This fix-up novel was a nominee for the 1972 Locus Award for Best Novel, being beaten out by Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Lathe of Heaven". It takes place on Earth in the year 2381, where population has grown to a staggering 75 billion. The Government has adapted to this situation by housing people in massive skyscrapers, "Urban Monads", each a thousand stories high and containing close to a million residents per building. The population growth has skyrocketed due to a quasi-religious belief in human reproduction as the highest possible good. The six stories that comprise the novel were previously published: "A Happy Day in 2381" first appeared in the "Nova 1" anthology in 1970, "Science Against Man" first appeared in the "Science Against Man" anthology in 1970, "All the Way Up, All the Way Down" first appeared in the 7/1971 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, "The Throwbacks" first appeared in the 7/1970 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, "We Are Well Organized" first appeared in the 12/1970 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine , and "The World Outside" first appeared in the 10/1970 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine. Cover artist is #JamesStarrett.
