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Preferred Risk

Edson McCann

Book Overview: 

The Company insures you against everything. Everything except war, that is. But they've put an end to wars (or so they claim). The Company also controls everything. Including all the sources of weapons. The Company is dedicated to the happiness of mankind (or so they claim). Medical Treatment and Law Enforcement are just a few of the other services they provide to the entire world. Claims Adjuster Wills was a happy Company employee until his path crossed those of a man with no legs and a mysterious woman. All of a sudden, his world was turned upside down, and his decisions could determine the future of the planet. This collaborative work was originally published under the pseudonym Edson McCann. It was the winner of the 1955 Galaxy-Simon & Schuster novel contest.

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Book Excerpt: 
. . .he clerks, who shoved his way through the dwindling line to close the door and bang down the shutters. I put through the last few applications, and we were through.

It was hot and muggy out in the streets of New Caserta. Truce teams of expediters were patrolling the square, taken off their regular assignments of enforcing the peace between Naples and Sicily to keep down Caserta's own mobs. Hammond suggested dinner, and we went to a little Blue Plate in the palace itself.

Hammond held Class-A food policies, but he was politeness itself; he voluntarily led the way to the Class-B area. We presented our policy-cards to the waiter for canceling, and sat back to enjoy the air conditioning.

I was still troubled over the violence. I said, "Has there been any trouble around here before?"

Hammond said ruefully, "Plenty. All over Europe, if you want my opinion. Of course, you never see it in the papers, but I've heard stories from field workers.. . . Read More

Community Reviews

On the one hand, I had low expectations for an obscure sci-fi novel written in 1955, considering how badly much of the genre's literature from that era has dated. On the other hand, I found a sci-fi book about an insurance claims adjuster to be intriguing because the most provocative works sometimes

3.0 stars - I liked it, but I don't think I'm likely to read this again.

Preferred Risk has perhaps the oddest future assumptions I've seen. That's it's strength. It's written from a perspective of nuclear war being less than catastrophic, and when a catatonic state can suppress medical problems and

review of
Edson McCann's Preferred Risk
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - February 28-March 4, 2022

As a person whose opinions about insurance companies cd hardly get any more negative, I got a good laugh out of the inside front page blurb:

""To me, the clinics were emblems of the Company's concern for

Preferred Risk is a far-fetched and unlikely novel of the if-this-goes-on flavor in which an insurance company has taken over the governance and finance of the world. It was written by two grand old masters of the field, Frederik Pohl and Lester del Rey, under the pseudonym of Edson McCann. It's set

This is hidden gem in the sf cannon, a fast paced funny adventure.

Preferred Risk was originally published in 1955 as a four-part serialized novel in the magazine Galaxy Science Fiction. The author's name was given as Edson McCann. I am going to quote from my earlier review of the June, 1955 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction:

This novel became well known in the scienc

Fred Pohl and Lester Del Ray are the authors. One of the few Pohl collaborations that I will read again. I think it's underrated.

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