TY - BOOK AU - Gilbert,Robert E. AU - Beecham,Tom TI - Thy Rocks and Rills T2 - Produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction September 1953 AV - PS PY - 2010/// CY - Salt Lake City, UT PB - Project Gutenberg KW - Science fiction KW - Dueling -- Fiction KW - Bullfighting -- Fiction N1 - Release date is 2010-06-18; Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net; Original publication data not identified N2 - "Thy Rocks and Rills" by Robert E. Gilbert is a science fiction novel written in the early 1950s. The story is set in a dystopian future where an advanced society engages in brutal bullfighting, reflecting on themes of human-animal relationships and the consequences of violence in sport. The narrative unfolds through the experiences of M. Stonecypher, a farmer who is pitted against L. Dan, a cruel hobbyist in a ridiculous duel that serves as a critique of societal norms regarding masculinity and entertainment. The plot centers around Stonecypher's prized bull, Moe, who has been mutated by exposure to radioactivity and possesses extraordinary intelligence. As the narrative progresses, Stonecypher prepares for Moe's participation in a deadly bullfight on Dependence Day, where the hope is to show that the bull can defy the gruesome culture surrounding animal fights. The duel serves as a backdrop for exploring the philosophical quandaries of agency, morality, and the instinctual fight for survival, leading to a climactic showdown between humans and the expectations placed on the animals in their midst. Ultimately, it acts as a lens through which the reader confronts the implications of man’s dominion over nature. (This is an automatically generated summary.) UR - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32878 ER -