The Altar at Midnight

Name: The Altar at Midnight
Author: C. M. Kornbluth

By C. M. Kornbluth

Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

Short Stories

About This Book

The narrator encounters a young spaceman marked by broken veins and radiation-scarred eyes and escorts him through dive bars where veterans exchange tall tales and injuries. Conversation reveals the physical toll of the Bowman Drive and decompression work—redlines, ruined sight, amputations—and the economic pressure that keeps men risking further harm. The young spacer oscillates between pride in pay and fear of degeneration while patrons cope with alcoholism, gallows humor, and nostalgia. The story portrays a community of damaged laborers and probes the tension between technological progress framed as public good and the private suffering it imposes on individual workers.

About the Author

C. M. Kornbluth

C. M. Kornbluth was an influential American science fiction writer known for his sharp social commentary and imaginative storytelling. Active primarily in the mid-20th century, he contributed significantly to the genre with works that often explored themes of technology, society, and human nature. His notable stories include "The Marching Morons," which critiques consumerism and societal complacency, and "Crisis!" which delves into the complexities of human relationships in a futuristic setting. Kornbluth's writing is characterized by its wit and incisive observations, making him a key figure in the development of speculative fiction.