9,558 words (35–45 minutes)
Genre(s): Dystopian Science Fiction, Social Satire, Political Thriller
Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction in May, 1953

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Appointment in Tomorrow is a biting satire of pseudoscience, cultism, and political deception in a post-World War III America. The story takes place in a bomb-scarred world where the Thinkers, a group of manipulative elites, rule through elaborate hoaxes—convincing the masses that they possess a superintelligent AI (Maizie), have contact with psychic Martians, and even run a successful space program. However, behind the scenes, their so-called technology is all smoke and mirrors, and their leader, Jorj Helmuth, is beginning to question whether the time has come to replace illusion with actual scientific progress.

Jorj's ambition to develop a real nuclear spaceship puts him at odds with Jan Tregarron, the true manipulator behind the Thinkers. Meanwhile, a group of genuine scientists, including the skeptical Willard Farquar, is slowly piecing together the truth. As political intrigue, betrayal, and personal vendettas unfold, Jorj learns the hard way that reality does not bend easily to deception—and that his own fate may have already been decided by those he thought he controlled.

Leiber’s darkly humorous and eerily prescient tale critiques cultish devotion to authority, misinformation, and the suppression of real science—themes that remain chillingly relevant today.