Chapter 1 of Orphans of the Void is here in full — 536 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Orphans of the Void is here in full — 536 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them. Finding one worth living for is the genuine problem! In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings. Eleven. No, twelve.
Chapter 1 of Orphans of the Void is here in full — 536 sentences across 108 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/107 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading “In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.”
the act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order
From this reading “In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.”
(mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)
From this reading “In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.”
a medicinal liquid preparation intended for use in an atomizer
From this reading “In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.”
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading “In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.”
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading “In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.”
United States journalist whose exposes in 1906 started an era of muckraking journalism (1866-1936)
From this reading “In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.”
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Finding one worth living for is the genuine problem!”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
the act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
being one more than ten
From this reading Eleven.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
not fake or counterfeit
From this reading Finding one worth living for is the genuine problem!
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading Finding one worth living for is the genuine problem!
(mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function)
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
a medicinal liquid preparation intended for use in an atomizer
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
not any; not one
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Finding one worth living for is the genuine problem!
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading Finding one worth living for is the genuine problem!
the extended spatial location of something
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
United States journalist whose exposes in 1906 started an era of muckraking journalism (1866-1936)
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading No, twelve.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the region of the Coal Sack Nebula, on the dead fourth planet of a star called Tyban, Captain Steffens of the Mapping Command stood counting buildings.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading Finding a cause worth dying for is no great trick--the Universe is full of them.
Chapter 1 of Orphans of the Void by Michael Shaara holds 536 sentences, grouped into 108 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 1 holds 536 sentences of Orphans of the Void, unabridged, divided into 108 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Orphans of the Void by Michael Shaara exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 536 sentences, grouped into 108 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 108 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 108 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Orphans of the Void by Michael Shaara on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 536 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50827 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50827, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 44 minutes of reading across 108 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Orphans of the Void section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Orphans of the Void to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Orphans of the Void, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
