The Collected Works of Cyril M. Kornbluth (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Takeoff, The Syndic,The Rocket of 1955, King Cole of Pluto, Reap the Dark TideBy Cyril M. Kornbluth
Length26h 46m
About this audiobook
The Collected Works of Cyril M. Kornbluth gathers the fiction of one of mid-twentieth-century science fiction's most incisive satirists, revealing a writer equally at home in speculative extrapolation, mordant comedy, and moral fable. In stories such as "The Little Black Bag" and "The Marching Morons," Kornbluth transforms pulp conventions into sharp instruments of social criticism, scrutinizing technocracy, mass culture, consumerism, and human folly. His prose is brisk, unsentimental, and often devastatingly ironic, placing him at the crossroads of Golden Age adventure and the more skeptical, literary science fiction that followed. Kornbluth's short life and wide experience shaped the urgency of his work. Born in New York in 1923, he emerged from the Futurian circle, a community of politically alert young writers that included Isaac Asimov and Frederik Pohl. Military service during the Second World War, Depression-era anxieties, and a keen awareness of propaganda and bureaucracy all informed his distrust of easy progress narratives. This collection is recommended to readers seeking science fiction with intellectual bite and stylistic economy. It is essential for understanding how the genre learned to satirize modernity while still imagining its futures.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreScience Fiction
Length26 hrs 46 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateFeb 24, 2020
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
26The Syndic
2Introduction
27PART I.
3Historical Context
28CHAPTER I.
4Synopsis (Selection)
29CHAPTER III.
5Takeoff
30CHAPTER IV.
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6PART I.
31CHAPTER V.
7CHAPTER I.
32CHAPTER VI.
8CHAPTER II.
33CHAPTER VII.
9CHAPTER III.
34CHAPTER VIII.
10CHAPTER IV.
35CHAPTER IX.
11CHAPTER V.
36PART II.
12CHAPTER VI.
37CHAPTER X.
13PART II.
38CHAPTER XI.
14CHAPTER VII.
39CHAPTER XII.
15CHAPTER VIII.
40CHAPTER XIII.
16CHAPTER IX.
41CHAPTER XIV.
17CHAPTER X.
42CHAPTER XV.
18CHAPTER XI.
43CHAPTER XVI.
19CHAPTER XII.
44CHAPTER XVII.
20CONCLUSION
45CHAPTER XVIII.
21CHAPTER XIII.
46CHAPTER XIX.
22CHAPTER XIV.
47CHAPTER XX.
23CHAPTER XV.
48CHAPTER XXI.
24CHAPTER XVI.
49CHAPTER XXII.
25CHAPTER XVII.
50King Cole of Pluto
Takeoff (Annotated)Cyril M. Kornbluth7h 13m$2 · $0.00
Two Dooms: Two Dystopian Novels (Illustrated) (Annotated)Cyril M. Kornbluth, Frederik Pohl10h 37m$2 · $0.00
Search the Sky (Annotated)Cyril M. Kornbluth, Frederik Pohl7h 6m$2 · $0.00
Rocket Launch (Annotated)Cyril M. Kornbluth7h 48m$2 · $0.00
The Naked StormCyril M. Kornbluth7h 2m$2 · $0.00
Wolfbane (Illustrated) (Annotated)Cyril M. Kornbluth, Frederik Pohl5h 1m$2 · $0.00
The Best Short Stories by Cyril M. Kornbluth (Illustrated Edition) (Annotated)Cyril M. Kornbluth12h 10m$2 · $0.00
TakeoffCyril M. Kornbluth6h 19m$2 · $0.00
A Mile Beyond the MoonCyril M. Kornbluth6h 56m$2 · $0.00
The Syndic (Illustrated) (Annotated)Cyril M. Kornbluth6h 37m$2 · $0.00
Takeoff (Sci-Fi Classic)Cyril M. Kornbluth7h 2m$1 · $0.00
The Greatest Sci-Fi Books - Cyril M. Kornbluth EditionCyril M. Kornbluth, Frederik Pohl37h 11m$1 · $0.00
Reap the Dark Tide (Sci-Fi Classic)Cyril M. Kornbluth1h 28m$1 · $0.00
Wolfbane (Sci-Fi Classic)Cyril M. Kornbluth, Frederik Pohl4h 51m$1 · $0.00
The Essential Works of Cyril M. KornbluthCyril M. Kornbluth36h 20m$2 · $0.00
Reap the Dark Tide (Annotated)Cyril M. Kornbluth2h 20m$2 · $0.00
The Sci-Fi Stories - Cyril M. Kornbluth EditionCyril M. Kornbluth11h 59m$2 · $0.00
Not This August (Christmas Eve) (Annotated)Cyril M. Kornbluth7h 5m$2 · $0.00
Two DoomsCyril M. Kornbluth, Frederik Pohl10h 25m$2 · $0.00
SF Boxed Set - Cyril M. Kornbluth Edition (Annotated)Cyril M. Kornbluth37h 19m$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Works of Jules VerneJules Verne246h 57m$2 · $0.00
Judgment DayRick Partlow10h 44m$20
ViniumS. H. Jucha14h 7m$23
AdventSeth Ring13h 20m$27
Sons of War 4: SoldiersNicholas Sansbury Smith, Tom Abrahams12h 54m$25
Hell to PayMichael Anderle7h 50m$20
A Civil CampaignLois McMaster Bujold18h 49m$32
Warrior’s FateWalt Browning10h 37m$20
The RisenErica Stevens10h 17m$20
100 Years to ExtinctionPeter Solomon14h 48m$27
Amazing Tales Volume 1Max Williams et al.4h 5m$2.30
H. G. Wells: Collected Works (Annotated)H. G. Wells427h 28m$2 · $0.00
Scars of RebellionAnthony J. Melchiorri12h 56m$25
The Galaxy, and the Ground WithinBecky Chambers9h 56m$29 · $0.00
AvengerBlair Howard9h 54m$23
Core’s AttackS.E. Smith5h 57m$17
TimelessR. A. Salvatore12h 30m$33 · $0.00
The Extinction New Zealand Series Box SetAdrian J. Smith23h 7m$30
The Quantum ChainNick Jones12h 59m$23
Thud!Terry Pratchett12h 29m$8 · $0.00
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