000 02540cam a22003853u 4500
001 60713
003 UtSlPG
005 20260610134411.0
006 m
007 cr n
008 260607r2019||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d
040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aSohl, Jerry,
_d1913-2002
245 1 0 _aCounterweight
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2019
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, November 1959
500 _aRelease date is 2019-11-17
508 _aProduced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"Counterweight" by Jerry Sohl is a science fiction novel that was published in the late 1950s. Set during a time of burgeoning space exploration, the story focuses on the societal dynamics and psychological pressures faced by individuals aboard a space vessel traveling to a new planet, Antheon. The narrative delves into themes of human nature, particularly the darker impulses that may arise under extreme conditions. The novel follows Keith Ellason, a trained observer, who is sent aboard the "Weblor II" to document the colonists' journey to Antheon. As tensions rise among the passengers, triggered by a series of thefts and assaults by a figure known as Red Mask, Ellason witnesses the disintegration of order and the emergence of violence amid the confinement of space. In a twist, it is revealed that the chaos was orchestrated by a crew member, Harrel Critten, who poses as Red Mask, a scapegoat designed to absorb the passengers' frustrations and fears. This engineered conflict serves to prevent violence among the colonists, putting to the test the concepts of control and societal stability in the face of isolation. Ultimately, the book critiques human behavior and the fragility of social structures when placed under duress. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _nOriginal publication data not identified
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
653 _aPsychological fiction
653 _aCrime -- Fiction
653 _aJournalists -- Fiction
653 _aInterstellar travel -- Fiction
830 0 _aProduced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, November 1959
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60713
999 _c101539
_d101539