Project Gutenberg 2016-02-26 Public domain in the USA. 119 Harmon, Jim 1933 2010 Harmon, James Judson Confidence Game Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction June 1957 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Confidence Game" by Jim Harmon is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century, specifically during the late 1950s. This narrative explores themes of addiction, identity, and the implications of time travel through the lens of its characters' struggles. The story blends elements of social commentary with speculative fiction, revealing the complex relationships between individuals and their desires. In "Confidence Game," the protagonist, often referred to as Kevin, navigates a gritty world alongside his elderly father, known as Doc, who possesses the potential for time travel. As they dwell in the underbelly of society, Kevin battles his deep-rooted addiction to caffeine, a reflection of his desperation and cravings for a life beyond his current circumstances. When Doc's knowledge leads to a series of mysterious disappearances linked to powerful books that don't exist, Kevin grapples with his identity and the legacy of his father. Ultimately, he faces a critical choice between safeguarding a dangerous technology that could angle humanity towards a state of pure reason or destroying it to protect the essence of what it means to be human. The narrative combines a rich exploration of the human psyche with the consequences of ambition, addiction, and the complexities of father-son relationships. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 85.4 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 57537 2025-08-20T14:11:49.589764 text/html 34108 2024-10-23T00:06:30 text/html 268437 2025-08-20T14:11:51.504761 application/epub+zip 267286 2025-08-20T14:11:49.977794 application/epub+zip 85854 2025-08-20T14:11:49.759750 application/epub+zip 305817 2025-08-20T14:11:52.807721 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 298773 2025-08-20T14:11:51.296808 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 117834 2022-09-23T11:05:21.114614 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 49983 2025-08-20T14:11:49.447743 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 30262 2024-10-23T00:06:29 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16779 2025-08-20T14:11:52.976727 application/rdf+xml 24351 2025-08-20T14:11:49.833789 image/jpeg 4509 2025-08-20T14:11:49.797746 image/jpeg 243176 2025-08-20T14:11:49.605742 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 en.wikipedia