Preferred Risk

A bomb known as the hell-bomb sits in a dusty museum, a relic of the Short War, the conflict that would have ended all life on Earth had it lasted one more day. Now it is only a half-forgotten threat. The narrator has been hiding among a group of conspirators who use the old museum as their base, and he waits, watching them, to learn whether he will be admitted to their ranks. Then he notices that the bomb's casing has been tampered with, and near the missile base he finds a heavy, oil-stained radiation glove. He understands what the conspirators are planning, and he knows that once again he must decide which side to be on.

The novel imagines a society where insurance policies govern nearly every part of life. Citizens depend on their Class A Blue Heaven Policy for housing and protection, the Blue Plate policy for food, the Blue Bolt policy for shelter from war, and the Blue Blanket policy to help raise their children. In this orderly world, everything appears to be secure, though the reader soon wonders whether that security can truly hold.