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Critical Mass

Frederik Pohl & C. M. Kornbluth

First published February 1962
Type Short Fiction
Length Novelette

Synopsis

In a 1998 United States where the Cold War has continued, leading to constant air raid drills and a plan to provide bomb shelters for the entire population, a pair of studies showing that the proposed shelters would be ineffective and that the upcoming Baseball All-Star Game is likely to be the occasion of an attack by the Communists accidentally replace a routine rigged study concealing the unhealthy effects of a soft drink, and are subsequently widely disseminated.

External Links

Publications (15)

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
February 1962 Galaxy Magazine, February 1962 Galaxy Publishing Corporation MAGAZINE 8
February 1962 Galaxy Magazine, February 1962 Strato Publications MAGAZINE 8
September 1962 The Wonder Effect Ballantine Books Collection 11
November 1962 The Wonder Effect Ballantine Books Collection 11
1965 The Eighth Galaxy Reader Doubleday Anthology 209
1965 The Eighth Galaxy Reader Gollancz Anthology 209
1967 The Wonder Effect Gollancz Collection 11
1968 The Eighth Galaxy Reader Pan Books Anthology 200
July 1969 The Wonder Effect Ballantine Books Collection 11
July 1969 The Wonder Effect Ballantine Books Collection 11
April 1970 Final Encounter Curtis Books Anthology 189
September 1974 The Wonder Effect Panther Collection 11
October 1977 Critical Mass Bantam Books Collection 137
February 1987 Our Best: The Best of Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth Baen Books Collection 17
February 1987 Our Best: The Best of Frederik Pohl and C. M. Kornbluth Baen Books Collection 17