Potemkin Village

A science fiction novelet written in the early 1950s. The narrative revolves around a delegation sent to visit the hermit state of Tolstoia on Venus to investigate peculiar occurrences surrounding castaways who disappear without a trace. The book explores themes of societal control, philosophy, and the implications of a utopian society rooted in pacifism and communitarianism. The story follows the mission of a small delegation comprising Director Unterbaum, Mr. and Mrs. Lanzerotti, photographer Ann Starnes, and writer Robert Heidekopfer. They are tasked with assessing the situation in Tolstoia, where past visitors have oddly chosen to remain there, sometimes under eerie circumstances leading to preserved corpses sent back to their home planets as supposed suicides. As the delegation interacts with Tolstoian society, they uncover a form of totalitarian control disguised as harmony, manipulative societal pressures, and the consequences of ascribing to a rigid ideology. Tension builds as they confront the patriarch, Pitrim Androvich, and navigate the complexities of their own desires and identities, ultimately leading to a thrilling escape and contemplation of the implications of Tolstoia's way of life on freedom and individuality.