“How can you prove God’s on your side?” Boyd asked. - Lester del Rey

An accident of careless handling at a dumping point had touched off a great atomic explosion, somewhere in central Europe. That country had thought itself attacked during the disarmament hiatus, and had struck at China, which had bombarded Russia, which thought it was being attacked by America. The confusion was straightened out in less than two hours, but by then two-thirds of the world had been killed.

Stupidity, greed, misdirected aggression—or sum it up and call it man.

The present molders of the code seemed to have a clear knowledge of just how difficult to make something, to add to its fascination, without making it impossible.