Medal of Honor

The Galactic Medal of Honor: humanity's highest tribute to valor, awarded almost always posthumously. Captain Don Mathers is about to discover what happens when someone takes it while still alive, and finds the prize isn't worth the cost. In this sharp 1960s SF novel, a disillusioned pilot agrees to stage a fake heroic capture of an enemy cruiser for a wealthy war profiteer, earning fame, fortune, and the most coveted medal in existence. But the medal comes with strings attached, and the idol of mankind soon learns that being worshipped is just another form of being used. Mathers becomes trapped in a web of manipulation, realizing too late that manufactured glory demands a terrible price. It's a biting critique of how societies manufacture heroes and then exploit them for profit and propaganda, a theme that resonates powerfully today.