TY  - BOOK
AU  - Fontenay,Charles L.
AU  - Orban,Paul
TI  - Conservation
T2  - Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, April 1958
AV  - PS 
PY  - 2019///
CY  - Salt Lake City, UT
PB  - Project Gutenberg
KW  - Science fiction
KW  - Short stories
KW  - Regression (Civilization) -- Fiction
KW  - Technology -- Fiction
N1  - Release date is 2019-10-09; Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net; Original publication data not identified
N2  - "Conservation" by Charles L. Fontenay is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. The narrative explores themes of technological regression and human survival in a post-apocalyptic Earth, where vast advancements in power and technology are present but largely unutilized. The story is set after a period of catastrophic warfare, presenting a society that has adopted stringent conservation measures to guard against potential threats while neglecting to fully harness their technological capabilities.  The plot follows a crew led by Executive Officer John Gray as they return to Earth after a 258-year absence due to their mission to colonize a planet elsewhere in the galaxy. Upon landing, they encounter a military society that lives amidst advanced machinery yet chooses to use a rudimentary lifestyle reminiscent of earlier centuries. The crew grapples with local customs, governance, and a poorly understood legal system focused on conservation. As they uncover the motivations behind the society's apparent technological hostility, they learn that the Earth has been occupied and had a long struggle against alien invaders. Ultimately, their knowledge and skills from the Deneb III colony may offer a path to rebuilding Earth’s lost technological prowess and help restore a more sustainable future. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
UR  - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60462
ER  -