Recently a few people have asked for the original version of The Free in digital form so I took in the old book and the German version and had them scanned. This is the result. the scan wasn’t too good and I had to go through it all, fiercely resisting the temptation to improve the text, hopefully I haven’t missed too many typos.
https://thefreeonline.wordpress.com/testing-downloads/
The Free (original short 1986 and 1990 edition) PDF 151 pages
The Free (original short 1986 and 1990 edition) Epub 1.6mb
‘This short, original version is the same tale but darker and more violent, focusing less on revolution and more on guerilla struggle’.
.Dr Daniel P. Jaeckle, author of ‘Embodied Anarchy in Ursula K. Le Guin’s ‘The Dispossessed’ said this of the first version of The Free
I should add that the 1986 version has its own interest. It does not often engage in ideological statements, it ends with the more realistic deaths of some characters as opposed to the more romantic ending of the 2007 version, and the speed of the narrative is compelling. I encourage those who can find the 1986 version to read it as well.
from Imagining an Anarchist Revolution: M. Gilliland’s The Free
REVIEWS of original version
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