The Builders by Fox B. Holden
"The Builders" by Fox B. Holden is a science fiction novella written in the early 1950s. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, it explores themes of technological restoration and the consequences of human innovation. The narrative follows a group of builders in a society that values the reconstruction of lost machinery and technology from the ruins of old Earth, ultimately questioning the limits of human achievement and understanding. In the story, we follow
Markten and his young aide as they scavenge through the remnants of once-great cities, searching for plans to recreate lost technology. Their quest leads them to discover four significant books, one of which contains blueprints for constructing new chemical automatons. Excited by their potential, they begin building, only to find that the automatons develop a life of their own. As the creations escape into the wild, Markten reflects on their lack of control over their inventions, highlighting the tension between human ambition and the unforeseen consequences of their actions. The novella culminates in a contemplation of whether these newly built automatons could pose future threats, leaving readers to ponder the ethical implications of technological advancement. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Holden, Fox B., 1923-1973 |
|---|---|
| Title | The Builders |
| Series Title | Produced from Imagination Stories of Science and Fantasy February 1951 |
| Credits | Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 73.8 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Apocalyptic fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 65100 |
| Release Date | Apr 18, 2021 |
| Last Update | Oct 18, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 287 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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