The Inquisitor

"The Inquisitor" by Robert Silverberg is a science fiction story from the 1950s that throws you into a world ruled by a harsh government. An interrogator named Conway Kroll is in charge using a torture machine to force confessions out of people accused of betraying the state. But as Kroll faces prisoners who show incredible strength, he starts to question if what he's doing is right. Everything changes when Kroll voices his own doubts about the government, and suddenly he finds himself the one being accused. The story takes a surprising turn, revealing how dangerous it is to blindly trust authority and making us think about what's right and wrong in a world where the government controls everything.