Project Gutenberg 2019-05-23 Public domain in the USA. 154 Walton, Bryce 1918 1988 O'Hara, Kenneth Emshwiller, Ed 1925 1990 Emsh Emsh, Ed Alexander, Ed Emshwiller, Edmund A. Willer EMSH The Happy Herd Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, October 1956 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Happy Herd" by Bryce Walton is a science fiction novel that likely originated in the mid-20th century, specifically during the 1950s. The narrative explores themes of individuality and conformity in a dystopian society where people are conditioned to prioritize group happiness over personal freedom and dignity. The story follows Professor Larry Kane, who after a long stint on the Moon, returns to Earth only to find himself ensnared in a culture that eschews independent thought and individuality. The plot centers around Kane's struggles with the overwhelming desire for solitude as he grapples with the increasingly invasive social dynamics enforced by the Group he encounters upon his return. This 'Gang' of friends, led by Phil and Laura, relentlessly seeks to incorporate him into their world of collective reactions, defined by the use of a machine that measures and dictates their preferences based on group standards. As Kane becomes increasingly aware of the manipulative nature of their 'happy' existence, he fights against the societal pressures to conform and yearns for true individuality. Ultimately, the story examines the psychological ramifications of a society where personal rights, choices, and autonomy are sacrificed for the sake of social harmony, leaving Kane to decide whether to escape back to the isolation of space or to succumb to the collective will. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 85.6 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Psychological fiction Conformity -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 94467 2025-06-23T15:38:56.785808 text/html 91857 2019-05-23T16:48:58 text/html 258232 2025-06-23T15:38:59.294820 application/epub+zip 258067 2025-06-23T15:38:57.293766 application/epub+zip 102846 2025-06-23T15:38:57.011797 application/epub+zip 305804 2025-06-23T15:39:00.958803 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 298435 2025-06-23T15:38:59.044751 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 143534 2022-09-27T01:08:38.602243 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 85860 2025-06-23T15:38:56.562870 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 86084 2019-05-23T16:48:58 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20325 2025-06-23T15:39:01.200781 application/rdf+xml 26655 2025-06-23T15:38:57.111824 image/jpeg 4919 2025-06-23T15:38:57.063790 image/jpeg 424952 2019-05-23T16:48:58 application/octet-stream application/zip 32558 2019-05-23T16:48:58 application/octet-stream application/zip 427167 2025-06-23T15:38:56.806947 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 en.wikipedia