Originally published at the dawn of the Atomic Age, Mr. Adam is a
riveting, chilling novel from the author of the post-apocalyptic classic
Alas Babylon, revealing the dangers of nuclear power--and the far
greater danger of government bureaucracy.
A young newspaperman accidentally turns up the biggest story of his
career: On a certain date in the not-too-distant future, there are no
reservations in the maternity wards of any hospitals in New York. When
the journalist's AP office checks other cities, he discovers that this
alarming state of affairs is not just in the United States, but in the
entire world. A few months earlier, an accidental explosion in an atomic
plant in Mississippi released an unknown form of radiation that turned
the Earth's men sterile--with one notable exception.
Mr. Homer Adam, who was at the bottom of a lead mine in Colorado at the
moment of the explosion, is the only man unaffected by the atomic rays.
Naturally, he is in great demand, and sadly, it's up to the government
to decide what to do with him.
One of literature's first responses to the atomic bomb, Mr. Adam is
"an artifact of classic science fiction--an equally biting satire and
ominous warning to society--that will resonate deeply with readers today
as it did when it was first published in 1946." (FantastyLiterature.com)
