Short Fiction by Mack Reynolds (ready to read books .TXT) ๐
Description
Dallas McCord โMackโ Reynolds was an American science fiction writer who authored almost two hundred short stories and novellas, was a staple in all the major science fiction and fantasy magazines and published dozens of science fiction novels. He began his writing career in the late 1940s. His fiction focused on exploring and challenging both the socioeconomic themes of the day and the implications of the Cold War that raged throughout his career. A thoughtful writer of speculative fiction, many of Mack Reynoldsโ predictions have come to pass, including the credit-card economy, remote warfare and a worldwide computer network. His thoughts about the outcomes of both the Soviet and western political and economic systems are still highly relevant.
This collection gathers stories that were published in Analog, Astounding Science Fiction, Amazing Stories and others. Ordered by date of first publication, they range from spy adventures to the ultimate expression of corporate warfare and from a very short 1000-word story to full-blown novellas.
Read free book ยซShort Fiction by Mack Reynolds (ready to read books .TXT) ๐ยป - read online or download for free at americanlibrarybooks.com
- Author: Mack Reynolds
Read book online ยซShort Fiction by Mack Reynolds (ready to read books .TXT) ๐ยป. Author - Mack Reynolds
When he had been informed that his physical and mental qualifications were such that he was eligible for the most dangerous occupation in the Ultrawelfare State and had been pressured into taking training for space pilot, he had celebrated once again. Twenty-two others had taken the training with him, and only he and Rod Cameroon had passed the finals. On this occasion, he and Rod had celebrated together. It had been quite a party. Two weeks later, Rod had burned on a faulty takeoff on what should have been a routine Moon run.
Each time Si returned from one of his own runs, he celebrated. A spree, a bust, a bat, a wingding, a night on the town. A commemoration of dangers met and passed.
Now it was all over. At the age of thirty he was retired. Law prevented him from ever being called up for contributing to the countryโs labor needs again. And he most certainly wasnโt going to volunteer.
He had taken his schooling much as had his contemporaries. There wasnโt any particular reason for trying to excell. You didnโt want to get the reputation for being a wise guy, or a cloddy either. Just one of the fellas. You could do the same in life whether you really studied or not. You had your Inalienable Basic stock, didnโt you? What else did you need?
It had come as a surprise when heโd been drafted for the labor force.
In the early days of the Ultrawelfare State, they had made a mistake in adapting to the automation of the second industrial revolution. They had attempted to give everyone work by reducing the number of working hours in the day, and the number of working days in the week. It finally became ludicrous when employees of industry were working but two days a week, two hours a day. In fact, it got chaotic. It became obvious that it was more practical to have one worker putting in thirty-five hours a week and getting to know his job well, than it was to have a score of employees, each working a few hours a week and none of them ever really becoming efficient.
The only fair thing was to let the technologically unemployed remain unemployed, with their Inalienable Basic stock as the equivalent of unemployment insurance, while the few workers still needed put in a reasonable number of hours a day, a reasonable number of weeks a year and a reasonable number of years in a life time. When new employees were needed, a draft lottery was held.
All persons registered in the labor force participated. If you were drawn, you must need serve. The dissatisfaction those chosen might feel at their poor luck was offset by the fact that they were granted additional Variable Basic shares, according to the tasks they fulfilled. Such shares could be added to their portfolios, the dividends becoming part of their current credit balance, or could be sold for a lump sum on the market.
Yes, but now it was all over. He had his own little place, his own vacuum-tube vehicle and twice the amount of shares of Basic that most of his fellow citizens could boast. Si Pond had it made. A spree was obviously called for.
He was going to do this one right. This was the big one. Heโd accumulated a lot of dollars these past few months and he intended to blow them, or at least a sizeable number of them. His credit card was burning a hole in his pocket, as the expression went. However, he wasnโt going to rush into things. This had to be done correctly.
Too many a spree was played by ear. You started off with a few drinks, fell in with some second rate mopsy and usually wound up in a third rate groggery where you spent just as much as though youโd been in the classiest joint in town. Came morning and you had nothing to show for all the dollars that had been spent but a rum-head.
Thus, Si was vaguely aware, it had always been down through the centuries since the Phoenecian sailor, back from his yearlong trip to the tin mines of Cornwall, blew his hard earned share of the voyageโs profits in a matter of days in the wine shops of Tyre. Nobody gets quite so little for his money as that loneliest of all workers, he who must leave his home for distant lands, returning only periodically and usually with the salary of lengthy, weary periods of time to be spent hurriedly in an attempt to achieve the pleasure and happiness so long denied him.
Si was going to do it differently this time.
Nothing but the best. Wine, women, song, food, entertainment. The works. But nothing but the best.
To start off, he dressed with great care in the honorable retirement-rank suit he had so recently purchased. His space pin he attached carefully to the lapel. That was a good beginning, he decided. A bit of prestige didnโt hurt you when you went out on the town. In the Ultrawelfare State hardly one person in a hundred actually ever performed anything of value to society. The efforts of most werenโt needed. Those few who did contribute were awarded honors, decorations, titles.
Attired satisfactorily, Si double-checked to see that his credit card was in his pocket. As an afterthought, he went over to the auto-apartmentโs teevee-phone, flicked it on, held the card to the screen and said, โBalance check, please.โ
In a moment, the teevee-phoneโs robot voice reported, โTen shares of Inalienable Basic. Twelve shares of Variable Basic, current value, four thousand, two hundred and thirty-three dollars and sixty-two cents apiece. Current cash credit, one thousand and eighty-four
Comments (0)