Cocoon

By Keith Laumer

Two Billion Years ago, a unit of life had the urge to climb out of the sea. It died. But that didn’t count. The urge to climb out was the thing—greater in its force than a million suns to keep the urge is the measure of man. Before becoming a science fiction writer Laumer was an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the Foreign Service, adding a note of realism to many of his stories. One of science fiction’s true luminaries

• Language: English
• Publisher: Start Publishing LLC
• Release date: Oct 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781649740298

Keith Laumer

John Keith Laumer (June 9, 1925 – January 23, 1993) was an American science fiction author. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he was an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the United States Foreign Service. His older brother March Laumer was also a writer, known for his adult reinterpretations of the Land of Oz (also mentioned in Laumer's The Other Side of Time). Frank Laumer, their youngest brother, is a historian and writer.

Book preview

Cocoon

by Keith Laumer

Start Publishing LLC

Copyright © 2020 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.

Start Publishing is a registered trademark of Start Publishing LLC

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN 978-1-64974-029-8

Two Billion Years ago, a unit of life had the urge to climb out of the sea. It died. But that didn’t count. The urge to climb out was the thing—greater in its force than a million suns to keep the urge is the measure of man.

Sid Throndyke overrode his respirator to heave a deep sigh.

Wow! he said, flipping to his wife’s personal channel. A tough day on the Office channel.

The contact screens attached to his eyeballs stayed blank: Cluster was out. Impatiently, Sid toed the console, checking the channels: Light, Medium and Deep Sitcom; auto-hypno; Light and Deep Narco; four, six, and eighty-party Social; and finally, muttering to himself, Psychan. Cluster’s identity symbol appeared on his screens.

There you are, he grieved. Psychan again. After a hard day, the least a man expects is to find his wife tuned to his channel—

Oh, Sid; there’s this wonderful analyst. A new model. It’s doing so much for me, really wonderful....

I know, Sid grumped. That orgasm-association technique. That’s all I hear. I’d think you’d want to keep in touch with the Sitcoms, so you know what’s going on; but I suppose you’ve been tied into Psychan all day—while I burned my skull out on Office.

"Now, Sid; didn’t I program your dinner