Testing by Jr. Sam Merwin
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Testing by Jr. Sam Merwin is a science fiction short story written in the mid-20th century. It centers on the discovery of a small human colony on a supposedly uninhabited planet chosen for a planet-destroying weapons test, raising urgent ethical and political dilemmas. A sidelined military pilot, Echelon Leader Hannibal Pryor, surveys Rigel IV ahead of a “planet-buster” demonstration and is stunned to find a remote human settlement, Leith on Nevis, led
by a wise patriarch known as the Dominie. The colony holds an ancient, valid charter that should halt the test, but Pryor’s delay—and the fleet’s ruthless move to destroy his ship—prevent timely communication. Working overnight with the Dominie, he manages to alert Interstellar Control, yet the superweapon is already inbound. Accepting their likely doom, the Dominie hopes their sacrifice will expose the illegal test and avert a wider interstellar war, while Pryor, chastened and admiring, stands with the villagers as the end approaches. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Merwin, Sam, Jr., 1910-1996 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Hunter, Mel, 1927-2004 |
| Title | Testing |
| Original Publication | New York: King-Size Publications, Inc., 1956. |
| Series Title | Produced from Fantastic Universe, March 1956 (Vol. 5, No. 2.). |
| Credits | Sean/IB and Tom Trussel |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Life on other planets -- Fiction |
| Subject | Space colonies -- Fiction |
| Subject | Weapons -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 77357 |
| Release Date | Nov 27, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 337 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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