 The story was Sherred's first science fiction publication.According to Algis Budrys, it was contrary to the spirit of "Astounding Science Fiction", where it appeared, and it "dismissed" the "bourgeois aspirations" of "ASF"'s editor, John W. Campbell.It is said that the story was accepted in Campbell's absence and that it was "shoehorned" into the magazine by L. Jerome Stanton, who for a short time acted "heretically" as Campbell's assistant.