Turning Point

By Alfred Coppel

Alfred Coppel was a science fiction writer in the middle of the 20th century. He wrote adventurous stories for numerous pulp magazines. Other works by Coppel can be found under his pseudonym Robert Cham Gilman. This is one of those stories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Start Classics
• Release date: Apr 4, 2014
• ISBN: 9781609776961

Alfred Coppel

Alfred Coppel (1921-2004) was an American author and writer of science fiction and historical fiction. He was born in New York City and served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, where he flew 150 combat missions as a navigator and bombardier. After the war, Coppel pursued a career in writing and published his first short story in 1947. He went on to write over 40 novels and numerous short stories, many of which were published in science fiction magazines such as Galaxy and Astounding Science Fiction. Coppel's work often explored themes of war, politics, and the human condition. Some of his notable works include "The Burning Mountain," "The Hills of Home," and "The Glory Boys." He also wrote several historical novels under the pseudonym Robert Cham Gilman. Throughout his career, Coppel received several awards for his writing, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Short Story in 1955. He passed away in 2004 at the age of 82.

Book preview

TURNING POINT

By Alfred Coppel

Start Publishing LLC

Copyright © 2012 by Start Publishing LLC

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

First Start Publishing eBook edition January 2014

Start Publishing is a registered trademark of Start Publishing LLC

Manufactured in the United States of America

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ISBN 978-1-60977-696-1

The man is rare who will give his life for what is merely the lesser of two evils. Merrick's decision was even tougher: to save human beings at the expense of humanity, or vice versa?

* * * * *

This, then, was the Creche, Anno Domini 2500. A great, mile-square blind cube topping a ragged mountain; bare escarpments falling away to a turbulent sea. For five centuries the Creche had stood so, and the Androids had come forth in an unending stream to labor for Man, the Master....

--Quintus Bland, The Romance of Genus Homo.

Director Han Merrick paced the floor nervously. His thin, almost ascetic face was pale and drawn.

We can't allow it, Virginia, he said, Prying of this sort can only precipitate a pogrom or worse. Erikson is a bigot of the worst kind. The danger-- He broke off helplessly.

His wife shook her head slowly. "It