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"The Stolen Dormouse" is a classic science fiction novella by L. Sprague de Camp. It was first published as a serial in the magazine ''Astounding Science-Fiction'' for April and May, 1941 and first appeared in book form in de Camp's collection ''Divide and Rule'' (Fantasy Press, 1948). The story has also appeared in the anthologies ''Astounding Stories: The 60th Anniversary Collection'' (Easton Press, 1990), and ''The Best of Astounding: Classic Short Novels from the Golden Age of Science Fiction'' (Carroll & Graf, 1992).〔 == Plot summary == The America of 2236 is a loose-knit empire in which power is exercised by rival business conglomerates organized on feudal principles. Employees are born into these companies, which command their loyalty and for which they work their entire lives. Among them are the Crosley and Stromberg companies, which act as the Montagues and Capulets in the protagonists' ''Romeo and Juliet''-like romance. Main character Horace Juniper-Hallett is a Whitecollar for the Crosley company. Elevated to the rank of Businessman for meritorious conduct in the conflict with the enemy Strombergs, he is subsequently cast out of his company after an unauthorized squabble with Stromberg employee Lane-Walsh, who is also busted. But Horace's dishonor is merely a ruse on the part of Crosley chairman Archwin Taylor-Thing to allow him to act as a confidential investigator on his behalf; if successful, he will be reinstated and promoted. It seems the country's mausoleums are filled with "dormice" (named after the hibernating rodent species) -- people of former eras who had themselves placed in suspended animation, hoping to be revived in a world better than that they left. One such "dormouse," an engineer named Arnold Ryan, has gone missing. It is thought he has been stolen by another firm to be revived for his specialized and potentially highly profitable knowledge. Horace Juniper-Hallett is to find out what became of Ryan, and if possible secure him for the Crosleys. Complications present themselves. Horace has fallen for Janet Bickam-Coates, a wonderful girl but a Stromberg, which is a big no-no. He also finds himself in an uneasy alliance with erstwhile foe Lane-Walsh, who turns out to be on the same undercover assignment for the rival firm. Eventually they discover Ryan is part of something far bigger than corporate one-upmanship; nothing less than a vast conspiracy against the status quo among the lowly engineers whose ill-recompensed work underpins the companies' wealth. The investigators fall out; Lane-Walsh is eager to expose the plot, while Horace is inclined to join it, since his romance with Janet is doomed if society remains the same. As the authorities close in Horace and Janet escape with Ryan to Hawaii, in this future a free nation resisting corporate dominance. Ryan's secrets will enable Hawaii to undercut the corporations and subvert their regime. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Stolen Dormouse」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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