--- title: "The Men in the Walls by William Tenn — Classic Ebook | Publica Now" description: "Read a free sample of The Men in the Walls by William Tenn at Publica Now — a public-domain classic ebook, readable online." canonical: "https://publica.now/creators/vito/works/the-men-in-the-walls" --- Literary # The Men in the Walls by William Tenn [ V Vito ](https://publica.now/creators/vito) Follow $2.99 [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fthe-men-in-the-walls) Secure payment on Stripe. publica.now never sees your card. Share Link copied Format epub Published May 03, 2026 Rating No reviews yet ![The Men in the Walls](https://fls-a13cb2d7-1b3e-4883-a0bd-297afd110a11.367be3a2035528943240074d0096e0cd.r2.cloudflarestorage.com/works/01kqp62ss6pf62f3rrrter8gsb/editions/2026-09-06-html-v1/cover.png?X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=d29ce3bb571c165c97a702f29f7aee93%2F20260919%2Fauto%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260919T114817Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Signature=b5430b3ae0b6254224dd05ba43bfd0cd66ab53c1a23803f7a742b39c5f1dfe3e) ## About this work Mankind has been reduced to 128 people, crowded into a network of burrows and guarded by the Male Society. Beyond their corridors lie the Monsters—and the larder from which Mankind must steal its food. Eric the Only is still an initiate, a student warrior who fetches and carries for seasoned men. But this is his birthday. Tomorrow, he will undertake his first Theft, and success will bring him warrior status, a voice in the Councils, and the attention of the women he admires. Inside the burrows, the Female Society prepares food through rituals that seem as mysterious as they are necessary, while tradition governs rank, courtship, work, and knowledge. Yet the divisions between human and monster may not be as certain as Eric has been taught. William Tenn’s science-fiction tale invites a startling question: when the world is divided between Men and Monsters, which side deserves each name? This Publica.now Classics edition includes a new typographic cover and publisher opening and closing pages. Sample ## Take a look inside THE MEN IN THE WALLS By WILLIAM TENN Illustrated by FINLAY \[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction October 1963. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.\] The world was divided between the Men and the Monsters—but which were Monsters and which were Men? I Mankind consisted of 128 people. The sheer population pressure of so vast a horde had long ago filled over a dozen burrows. Bands of the Male Society occupied the outermost four of these interconnected corridors and patrolled it with their full strength, twenty-three young adult males in the prime of courage and alertness. They were stationed there to take the first shock of any danger to Mankind, they and their band captains and the youthful initiates who served them. Eric the Only was an initiate in this powerful force. Today, he was a student warrior, a fetcher and a carrier for proven, seasoned men. But tomorrow, tomorrow.... This was his birthday. Tomorrow, he would be sent forth to Steal for Mankind. When he returned—and have no fear: Eric was swift, Eric was clever, he would return—off might go the loose loin cloths of boyhood to be replaced by the tight loin straps of a proud Male Society warrior. He would be free to raise his voice and express his opinions in the Councils of Mankind. He could stare at the women whenever he liked, for as long as he liked, to approach them even— He found himself wandering to the end of his band's burrow, still carrying the spear he was sharpening for his uncle. There, where a women's burrow began, several members of the Female Society were preparing food stolen from the Monster larder that very day. Each spell had to be… [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fthe-men-in-the-walls) The sample continues in the full work. [ #monsters ](/search?query=monsters) [ #mankind ](/search?query=mankind) [ #male society ](/search?query=male+society) [ #female society ](/search?query=female+society) [ #initiate ](/search?query=initiate) [ #warrior ](/search?query=warrior) [ #theft ](/search?query=theft) [ #birthday ](/search?query=birthday) ## Reviews No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts. [Sign in to leave a review](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcreators%2Fvito%2Fworks%2Fthe-men-in-the-walls) No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts. 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