Project Gutenberg 2009-08-05 Public domain in the USA. 87 Kornbluth, C. M. (Cyril M.) 1923 1958 Kornbluth, Cyril M. Eisner, Simon Cooke, Arthur Kornbluth, C.M. Lavond, Paul Dennis Corwin, Cecil Ashman, William Ashman The Altar at Midnight Reading ease score: 92.7 (5th grade). Very easy to read. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "The Altar at Midnight" by C. M. Kornbluth is a science fiction short story written in the early 1950s. The narrative delves into themes of human experience amidst the backdrop of space travel, exploring the psychological and physical toll it takes on individuals. The story is set in a gritty urban environment, reflecting the social challenges faced by those who navigate through the complexities of modern life. The plot centers around a chance meeting between an older man and a young spacer, marked by deep conversations that reveal the harsh realities of life as an astronaut. The young spacer, affected by the physical scars of his profession, seeks solace in bars and human connections while grappling with feelings of isolation and purpose. Their interactions expose the struggles of identity, the search for belonging, and the impact of societal expectations. As the older man guides the young spacer through the nightlife, their dialogue showcases the bittersweet nature of seeking escape while confronting the haunting truths of their lives. In the end, the story raises questions about the value of human connection and the sacrifices made in the name of progress. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Science Fiction Browsing: Literature Browsing: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Browsing: Fiction 41748 41751 2024-10-12T16:27:48.927246 2023-09-13T07:13:19.270156 text/html text/html 37686 2021-01-05T10:40:10 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 129910 2021-01-05T10:40:10 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 197785 2024-10-12T16:27:53.179200 application/epub+zip 196183 2024-10-12T16:27:50.810238 application/epub+zip 105979 2024-10-12T16:27:49.613224 application/epub+zip 313959 2024-10-12T16:27:54.935178 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 249036 2024-10-12T16:27:52.413243 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 135234 2022-09-13T16:16:54.001883 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 34977 34876 2024-10-12T16:27:48.642219 2023-09-13T07:13:19.082147 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 34782 2021-01-05T10:40:10 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 13500 2021-01-05T10:40:10 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 20608 2024-10-12T16:27:55.063248 application/rdf+xml 12622 2024-10-12T16:27:50.151225 image/jpeg 3397 2024-10-12T16:27:49.879222 image/jpeg 196832 2024-10-12T16:27:48.940227 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia