Project Gutenberg 2019-12-16 Public domain in the USA. 122 Lafferty, R. A. 1914 2002 Lafferty, Raphael Aloysius McGonigal's Worm Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, November 1960 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "McGonigal's Worm" by R. A. Lafferty is a science fiction novel written in the early 1960s. The story revolves around an unusual event that incapacitates all chordata on Earth, eliminating their ability to reproduce, except for one seemingly insignificant creature—McGonigal's Worm. This strange phenomenon prompts a global reaction as scientists and governments scramble to understand the cause of this sterility and the implications it holds for humanity's future. The narrative follows the unfolding crisis, introducing characters like Director Concord, who leads an institute dedicated to studying this alarming development. Central to the plot are a couple, Musha and Cecilia, who embody the human response to the extinction threat when they are identified as the last hope for human reproduction. An ill-fated attempt to unite them acts as a focal point for exploring themes of individuality versus the collective good, dignity in the face of extinction, and the absurdity of the situation. As the story progresses, the real "disease" emerges not from a biological failure but as a reflection of societal values and the human condition in the face of inevitable decline. Ultimately, "McGonigal's Worm" presents a thought-provoking exploration of survival, hope, and the complexities of existence in an absurd world. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 76.3 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Infertility -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 43304 2025-09-24T08:16:00.867021 text/html 19515 2024-10-17T15:18:27 text/html 205249 2025-09-24T08:16:02.457995 application/epub+zip 204101 2025-09-24T08:16:01.253006 application/epub+zip 57155 2025-09-24T08:16:01.067006 application/epub+zip 233972 2025-09-24T08:16:03.579017 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 226749 2025-09-24T08:16:02.281028 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 79777 2022-09-27T14:29:14.240576 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 37122 2025-09-24T08:16:00.724017 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17398 2024-10-17T15:18:27 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16820 2025-09-24T08:16:03.705007 application/rdf+xml 14454 2025-09-24T08:16:01.139007 image/jpeg 2800 2025-09-24T08:16:01.104006 image/jpeg 185715 2025-09-24T08:16:00.876007 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