Coventry (short story)

Coventry is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein and part of his Future History series. It was collected into the book Revolt in 2100.

Plot summary

The protagonist, David MacKinnon, is a romantic idealist up for trial for assault. Since the government fears that he will repeat his action, he is given a choice: either allow trained psychologists to fix him, or leave to an area known as Coventry. MacKinnon chooses to emigrate so he can escape the boredom of a too civilized society. He is sent to the rugged outland beyond the Barrier, where people who refuse to abide by social norms are exiled, rather than submit to radical psychotherapy. He finds out that the peaceful anarchy he envisioned is a bleak dystopia split into three independent countries:

New America, a corrupt democracy with a dysfunctional judicial system, lies closest to the entry point to Coventry and is the most populous
the Free State, ironically named, is an absolute dictatorship ruled by the "Liberator", with an even harsher penal system, and is frequently at war with New America, though not when the story takes place
the Angels, remnants of the theocracy from "If This Goes On—", in the hills north of New America, living under a new "Prophet Incarnate"; it is implied they are the fewest in number of the three

He is immediately jailed in New America, losing all his goods. Befriended by a man he knows only as "Fader" Magee, he breaks out of jail. He then finds out that New America and the Free State are combining for an attack on civilization. He and Fader break out of Coventry separately to warn the community from which he's just emigrated. He then learns that the Fader is actually an agent of the United States Army, and that he has redeemed himself by risking his life to warn the rest of the country.

Robert A. Heinlein's Future History

Collections	The Past Through Tomorrow The Man Who Sold the Moon The Green Hills of Earth Orphans of the Sky Revolt in 2100 The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein Expanded Universe

Short stories	"Life-Line" "Let There Be Light" "The Roads Must Roll" "Blowups Happen" "The Man Who Sold the Moon" "Delilah and the Space Rigger" "Space Jockey" "Requiem" "The Long Watch" "Gentlemen, Be Seated!" "The Black Pits of Luna" "It's Great to Be Back!" "—We Also Walk Dogs" "Searchlight" "Ordeal in Space" "The Green Hills of Earth" "Logic of Empire" "The Menace from Earth" "If This Goes On—" "Coventry" "Misfit" "Universe" "Common Sense"

Novels	Methuselah's Children Time Enough for Love To Sail Beyond the Sunset The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress The Number of the Beast