Mars. The ruler of the solar system sits in his castle, in a world of his own. Billions of people are starving and his public image is failing--in response, he decides to have his official biography written and distributed to improve morale. Back on Earth, Salvor Hardin, a socially inept prodigy, is trying desperately to get to Mars. Unable to get a job, he ties his fate to New Karma, one of the many societies that have established themselves in the absence of Earth's ruler. Caught in his gravity, the people of New Karma have no choice but to follow Hardin on his mission. Although his...

New York City. Earth's resources are depleted, and its population is getting ready to colonize Mars. Machines produce all of the necessities of life, leaving no manual labor for humans. At the age of fourteen, a chip is implanted in every person's brain, so that the machine known as Karma can watch their every movement. To earn a living, to survive, there is only one thing they must do-- be good to others. The only place they are not watched is in specifically designated areas known as Privacy Rooms. A mysterious organization is using these Privacy Rooms to try to disrupt the system, and a...

Only one car exists in the world, and it's driven by a man going east. He's interrupted on his journey when he stops in a small town, where he is confronted by two individuals and the ideologies they stand for: Willem, who represents the belief in chairs; and Rachel, who represents the orthodox belief in the sanctity of the Car, the Road, the Passenger, and the Driver. To travel onward, he must deal with both.

In New York City, mysterious outbreaks of salmonella are devastating families. In Europe, decades before, rampant childbed fever is ending families before they even begin. Mary Mallon, an Irish cook, is pursued by the government. Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian obstetrician, is being ridiculed by the medical establishment. No one is washing their hands.

DEFINITIONS VICES: Immoral or wicked behavior. AND: Used to connect words of the same part of speech, clauses, or sentences that are to be taken jointly. VERSAS: Did you mean: versus definition? SHORT STORY: An invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on the creation of mood rather than plot. COLLECTION: A group of things or people. BY: Identifying the agent performing an action. JUDE FAWLEY: A working-class young man, a stonemason, who dreams of becoming a scholar.