. The story concludes with the Martian Governing Council offering Lynne and Rolf a visit to Earth, though they choose to remain on Mars to continue their work. The narrative explores themes of adaptation, the power of the human mind, and the triumph of ingenuity over hostile environments.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Fiction
• Science Fiction