Clifford D. Simak 3 hr 52 min read

Spencer Chambers and Interplanetary Power hold the Solar System in an economic stranglehold, until one troublemaker demands an investigation and refuses to be silenced.

Clifford D. Simak's 1951 novel is a vigorous space opera of monopoly, rebellion, and a revolutionary new power source, from a future Grand Master. Solid, exciting golden-age SF. Read it for a David-and-Goliath tale of one man against a system-spanning cartel, from one of the genre's great humane voices.

In its time

Published in 1951, during the 1950s, post-war optimism meets cold war anxiety.

Reading it

3 hr 52 min read (a novel-length work, settle in).