02705cam a22004093u 4500 60671 UtSlPG 20260610134411.0 m cr n 260607r2019||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PS Smith, George H. (George Henry), 1922-1996 The Last Days of L.A. Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2019 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, February 1959 Release date is 2019-11-11 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Last Days of L.A." by George H. Smith is a science fiction short story written in the late 1950s. The narrative explores the psychological and social ramifications of living under the impending threat of nuclear annihilation, focusing on a protagonist grappling with dread and existential despair in a decaying Los Angeles. The story serves as a reflection on the dark undercurrents of human nature amidst the backdrop of a world on the brink of destruction. The plot centers on an unnamed narrator who is haunted by nightmarish visions of nuclear devastation, exacerbated by his daily encounters with a group of disillusioned friends. As tensions rise in the world around them, their conversations shift between irony and cynicism about life and death. In the face of a chaotic society fueled by violence and fear, the protagonist oscillates between a desire to engage with the world and a longing to escape its horrors. Ultimately, he attempts to awaken the populace to the imminent threat they all face, only to be violently rebuffed, highlighting the futility of individual efforts in a collective state of denial. The work encapsulates the psychological weight of living during a nuclear age, filled with dark humor and bleak insight into human existence. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Original publication data not identified Science fiction Short stories Alcoholics -- Fiction Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Fiction Nightmares -- Fiction Cold War -- Fiction Nuclear weapons -- Psychological aspects -- Fiction Orban, Paul, 1896-1974 Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, February 1959 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60671 101497 101497