Humans are a danger to
themselves (3/5)
In 1956, Simak’s original
publication (with Simon & Schuster) of Strangers in the Universe contained
eleven stories, including “Contraption” (1953), “Kindergarten” (1953), “Skirmish”
(1950), and “Immigrant” (1954). However, Berkeley Books narrowed this
collection by the same name to only seven stories, as found below; therefore,
this partial collection is dated as 1957 rather 1956.
The running theme of the
collection is “humans are a danger to themselves”. Perhaps this reflects the
title of the collection where humans are the ignorant strangers amid the lush
multitude of offerings the universe has; the humans stumble about susceptible to
their own nature, their own genetic patterning.
------------
Target Generation (novelette, 1953)
– 4/5 – The oral myth of the Mutter came true when the Ship’s walls became its
floor and the latter becoming the former. Tradition has told of the beginning
of the End and things are astir on the Ship. Only Jon Hoff has the key to the
vault and knowledge of that vault, passed down to him through untold
generations, of the true nature of the Ship—“The Ship has a destination. The
Ship was going somewhere” (8). ------ A fine generation ship story marred by predictability.
The mythic proportions of multi-centurial life on the Ship imbues the humans
with a sense of religious righteousness, a veil of ignorance which they accept.
Only one man, naturally, can assume the heroic role of revealing the Truth and
true to form, the self-righteous revolt at the blasphemy. They can be saved by
the empirical truth rather than the by the unsubstantiated Truth, yet ignore
it.
Mirage (shortstory, 1950) – 4/5 – Merely dotted
with life, the surface of Mars is a difficult place to survive for the colonial
humans and the various regressive forms of its aboriginals. The seven-sex
Martians have dwindled in number due to the human fancy for the luxurious pelt
of one such sex—the “seventh”. Richard Webb strikes a deal with one clan of the
aliens: if he finds a “seventh”, they’ll show him their mythical city. His solo
trek is long and unfruitful, yet still meets one clan of seven. ------ Humans
take advantage of a less sophisticated race. One man needs dire help from the
heathen race but also wants something in return. Who’s at fault for providing
mutual folly? Though not personally implicated for the aliens’ hardships, the
punishment is fitting. Greed follows some of us unto death.
Beachhead (shortstory, 1951) – 3/5 – The Legion
from Earth descends upon a virgin planet. They sample the atmosphere yet torch
the landscape; they catalogue the fauna yet irradiate the soil into a boil.
Prepared for every foreseeable danger, the team of Legionnaires and robots
secure a camp yet also spy a group of humanoid figures near the riverside.
Reading their minds, Tom Decker ignores the alien reassurance of the
destruction of the humans… until their watches stop working. ------ Pride,
plain and simple, is the fault of those with the most practical experience with
success yet without the safety net of having experienced failure. An unknown
threat remain unknown because of ignorance, but even with a hunch pride is
stolid towards remaining on the subjective side of “right”.
The Answers (shortstory, 1953) – 5/5 – Scores of
millennia have passed over a derelict human village on the outskirts of the
galaxy when a scout team descends: a human, named David, along with his trio of
benefactors—the Dog, the Spider, and the Globe. Yearning the experience of
existing amid the ruins, David stays behind while the others depart to report
their finding. Eventually, David discovers an enclave of humans who harbor the
Truth—two simple answers to two simple questions. ------ This time, peril does
not follow human discover; rather, enlightenment and understanding follow the
line of Truth. Though this Truth may have been handed down, the villages treat
the Truth as sacred rather than ritualistic, something to recite once every
century and not every day… even when the Truth is humbling.
Retrograde Evolution (novelette, 1953) – 2/5 –
The planet of Zan was once home to a Type 10 culture, a peacefulness which
borders on barbarianism and pastoral boredom. However, the Google culture on
Zan has broken into 37 distinct clans, all with a Type 14 culture. The
de-evolution is a concern for the trading crew who are more concerned about
trading for the miraculous babu root. Change among the chief village concernedly
occurs at the slightest whisper from the crew. ------ Sometimes, humans meddle
whether it’s their intention or not. Their mere presence changes a situation much
as observation collapses a wave function. In this case, the unintended
consequences of meddling doesn’t collapse the cultural wave front, but bolsters
its advancement. Oops, the humans scurry away.
The Fence (shortstory, 1952) – 3/5 – Mr. Craig’s
passion is spanning across time to understand the complete history of one acre
of land, season by painstaking season. However, his Personal Satisfaction
rating has dropped from 120 to 75 in just one year. Going for a walk to clear
his head, Mr. Craig encounters a man who fishes on his own and gardens on his
own—this is this snub to the seeming “play world” in which they live, where
everything is always provided… the big question is, “By whom?”. ------ Complacent
attitude in today’s modern Westernization is prevalent because everything is
ready to be used, consumed and thrown away. In the world of “The Fence”, even
our jobs are fostered in a parental way to the nth degree. The societal disillusioned
may not be so crazy after all.
Shadow Show (novelette, 1953) – 2/5 – Humanity has
the knowledge and power to alter the human form so that it can adapt itself to
any atmosphere or planetary difficulty, yet it cannot create new life.
Scientists are scattered among asteroids in order to follow leads which may
create that spark of life. Nine members of one such asteroid assume title roles
to perform in a Play which projects their imagination onto a screen, yet one
fellow had died and they fathom the absence and/or participation of his
character. ------ Prone to the Prudence Trap of decision-making, the constant
tinkering of adjusting expectation against reality causes the decision makers
to lose focus of their ultimate intention, possibly because of an additional
Framing Trap—they don’t know exactly what truth they are after.
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