Project Gutenberg 2023-03-24 Public domain in the USA. 120 Del Rey, Lester 1915 1993 Rey, Lester del Knapp, Leonard And there was light $aUnited States :$bColumbia Publications, Inc., $c1951. Produced from Future combined with Science Fiction Stories July 1951 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "And There Was Light" by Lester Del Rey is a science fiction novella written in the early 1950s. The story explores the dark themes of morality and the dire consequences of technological advancements, specifically focusing on the use of a devastating new weapon that threatens to alter the future of humanity. It tackles the idea of making radical societal changes through control of population and the ethics surrounding such decisions. The plot centers around Johann Volcek, a scientist who has developed a revolutionary method of controlling nitrogen fission, which becomes a tool for enemy manipulation. As he prepares for a significant test, we are introduced to his wife, Stefanie, who is recovering from a recent loss and represents innocence amidst the chaos. When the test is executed, Volcek struggles with the implications of his work, which is designed to gradually sterilize the population in the West, effectively extinguishing a race. The Director of Centralia, who oversees this project, emphasizes the necessity of this action for achieving peace. However, as the test unfolds, a critical error occurs, leading to catastrophic consequences that force Volcek to confront the moral implications of his actions and the tragic loss of Stefanie's dream of motherhood, leaving readers to ponder the true meaning of progress and sacrifice in the name of peace. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20220529063230delrey 1951 US Reading ease score: 71.8 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Weapons -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 48372 2025-07-28T04:07:14.806592 text/html 47647 2023-03-24T11:28:39 text/html 505297 2025-07-28T04:07:17.575537 application/epub+zip 504083 2025-07-28T04:07:15.870570 application/epub+zip 165918 2025-07-28T04:07:15.234560 application/epub+zip 997434 2025-07-28T04:07:18.904546 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 989978 2025-07-28T04:07:17.126570 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 41556 2025-07-28T04:07:14.667579 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 41303 2023-03-24T11:28:39 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18317 2025-07-28T04:07:19.032523 application/rdf+xml 32952 2025-07-28T04:07:15.509550 image/jpeg 5513 2025-07-28T04:07:15.372553 image/jpeg 15794 2023-03-24T11:28:40 application/octet-stream application/zip 1071251 2023-03-24T11:28:40 application/octet-stream application/zip 1073568 2025-07-28T04:07:14.825554 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 More titles under McCann, Edson