Alan Edward Nourse 1 hr 11 min read

A war-weary nation's meteoric new peacemaker hides a shocking truth, and a cynical reporter is about to uncover it.

Alan E. Nourse's 1957 story lands the sour Tom Shandor at a rainy New York airport amid rows of jet fighters, on the trail of a story that will upend a hero's rise. Tense, atmospheric social SF about propaganda, power, and the men who see through it. Read it for hard-boiled golden-age SF with a newsman's eye for the lie behind the legend.

In its time

Published in 1957, during the 1950s, post-war optimism meets cold war anxiety.

Reading it

1 hr 11 min read (a novelette, room for a turn or two).