000 02363cam a22003613u 4500
001 74098
003 UtSlPG
005 20260610134720.0
006 m
007 cr n
008 260607r20241928utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d
040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aLinebarger, Paul Myron Anthony,
_d1913-1966
245 1 0 _aWar No. 81-Q
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2024
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aThe Instrumentality of Mankind
500 _a"[T]his story was later rewritten; this is the original."
500 _aRelease date is 2024-07-22
508 _aAlex White & the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net
520 _a"War No. 81-Q" by Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, published under the pseudonym Cordwainer Smith, is a science fiction short story that first appeared in a high school publication in the late 1920s. Set in a futuristic world of 2127 A.D., the story explores the absurdity and mechanics of warfare in a future dominated by technology and strategic control, particularly focusing on aerial combat using remotely piloted ships. The narrative centers on a war between the United American Nations and the Mongolian Alliance, specifically over the Radiant Heat Monopoly. As the two sides prepare for a highly regulated and peculiar war with strict rules governing combatants, spectators eagerly anticipate the spectacle. The young pilot, Jack Bearden, unexpectedly finds himself in command of multiple ships during this unusual aerial battle. His initially overwhelming task leads to a series of chaotic and accidental maneuvers that ultimately result in the destruction of the enemy's ships. The outcome declares Bearden victorious and heralds him as a hero, spotlighting themes of chance, the folly of war, and the blurring of human presence in combat. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _pOriginally published:
_cNew York City: Ballantine Books, 1928
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
653 _aWar stories
830 0 _aThe Instrumentality of Mankind
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74098
999 _c114823
_d114823