Project Gutenberg 2016-02-20 Public domain in the USA. 141 Ellanby, Boyd Ellanbee, Boyd Ellamby, Boyd Doktor Chain Reaction Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction September 1956 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Chain Reaction" by Boyd Ellanby is a science fiction novella first published in the mid-20th century, specifically in the 1950s. The story revolves around a group of university professors who gather at a sanitarium to visit a colleague, Dr. Rothman, who has been committed after raising alarms about a potential catastrophic chain reaction due to a nuclear test. The narrative explores themes of mental health, scientific ethics, and the consequences of unchecked scientific experimentation. As the plot unfolds, the professors engage in a tense poker game that serves as a backdrop for their discussions about the impending test, which Rothman believes could lead to global annihilation. The story captures the internal struggles and dynamics between the characters, especially as they grapple with doubt and fear surrounding Rothman's calculations. With the clock ticking down to zero hour, the professors' various reactions to the potential end of the world reveal their true character and the weight of their scientific responsibilities. Ultimately, when the test concludes without disaster, Rothman's grip on reality is called into question, leaving the reader to ponder the thin line between genius and madness. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 86.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 55188 2025-08-20T13:57:31.594854 text/html 31608 2024-10-23T00:04:51 text/html 420689 2025-08-20T13:57:33.490855 application/epub+zip 419520 2025-08-20T13:57:31.977879 application/epub+zip 82537 2025-08-20T13:57:31.763881 application/epub+zip 456416 2025-08-20T13:57:34.779885 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 449769 2025-08-20T13:57:33.277849 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 113391 2022-09-23T10:31:35.262566 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 47977 2025-08-20T13:57:31.454867 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 28236 2024-10-23T00:04:51 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16757 2025-08-20T13:57:34.913859 application/rdf+xml 23137 2025-08-20T13:57:31.832875 image/jpeg 4181 2025-08-20T13:57:31.797871 image/jpeg 380481 2025-08-20T13:57:31.610849 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 Boyd, Lyle Gifford