Dearest

by H. Beam Piper

In this gripping tale of the supernatural, H. Beam Paper strays from the bleakly imagined futures that form the backdrop of most of his stories and focuses instead on a strange spiritual connection that spans centuries. The twist ending will leave readers guessing until the very last page.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction

ebook

First published March 1, 1951

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

[Matt Kelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't a typical H. Beam Piper: it was more like Conan Doyle. A great little story about spiritualism.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reading.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story about a retired military officer and his family trying to commit him to an asylum for talking to a spirit-but-not-quite-a-spirit figure that he actually experiences. More fantasy than the other Piper works I've read. Interesting tale and resolution. The role and vernacular of a black former sergeant now assisting as a servant was a little off-putting.

[Joseph Carrabis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful Golden Age not-really imaginary companion story which is typically Golden Age. Inventive enough and, of course, the imaginary companion saves the day at the end. Nice technique and a good study.
FWIW, probably the best not-really imaginary companion story is John Collier's Thus I refute Beelzy and novel would be John Wyndham's Chocky.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining listening 🔰

Due to eye damage Alexa reads to me.
Another will written fantasy Sci-Fi thriller adventure novella with interesting characters. The story line is complicated, fast moving, violent, and full of deception as it races to the conclusion. I would recommend this novella to anyone looking for a quick read. Enjoy the adventure 2021😊

[Ann-Catherine Morner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a good story from the Golden Age of science fiction.
It leaves us wondering to the end - and after. What happens next? The beauty of science fiction then is that we can keep on wondering.
Please enjoy. Don't blow a gasket, Please. This was written in 1951, there are words that modern 'Sensitivity readers' would have heart attacks over. Let's not allow them to erase history.

[Wampuscat · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old Colonel is being forcefully committed by a scheming nephew and his wife because he seems to have an imaginary friend... but is she?

A nice quick read with an excellent ending.

[Bill Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story well written.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of Piper's more charming stories, with a bit of deserved bloodshed thrown in for good measure

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a big fan of this one, not really sci-fi. More of a fantasy flavor, which is not itself a negative thing. The biggest issue I had was that there wasn't any real point to the story; it was pretty aimless.

[Larry Piper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a slightly weird tale, but rather fun. It seems that Col. Ashley Hampton is being confronted by his nephew Stephen Hampton and his wife, a lawyer and a shrink. The nephew and niece want to have Col. Hampton committed to an insane asylum. They will, thereby, gain control over his money. The claim for insanity is that Col. Hampton has a "secret friend", to whom he talks.

Well, Col. Hampton does, sort of, have a "secret friend", a being he has named Dearest. But, Dearest is actually a real entity, just not one readily observed/experienced by most people. She is a free spirit, in more ways than one.

So, we get some going back and forth between Col. Hampton's first encountering Dearest, and some of their experiences together, and the drawing room scene with the nephew, niece, lawyer, and shrink. Fortunately, Dearest, has some ideas to provide Col. Hampton, which he can use against his adversaries, and thereby, save the day for him. Something like that. It was kind of cute, and much more interesting than that other piece of crap of Piper's that I read a few months back.

[Ralph McEwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short story that still manages to get its twist in the end.
The story is told in a conversational style.

The narrator is well spoken, his voice is clear.
The recording is some what tinny and it has some echo but there plenty of volume and the editing is seamless.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but slightly disturbing.

[Jim · Rating 5 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.

[Sean Brennan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard SF story.

[SciFiOne]

2019 grade A-

Kindle mega-pack

A delightful, even if old fashioned, end.