Introduction by David Seed; Looking Back in Wonder: The Author's Reminiscences and Reflections; Preface by The Martian Institute for Archaeological Excavations in the Solar System; Level 7; Appendix A: Training the Nuclear Warrior: A Manual for Level 7; Appendix B: The Politics of Ratology (a fantasy); Further Reading
Summary
Level 7 is the diary of Officer X-127, who is assigned to stand guard at the Push Buttons, a machine devised to activate the atomic destruction of the enemy, in the country's deepest bomb shelter. Four thousand feet underground, Level 7 has been built to withstand the most devastating attack and to be self-sufficient for 500 years. Selected according to a psychological profile that assures their willingness to destroy all life on Earth, those who are sent down may never return