The Best Made Plans

"The Best Made Plans" by Everett B. Cole is a science fiction novel written in the late 1950s. The story revolves around the character Don Michaels, who is navigating life at a school on the alien planet of Khloris. As tensions build due to political turmoil involving terrorism and the legacy of a criminal uncle, Don finds himself entangled in complicated relationships and power plays that could have far-reaching consequences for the realm he lives in. At the start of the novel, Don attends an auditorium call that highlights a recent terrorist incident involving a man named Harle Waern and the turmoil that has engulfed the nation of Oredan. As he reflects on the violence and injustice around him, Don returns to the locker room where he witnesses a bullying incident targeting Pete Waern, Harle's nephew. Taking a stand, Don intervenes, which leads to accusations against him of misreporting the incident under mental influence from Pete. This sets off a chain of events that explores themes of power, legitimacy, and the struggle against authority, as Don tries to assert his autonomy and dig deeper into the political intrigue surrounding him. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Everett B. Cole (1910-2001) was an American writer of science fiction short stories and a professional soldier. He fought at Omaha Beach during World War II and worked as a signal maintenance and property officer at Fort Douglas, Utah, retiring in 1960. He got a bachelor's degree in Math and Physics and became a Math, Physics, and Chemistry teacher at Yorktown High School in Texas. His first science fiction story, "Philosophical Corps" was published in the magazine Astounding in 1951. His fix-up of that story and two others, The Philosophical Corps, was published by Gnome Press in 1962. A second novel, The Best Made Plans, was serialized in Astounding in 1959, but never published in book form. He also co-authored historical books about the south Texas region.