Breeder Reaction by Winston K. Marks
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"Breeder Reaction" by Winston K. Marks is a science fiction short story written in the early 1950s. The narrative revolves around a quirky advertising world where an unusual beauty product, "Atummyc Afterbath Dusting Powder," infused with a mysterious ingredient termed Atummion, unexpectedly attracts mass appeal due to its astonishing beauty-enhancing properties. The story offers a satirical look at the cosmetics industry, highlighting themes of unintended consequences stemming from scientific experimentation. The plot
follows the protagonist, a product engineer named Sanford Sanders, who becomes embroiled in the chaotic aftermath of the explosive success of Atummyc products. Initially dismissive, he soon discovers that the "radiant atomic look" touted in advertisements is due to real, profound changes that the Atummion creates in its users. As sales skyrocket, a serious revelation unfolds: the ingredient has unforeseen effects that lead to pregnancy among female users, including a department assistant named Dolores. The narrative crescendos with the implications of their popularity mingling with ethical concerns, forcing Sanders and his colleagues to confront the moral responsibilities of their creations amidst an unfolding fertility crisis intertwined with their cosmetics lineup. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Marks, Winston K. (Winston Kinney), 1915-1979 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Freas, Kelly, 1922-2005 |
| Title | Breeder Reaction |
| Series Title | Produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction April 1954. |
| Credits |
Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 74.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 32077 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-32077-9 |
| Release Date | Apr 21, 2010 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 503 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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