Frederik Pohl,Jack Williamson
Far beyond the orbit of Pluto, half-mythical bodies circle the Solar System--the Reefs of Space, unknown, shrouded in mystery, the goal of human conquest, the obsession of the Plan of Man, tyrannical ruler of Earth. The Reefs of Space brings humanity to the brink of the stars. Steve Ryeland, enslaved by Earth's tyrannical Plan of Man computer, is given the world's most important jobâ€”to develop a "jetless drive," an extraordinary new space propulsion mechanism. ,Yet the most important thing on Steve's mind was not his work, but the iron collar locked securely around his neck. Filled with a lethal charge of explosives, it could be detonated any time the Plan of Man considered him too much of a risk. ,That's why he had to obey every order, and succeed at his experiments. Only then, perhaps, could he use the jetless drive himselfâ€¦ and escape to the safety of the half-mythical Reefs of Space, strange formations rumored to exist somewhere beyond the orbit of Pluto. But if he failed, the next step would be the Living Body Bankâ€”a scientific horror chamber from which no one ever returned. ,(1st published in World of IF Science Fiction magazine, 1963)
Science Fiction,Fiction,Science Fiction,Dystopia,Science Fiction Fantasy
The Reefs of Space