The threat to civilization was so incredible, no one recognized it.It started with a simple experiment: heighten animal intelligence. When a few of the specimens escaped from their cages, people were amused by the strange creatures.But then they started breeding. And new generations combined sharpened intelligence with a natural hatred of mankind.And one man knows too much for his own safety.

EpubIn four days the world was coming to an end! The exploding sun would burn every living thing on Earth to a cinder1 In Simsville, it was Bill Easson who got the job of picking those fit to escape. He had to choose ten people-men, women, or children-out of its desperate, hysterical three thousand.Whom should he pick-the beautiful, the bold, or the clever?Did they really have a chance to reach a new world in the rickety, jerry-built, inadequate space boat that would be given them?Would cold and hostile Mars welcome them?J. T. McIntosh's unforgettable novel has been rightly called one of the best science-fiction stories ever to appear.

Introduction, J. T. McIntosh on Wikipedia Pandora's Box, (ss) Operation Fantast #8 March 1951 Venus Mission, (nv) Planet Stories July 1951 Machine Made, (ss) New Worlds Science Fiction Summer 1951 End of the Beginning, (ss) Operation Fantast #10 Autumn 1951 The Reluctant Colonist, (nv) Planet Stories May 1952 Made in U.S.A., (nv) Galaxy April 1953 Beggars All, (nv) F&SF April 1953 First Lady, (nv) Galaxy June 1953 Five Into Four, (nv) Science Fantasy #10 Sep. 1954 You Were Right, Joe, (ss) Galaxy Nov. 1957 Tenth Time Around, (nv) F&SF May 1959 I Can Do Anything, (nv) Galaxy April 1961 The Gatekeepers, (nv) Galaxy Aug. 1961 Spanner in the Works, (nv) Analog March 1963 Poor Planet, (nv) F&SF Aug. 1964 revised from "The Solomon Plan," (nv) New Worlds #44 Feb. 1956 / Satellite April 1959 Planet of Fakers, (nv) Galaxy Oct. 1966

A planet-wide plot! The stakes? All the world's people.The million cities cover every inch of the Earth's surface with a gleaming metal skin. They penetrate deep into the planet's core. And billions of people crowd them, fast squandering the depleted resources of an aging world.The way forward for the human race lies in only one direction: outward to the stars. But only the Chartists are capable of building starships. And the government has outlawed them and subjected them to a vicious reign of terror.But the Chartists are not what they seem.

Some win. Some lose. Some die.To keep the planet's population figures stable, Noman authorities devised the Sports - each a test of nerves, skill, and physical fitness. Those found proficient receive medals. Those found wanting, die. Sixty million Nomans died each year in the the Sports.Now a human telepath has been sent to Noman by the Universal Order Force. His assignment: Find out who's rigging the games.Before it's too late.

The earth is doomed!Only ten people out of every 3,000 will escape aboard space ships to begin a new colony on Mars. For the rest of humanity . . . inevitable destruction.Bill Easson is a conscientious, straightforward guy. But as pilot of one of the ships, he holds the power of life and death in his hands. As the time grows nearer, violent mobs swarm through the streets, and the ten names on Bill's list change and change again.The authorities only give Bill a 60 percent chance of survival. He knows in his bones he's got to lengthen the odds.Or die trying.