Sethos is a man who is smarter, more artistic, more inquisitive than anyone in his little community - a community maintained by mechanized robots. There are boundaries but no bars other than what the human inhabitants have placed themselves. However, when Sethos decides to test those boundaries he finds an unexpected and unwelcome surprise.
A short space-based swashbuckler in the same vein as your average Buck Rogers story. High on action and adventure, low on depth and substance but still somewhat enjoyable.
What happens when you accidentally create a being that eats water?
Reminded me of a lighthearted version of The Blob with the being eating water instead of people. Would have been a good Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode.
Another good story by Marks. A small group of human colonists land on a distant planet only to discover a humanoid indigenous population already exists. After first things seem to go well but when the humans start to abandon their work (and moral) ethics, drastic measures are deemed necessary.
I thought the "measures" were decided upon a just a little too readily, especially for a story written in the early fifties but overall it was still an enjoyable tale.
This story is set in a domed city in a dystopian future where men live pointless lives, are designated by numbers, and whose dreams are strictly controlled in order to maintain contentment. The reader follows one individual, 23, as he struggles to break free of the establishment.
One of the better short stories I've read. A quick read but not fluff or pulp in readability by any means. I'm definitely going to check out other stories by this author.
Peter Miller, a cantankerous factory worker with a headache and desire for peace and quiet, becomes the sole owner of the ability to stop anything electronic. At first he uses his ability to rid his surroundings of various annoyances: televisions, loud radios, offending vehicles, etc. It's when he tries to market his ability to the U.S. government that he gets in trouble.
With a cameo by the FBI's Hoover, this is an interesting read set at the beginning of the Cold War. I was a bit confused by the ending but it was still an enjoyable story.
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Something of a tragic Man-in-a-zoo tale.
Reminded me of a lighthearted version of The Blob with the being eating water instead of people. Would have been a good Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode.
I thought the "measures" were decided upon a just a little too readily, especially for a story written in the early fifties but overall it was still an enjoyable tale.
Has a Logan's Run flavor to it.
With a cameo by the FBI's Hoover, this is an interesting read set at the beginning of the Cold War. I was a bit confused by the ending but it was still an enjoyable story.