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
50King Cole of Pluto
2Introduction
51CHAPTER I. LEIGH SALVAGE, INCORPORATED
3Historical Context
52CHAPTER II. AN UNEXPECTED RIVAL
4Synopsis (Selection)
53CHAPTER III. CRIME IN SPACE
5Takeoff
54CHAPTER IV. PURSUIT BETWEEN THE PLANETS
Show all chaptersShow less
6PART I.
55CHAPTER V. CONTACT OFF PLUTO
7CHAPTER I.
56CHAPTER VI. RETURN FROM BATTLE
8CHAPTER II.
57Reap the Dark Tide
9CHAPTER III.
58CHAPTER I.
10CHAPTER IV.
59CHAPTER II.
11CHAPTER V.
60CHAPTER III.
12CHAPTER VI.
61CHAPTER IV.
13PART II.
62CHAPTER V.
14CHAPTER VII.
63The Rocket of 1955
15CHAPTER VIII.
64What Sorghum Says
16CHAPTER IX.
65The City in the Sofa
17CHAPTER X.
66Dead Center!
18CHAPTER XI.
67CHAPTER I.
19CHAPTER XII.
68CHAPTER II.
20CONCLUSION
69CHAPTER III.
21CHAPTER XIII.
70CHAPTER IV.
22CHAPTER XIV.
71CHAPTER V.
23CHAPTER XV.
72The Perfect Invasion
24CHAPTER XVI.
73CHAPTER I.
25CHAPTER XVII.
74CHAPTER II.
26The Syndic
75CHAPTER III.
27PART I.
76CHAPTER IV.
28CHAPTER I.
77Masquerade
29CHAPTER III.
78The Little Black Bag
30CHAPTER IV.
79Iteration
31CHAPTER V.
80The Marching Morons
32CHAPTER VI.
81With These Hands
33CHAPTER VII.
82CHAPTER I.
34CHAPTER VIII.
83CHAPTER II.
35CHAPTER IX.
84CHAPTER III.
36PART II.
85CHAPTER IV.
37CHAPTER X.
86CHAPTER V.
38CHAPTER XI.
87CHAPTER VI.
39CHAPTER XII.
88The Altar at Midnight
40CHAPTER XIII.
89The Adventurer
41CHAPTER XIV.
90The Luckiest Man in Denv
42CHAPTER XV.
91Time Bum
43CHAPTER XVI.
92Ms. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie
44CHAPTER XVII.
93Theory of Rocketry
45CHAPTER XVIII.
94Crisis!
46CHAPTER XIX.
95The Reversible Revolutions
47CHAPTER XX.
96Analysis
48CHAPTER XXI.
97Reflection
49CHAPTER XXII.
98Memorable Quotes
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