--- title: "The Downhill Side of Thirty by Virgil F. Shockley — Classic Ebook | P…" description: "Read a free sample of The Downhill Side of Thirty by Virgil F. Shockley at Publica Now — a public-domain classic ebook, readable online." canonical: "https://publica.now/creators/vito/works/the-downhill-side-of-thirty" --- Literary # The Downhill Side of Thirty by Virgil F. Shockley [ V Vito ](https://publica.now/creators/vito) Follow $2.99 [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fthe-downhill-side-of-thirty) Secure payment on Stripe. publica.now never sees your card. Share Link copied Format epub Published May 03, 2026 Rating No reviews yet ![The Downhill Side of Thirty](https://fls-a13cb2d7-1b3e-4883-a0bd-297afd110a11.367be3a2035528943240074d0096e0cd.r2.cloudflarestorage.com/works/01kqqr215xx8z5yeajry4qagwp/editions/2026-09-06-html-v1/cover.png?X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=d29ce3bb571c165c97a702f29f7aee93%2F20261011%2Fauto%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20261011T005153Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Signature=5f1b78c262a292f705d5eeaab2f427b8b2ab212e5ad40280895ce3f5018a144f) ## About this work Chuck Dane is thirty-five years and eighty-nine days old—and in his world, that makes all the difference. The government has declared sex and tobacco dangerous for anyone over thirty-five, enforcing its rules through propaganda, inspections, alarms, and public warnings about heart attacks and lung cancer. Even Chuck’s apartment seems to watch him, while newspapers turn private deaths into lessons for the obedient. But Chuck still wants what he is forbidden to have: a cigarette, a passionate marriage, and a life that belongs to him. Sally, his wife, is just as unwilling to accept the government’s version of safety. Together, they face a society where health policy has become social control, and where the ordinary pleasures of adulthood carry the charge of rebellion. Virgil F. Shockley’s science-fiction story combines domestic tension, dark humor, and a sharply imagined future of enforced restraint. This Publica.now Classics edition includes a new typographic cover and publisher opening and closing pages. Sample ## Take a look inside THE DOWNHILL SIDE OF THIRTY BY VIRGIL F. SHOCKLEY Health was no longer a problem for the aged. All they had to do was ban sex and tobacco to those over thirty-five.... \[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, August 1958. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.\] Chuck Dane patted shaving lotion on his face, enjoying the second of vicious sting. He closed the medicine cabinet and stood for a minute examining himself in the fluorescent lighted mirror. He was lean and hard and, of course, tanned. A few grey hairs flecked the sideburns, but he didn't think that he looked thirty-five. And, damn it all to hell! he didn't feel thirty-five! He opened the bathroom door, and hesitated. He dreaded to walk through the photoelectric beam and set off that odious disc! Sometimes he got down on hands and knees and crawled under. But he felt so damn silly! Well, he couldn't stand there all day. It was Monday and they would expect him at the office. He squared his shoulders and walked into the hall. "Lung Cancer, Heart Attacks! Heart Attacks, Lung Cancer! Beware, old man, Be ... ware!" The tinkly message followed him up the hall. "I could jam the damn thing!" he thought, "but they'd only repair it at daily Gov-Apts Inspection and report me again!" He pushed his hands into his pants pockets and walked into the dining ell. He slouched in his chair, and watched Sally swish back and forth from the kitchen as she set the table. She was in blue nylon pajamas and fuzzy blue mules. Her red hair was tied up in a provocative pony tail. She felt him watching her, gave him a devilish grin.… [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fthe-downhill-side-of-thirty) The sample continues in the full work. 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