Books like Fury by Henry Kuttner

‘Fury’ is set beneath the hostile atmosphere of Venus, where colossal, fully enclosed cities—called Keeps—house a feudal society steered by immortal genetic throwbacks who have become the cultural apex. The population within has evolved a decadent lifestyle, while the hostile outer environment continues to encroach. The story follows Sam Harker, the son of an Immortal whose human mother dies during childbirth. Harsh treatments leave him stunted and hairless, and he is exiled for his father’s disfavor. Sam’s tumultuous, rebellious life is driven by vengeance against the societal system that rejected him. Over time he gains extraordinary powers surpassing even the Immortals, and as he turns to political activism, his campaign threatens the very fabric of the Keeps. The novel’s rapid production—initiated by editor John Campbell’s demand—yielded a spontaneous, high‑energy narrative that anticipated later speculative works about decadent societies. The book was first serialized as a three‑part story before its completion and has since been noted for its influence on later science‑fiction writers.

First publish date: 1947