| "Critical Mass" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short story by Arthur C. Clarke | |||
| Country | United Kingdom | ||
| Language | English | ||
| Genre(s) | Science fiction | ||
| Publication | |||
| Published in | Lilliput | ||
| Publisher | Pocket Publications | ||
| Publication date | March 1949 | ||
| Chronology | |||
| Series | Tales from the White Hart | ||
| |||
"Critical Mass" is a science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1949. This comic story describes the relationship between a village and a nuclear research facility located near it. On the day that the story takes place, a truck carrying a mysterious cargo has an accident, and the driver flees. The terrified villagers are about to begin an evacuation, when the narrator discovers that the cargo were merely hives of bees.
The piece was later published as the fifth story in Clarke's collection Tales from the White Hart (1957).
References
- Clarke, Arthur C. (1957). Tales from the White Hart. London: Ballantine Books. p. Forward.
External links
- Critical Mass title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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