The Altar at Midnight

Cyril M. KornbluthProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 15K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Altar at Midnight by C. M. KornbluthAuthor: Kornbluth, C. M. (Cyril M.), 1923-1958,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Aug 5, 2009

Editor's review

This is a short science fiction piece by C. M. Kornbluth. It is brief in length, yet carries the cold, satirical temperament characteristic of mid-twentieth-century science fiction. The story unfolds around a situation in a space environment, using the science fiction premise to examine human desire, professional ethics, and institutional pressure, and the ending often leaves a lingering resonance worth pondering. Kornbluth's writing excels at creating tension through concise dialogue and scene progression, without relying on complex setups, focusing instead on his characters' choices and their costs. For readers familiar with Golden Age science fiction, this small book offers a concentrated and effective reading experience; for readers encountering this author for the first time, it can also serve as an entry point to understanding his narrative style. As a public-domain electronic text, the typesetting and proofreading quality depend on the edition, so when reading, one should focus on the story's structure and satirical meaning rather than expecting an elaborate worldview.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Science fiction fans who want to understand the style of mid-twentieth-century short science fiction
Short-story readers who enjoy satire and cold, austere narration
English learners looking for original-language reading material of moderate length with concentrated plot
Science fiction writing enthusiasts who want to study how short stories use dialogue to drive the narrative

Not a good fit for

Hard science fiction readers who prefer long-form worldbuilding and complex setups
Readers expecting lighthearted humor or warm, tender stories
Beginners whose English reading is not yet proficient and who need Chinese-language support

Reading tips

First read through once to grasp the plot and character relationships, then revisit key dialogues to appreciate how the author uses brief exchanges to create tension.
After finishing, look up the historical background of mid-twentieth-century science fiction to understand the story's institutional satire and its real-world references.
Read it alongside other short stories by Kornbluth to observe his recurring themes and narrative techniques.
If using it for English study, excerpt dialogue passages for retelling practice, paying attention to colloquial expressions and differences in tone.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

About how long is this story, and how long does it take to read?

It is a short story, brief in length; proficient English readers can usually finish it in one to two hours. If you need to look up words or take notes, it will take longer, making it suitable as a concentrated short-reading exercise.

I haven't read any other works by Kornbluth. Can I read this one directly?

Yes. This story stands alone and does not depend on series settings or prior knowledge. If you are interested in his style after reading it, extending to other short stories by this author will give you a better understanding of his recurring themes and satirical techniques.

What themes does the story involve, and is it suitable for classroom discussion?

It mainly revolves around characters' choices, professional ethics, and institutional pressure in a space setting, with a satirical tone. It is short with concentrated conflict, making it suitable as material for short-story analysis or science fiction-themed discussion; teachers should supplement background explanations according to students' English proficiency.

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About the author

Cyril M. Kornbluth Author · American · 1923–1958

Cyril M. Kornbluth (1923–1958) was an American science fiction writer. Born in New York City, he died of a heart attack in New York State in 1958. As a teenager he joined the Futurians, a science fiction group, and was closely associated with Frederik Pohl, Isaac Asimov, and others; he is regarded as one of the representative authors of the Golden Age of science fiction. Kornbluth was known for social satire, often using absurd situations and a cool, unsentimental tone to expose the flaws of consumer society, crowd psychology, and human nature. His stories are short and sharp, leaving a complex aftertaste. The library holds six of his works, including The Marching Morons, The Syndic, With These Hands, The Luckiest Man in Denv, The Altar at Midnight, and The Adventurer, as well as The Space Merchants, co-written with Pohl. His satirical science fiction has had a lasting influence on later writers.