Project Gutenberg 2015-11-12 Public domain in the USA. 215 Silverberg, Robert 1935 Knox, Calvin M. Martin, Webber Mitchell, Clyde Jarvis, E. K. Burke, Ralph Master of Life and Death Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Master of Life and Death" by Robert Silverberg is a science fiction novel written in the late 20th century. The story is set in the 23rd century and follows Roy Walton, an assistant administrator for the Bureau of Population Equalization—a dystopian organization responsible for managing Earth's overpopulation crisis through cruel measures like euthanasia and forced relocation. As Roy grapples with the moral implications of his job, he faces mounting public backlash and personal dilemmas that force him to confront the darker side of humanity’s struggle for survival. The opening of the novel establishes a society on the brink due to extreme overpopulation, with Walton tasked to enforce population control measures that involve determining who is fit to live and who isn't. As he navigates his responsibilities, he encounters a grieving father, Lyle Prior, whose newborn son is marked for euthanasia due to a perceived genetic flaw. Walton's inner turmoil is intensified as he contemplates sparing Prior's child, an act of rebellion that compromises his career and pits him against the rigid bureaucratic system. The narrative sets the stage for Walton’s moral conflict and the far-reaching consequences of his choices, suggesting a broader commentary on humanity's capacity for compassion amid dire circumstances. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 76.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Overpopulation -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 308402 2025-07-20T08:07:05.245776 text/html 288535 2024-10-22T23:26:37 text/html 289607 2025-07-20T08:07:09.537272 application/epub+zip 294418 2025-07-20T08:07:05.826744 application/epub+zip 192459 2025-07-20T08:07:05.522761 application/epub+zip 410840 2025-07-20T08:07:12.571199 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 387595 2025-07-20T08:07:09.246272 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 285704 2022-09-22T18:42:33.642591 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 290132 2025-07-20T08:07:04.537769 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 270296 2024-10-22T23:26:37 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17895 2025-07-20T08:07:12.693253 application/rdf+xml 33804 2025-07-20T08:07:05.605764 image/jpeg 5059 2025-07-20T08:07:05.564742 image/jpeg 268563 2025-07-20T08:07:05.272840 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog More titles under Jorgensen, Ivar en.wikipedia