A Matter of Importance

Name: A Matter of Importance
Brand: Author's Republic
Availability: InStock
Author: Murray Leinster
ISBN: 9798295368974

Author: Murray Leinster

Narrator: Charles Robert Fox

Unabridged: 1 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 12/05/2025

Categories: Fiction, Science Fiction

Synopsis

In A Matter of Importance by Murray Leinster, the routine duty of a space police officer turns into a defining moment for humanity. As the passenger ship Cerberus sends a desperate distress call, veteran Sergeant Madden finds himself racing against time—not just for the passengers, but for his son’s fiancée trapped aboard. What begins as a standard rescue mission spirals into a delicate confrontation with the mysterious alien race known as the Huks. Leinster’s 1950s sci-fi classic masterfully combines interstellar suspense, moral complexity, and the human side of galactic law enforcement. Perfect for readers who love golden-age space adventure with heart, diplomacy, and high-stakes tension.

About Murray Leinster

Murray Leinster (1896–1975) was a pen name of William Fitzgerald Jenkins, an award-winning American writer of science fiction and alternate history. He wrote and published over fifteen hundred short stories and articles, fourteen movie scripts, and hundreds of radio scripts and television plays. His first science fiction story, “The Runaway Skyscraper,” appeared in the February 22, 1919 issue of Argosy, and he won a Hugo Award for his 1956 story “Exploration Team.” He was also an inventor, best known for the front-projection process used in special effects. In Virginia, June 27, 2009, was named Will F. Jenkins Day in honor of his achievements in science fiction.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Manuel on April 30, 2018

Typical Leinster, where somebody in an impossible situation (which in this case includes aliens) finds a clever long-range solution to the current short scale problem. A curious confrontation between armies and cops, where cops win. Leinster's Krishnamurti theory about planetary systems (which assert......more

Goodreads review by Julie on September 06, 2022

I'm a Murray Leinster fan. He could turn his hand to horror, humor, and just plain good pulp sci-fi. I read this book aloud on my Forgotten Classics podcast a few years ago. Part I is here. Part II is here.......more

Goodreads review by Diana on July 02, 2015

A fun book read by Julie at Forgotten Classics. The perfect light, silly read for hot summer days. So glad Julie is back. I love her choices in books and her reading style.......more

Goodreads review by DOUGLAS J BERRY on April 01, 2020

Sci fi /police mystery. Murray Leinster writes a good story. This one deals with an advanced human culture. The traditional enemies are a logical outgrowth of the previous fight.......more

Goodreads review by Jane Roxanne Beamon on April 25, 2023

A police story, from the perspective of a veteran cop, it explorers the differences in mindset between military men and civilian police officers. With the usual Leinster twist at the end.......more