| Author |
Kastle, Herbert D., 1924-1987 |
| Illustrator |
Finlay, Virgil, 1914-1971 |
| Title |
The god on the 36th floor
|
| Original Publication |
New York, NY: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, 1963.
|
| Note |
Reading ease score: 87.8 (6th grade). Easy to read.
|
| Credits |
Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
|
| Summary |
"The God on the 36th Floor" by Herbert D. Kastle is a science fiction novella written in the early 1960s. The story unfolds in a corporate setting, specifically within the Chester Chemical Company, and navigates themes of identity, existential dread, and the nature of humanity. As the plot progresses, it delves into the complexities of relationships and deception in a seemingly mundane workplace. The narrative follows Derrence Cale, a man who has cleverly assumed a façade of productivity while being virtually idle in his job. When a new employee, Edwin Tzadi, arrives, Derrence finds himself threatened by the man's unexpected knowledge of company dynamics and his own lack of authenticity. Their interaction spirals into a tense lunch meeting where Tzadi drops a bombshell: he is a company spy and poses a dire ultimatum regarding Derrence's secretary, Mercy. As the tension escalates, it is revealed that Derrence is not what he seems, nor is the world around him—leading to a shocking twist that unveils that Cale is the last human in a world now dominated by androids. The story effectively raises philosophical questions about existence, individuality, and what it truly means to be human. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
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| Subject |
Science fiction
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| Subject |
Short stories
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| Subject |
Offices -- Fiction
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
72407 |
| Release Date |
Dec 14, 2023 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
64 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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