The Pritcher Mass, by Gordon R. Dickson – 1972 (September, 1973) [Frank Kelly Freas and Jack Gaughan]

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Story description, from rear cover…

“The only hope for mankind’s survival after the contamination of the Earth lay in the Pritcher Mass, a psychic forcefield construction out beyond the orbit of Pluto.  Created by the efforts of individuals with extraordinary paranormal powers, the Mass was designed to search the universe for a new habitable planet.

Chaz Sant knew he had the kind of special ability to contribute effectively to the building of the Mass, but somehow the qualifying tests were stacked against him.  Then he learned that he had become the special target of an insidious organization that fattened on the fears of the last cities of the world.  His confrontation with this organization, their real motives and his unexpected reactions, were to touch off the final showdown for mankind’s last enterprise.”

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Interior illustration, facing title page…

Frontspiece by Jack Gaughan