Synopsis

Technology can bring great dangers and the men who have to face it everyday can be strained to the breaking point.

History

First publication: Astounding, September 1940

The version in The Past Through Tomorrow has been revised from the original magazine appearance, in order to account for the completion of the Manhattan Project and the use of atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

1941 RetroHugo finalist for best novelette.

Review

This is another Heinlein story that exemplifies the Campbell Golden Age. While the story does have a tense plot and the characters are fairly well drawn, the point of the story is the science and how it is affecting people - and how science can solve the problem if the affect is detrimental. Idea is king here and the story is fairly technical. Top Tale, but only for those willing to tackle the science.