Project Gutenberg 2022-02-05 Public domain in the USA. 122 Mason, David 1924 1974 Placebo $aUnited States :$bRoyal Publications, Inc,$c1955. Produced from Infinity Science Fiction, November 1955 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Placebo" by David Mason is a science fiction story written in the mid-20th century. The narrative unfolds during a time of emerging technological advancements and societal changes, reflecting themes of time travel and the complexities of different realities. The tale explores the concept of psychological and societal perceptions as the protagonist encounters an unusual and chaotic interaction with an alien traveler from another 1955, dealing with the dichotomy of primitive versus advanced civilizations. The story centers around Philip Corrigan, who discovers a time traveler named Darwin Lenner stranded in a peculiar world that appears simple and carefree compared to Lenner's more structured and rigid society. As they interact, Lenner expresses his despair over his inability to return to his home world—where complexity reigns over freedom. With a comedic twist, Corrigan, alongside another character named Burwell, ultimately deceives Lenner into believing that his faulty time machine has been successfully repaired, illuminating the idea that psychological belief can serve as a catalyst for action. The conclusion emphasizes the value of self-belief over mechanical reliance, as Lenner's departure is facilitated by the notion of empowerment rather than the actual functioning of his device, highlighting a whimsical critique of civilization's reliance on technology. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20211031103231mason 1955 US Reading ease score: 78.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Time travel -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 35296 2025-07-26T13:21:55.189887 text/html 11484 2024-10-18T19:12:00 text/html 233154 2025-07-26T13:21:57.056911 application/epub+zip 232001 2025-07-26T13:21:55.676935 application/epub+zip 69933 2025-07-26T13:21:55.420934 application/epub+zip 264810 2025-07-26T13:21:58.304910 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 257688 2025-07-26T13:21:56.850891 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 95636 2022-09-30T09:20:01.794210 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 29415 2025-07-26T13:21:55.078897 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 9605 2024-10-18T19:12:00 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16526 2025-07-26T13:21:58.446868 application/rdf+xml 30035 2025-07-26T13:21:55.536880 image/jpeg 4708 2025-07-26T13:21:55.476902 image/jpeg 341103 2025-07-26T13:21:55.200932 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