Project Gutenberg 2022-08-05 Public domain in the USA. 132 Leinster, Murray 1896 1975 Jenkins, Will Jenkins, William Fitzgerald Fitzgerald, William Jenkins, Will F. Van Dongen, H. R. 1920 2010 Van Dongen, Henry Richard Dongen, H. R. Van Dongen, van Critical difference $aUnited States :$bStreet & Smith Publications, Inc.,$c1956. Produced from Astounding Science Fiction, July 1956 Colonial Survey Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Critical Difference" by Murray Leinster is a science fiction novel written in the mid-20th century. The story revolves around the challenges faced by a Colonial Survey officer named Massy as he undertakes his first independent survey on the icy planet Lani III. The book delves into themes of survival, communication, and the effects of cosmic phenomena on human existence, particularly focusing on a critical drop in solar output affecting the habitability of Lani II, the colony's home planet. The narrative follows Massy's journey as he discovers alarming signals indicating that the solar constant is rapidly decreasing due to coinciding sunspot cycles. This trend poses an existential threat not only to the inhabitants of Lani III but also to his home world, Lani II. As conditions worsen, Massy, alongside a small group of colonists including the determined Riki Herndon, devises a plan to release metallic vapor clouds into the atmosphere to capture solar energy, serving as a makeshift shield against the intense cold. Through a combination of ingenuity, teamwork, and an evolving sense of responsibility toward his fellow colonists, Massy strives to create a viable future for them as he navigates personal connections, particularly with Riki, amidst the imminent cosmic peril. The story culminates in a hopeful transformation of Lani III, setting the stage for a potential revival of life in harsh conditions. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20220610165814leinster 1956 US Reading ease score: 85.3 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Man-woman relationships -- Fiction Life on other planets -- Fiction Space colonies -- Fiction Climate change mitigation -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 115088 2025-07-27T08:15:27.028536 text/html 91814 2024-10-18T23:44:43 text/html 1024903 2025-07-27T08:15:30.709492 application/epub+zip 1025668 2025-07-27T08:15:28.305536 application/epub+zip 251008 2025-07-27T08:15:27.509538 application/epub+zip 1714268 2025-07-27T08:15:32.496489 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1705605 2025-07-27T08:15:30.182494 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1034826 2022-09-30T21:56:27.427894 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 106546 2025-07-27T08:15:26.797010 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 86644 2024-10-18T23:44:43 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18739 2025-07-27T08:15:32.642506 application/rdf+xml 31769 2025-07-27T08:15:27.846505 image/jpeg 5087 2025-07-27T08:15:27.670523 image/jpeg 2054082 2025-07-27T08:15:27.070543 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