Prospector's Special, Robert Sheckley

Mostly I've been pretty happy with the tales spun by Robert Sheckley. This one is not a favorite, but there are a few interesting bits. "Prospector's Special" is available online for free at Gutenberg.org.

This is a story set on Venus. I guess at the time there was fairly little practical knowledge about the planet. It is closer to the sun, so therefore must be hotter. So it must be a big desert? That's essentially what this planet has.

The main character, Morrison, is on a high risk venture looking for something called goldenstone. He's spent his las
t dollars (and there's no credit; credit is illegal on Venus) on outfitting the trip. Unfortunately for him, despite some ultra advanced technologies, his vehicle cracks up and leaves him stranded.

He is able to order water from a company that is able to materialize water to pour into his container, for a price. When they find out that he's out of credit, they cut him off. Postal service comes from a robot that appears and disappears in a little tornado. At last, he is able to find a rich vein, but his phone is out of credit and they refuse to loan him anything. The postal robot, however, comes back. He asks to borrow the emergency phone, but the robot refuses, citing laws. He beats the robot up and threatens to kill it until the robot finally agrees to let him use the phone (what else would this emergency phone be for? Just for the robot? It wouldn't be built into the machine?) In any case, he's able to send a sample of the goldenstone to a company that is able to verify its value. They are able to rescue him and I guess he lives happily ever after. The story ends here.

The other bit that is interesting is that he is trying to save money for a farm under the sea. Was Sheckley thinking that earth would run out of land as the seas rise? I am not sure, but I wonder if global warming and global sea level rise was a concern when this story was published (1959).

Meeting of the Minds, Robert Sheckley

The "Meeting of the Minds" recently became available for free on Gutenberg.org.

This is a kind of pioneer story, I believe, of a certain sub-genre of science fiction made popular by Star Trek, the Next Generation. The Borg is a collection of individuals which function, essentially, as a single entity. They are connected by a hive consciousness. Earth and other civilizations are under dire threat from this technologically more advanced culture (is that the right word?).

Some elements of the story are hugely improbable. The story begins as an exploration of the planet Mars. While there, the explorers unwittingly take on a dangerous intelligence. I say intelligence because I am not entirely certain whether it is a kind of insect-like android or a biological entity. I believe it is robotic, as it is mentioned that it is programmed, but missing much of its memory. The entity calls itself the Quedak. It also identifies itself as an organism. Unlike the Borg of Star Trek, it has no problem assimilating animals to assist it in its mission to take over humankind.

The first of the improbabilities is the primitive technology of humans. While on the one hand humans are able to go to Mars (for the second time) to look for remnants of past civilizations. On the other hand, they still rely on technologies which are anachronistic considering the required technological achievements required for a Martian expedition.

The other improbability, although more easily accepted within the realm of suspended disbelief, is that such a creature would remain dormant during the entire return trip from Mars. Considering that this was the second visit to Mars, it stands to reason that the trip would be a lengthy one. Surely it would have become active during this trip. However, if that had been the case, surely the story would have been lost.

Socialism vs Individualism

This short story may be a commentary on the competing ideologies of socialism and individualism. This story was published in 1960. At that time, the USSR was the biggest competitor to the United States of America. The USSR's propaganda promoted a society which functioned together as one while the USA's propaganda supported freedom of the individual.

George Orwell's Animal Farm explored the ideas of socialism quite well. One of the ways in which Sheckley's "Meeting of the Minds" differs is in how the animals have become of a single mind. The political nature of this story becomes vividly clear:

"...the Quedak state is a federation in which the various member parts retain their idiosyncrasies, their individual needs and desires. They give their knowledge, their power, their special outlook to the Quedak whole. The Quedak is the coordinating and command center; but the individual parts supply the knowledge, the insights, the special skills. And together we form the Great Cooperation."

 Eventually, it's discovered that the Quedak communicates by using radio signals. A coming storm knocks the Quedak's means of communication out, and allows for the men to track and kill the Quedak. Doing so returns the individuals to themselves. They are no longer under the control of the Quedak.

It's a good story, and reminds me a lot of the essence that made up the Borg in Star Trek TNG and later.

The Status Civilization, Robert Sheckley

This short novel is available freely on Gutenberg.org. Sheckley's short fiction, the free fiction I have already remarked on in an earlier post, is a bit more miss than hit in my estimation. But this book is excellent and worth every penny (it's free!). It's also worth half a day of your free time.


Of all the Sheckley stories I've read thus far, this is by far the best. It has a timelessness about it. There's usually a quaintness to most science fiction stories that are decades old. On star ships traversing massive distances there are computers whose computations are outputted on bits of paper that come out, much like state-of-the-then-art computers did in the 50s. It is interesting, though, that much of what those writers thought of computers have remained largely unchanged. Computers are still emotionless computational devices expected to answer questions that most of us cannot answer.

But this book isn't like that. It doesn't have the naive simplicity that is often in those types of novels or short stories. This is one of those books that would do well today unchanged from its original form. There would be no need to update its technology.

The novel is set in the distant future. Mankind has resolved itself, mostly. Earth is peaceful. There is no more fighting. There are no police or militaries. Children are programmed to turn themselves in should they commit a crime. When they do, they are sent to a colony. It's a planet of criminals who are murderers or scammers or whatever it is they are.

On that planet, people kill to survive and thrive. The only way to advance on the planet is by killing. One man is sent there, and he manages to survive everything that is thrown at him against all impossible odds. He is, at the very last, saved by a group who want to go back to Earth. They want to see what Earth is like. They don't know, because before they come to the planet, their memories of their past are all wiped clean.

The resistance to going back to Earth does not exist. Where Barrent expects police to track him and force him back to the planet. But they don't, because they are unneeded.

He ultimately discovers that in the first place, he did not commit any crime. Furthermore, the one who turned him into the police was himself. He had been programmed since a child to turn himself in should he be a killer. Even though he didn't do it, there was enough evidence in his own mind to suspect himself, and convict himself, of the crime he never committed.

The book is really great sci fi the way it should be. I really enjoyed it and hope you will enjoy it, too.

Robert Sheckley Short Stories on Gutenberg, Robert Sheckley

Robert Sheckley, image from NY Review of SF

There are many Robert Sheckley story books out there. This one is just in my own imagination and is not real. It just contains the public domain short stories by Robert Sheckley available at Gutenberg.org. Gutenberg now has 16 stories plus one in audio format.

The Leech

There is a style from the era in which this story is taken. A lot of liberty in the ability of our founding astronaut fathers and their commanders that they were able to do things more fantastic than in fact they could.

A leech or alien being capable of consuming all forms of energy and matter to become larger hits the earth. Unfortunately, all forms of brute strength are not enough. A shovel used to try to remove it is consumed. A jeep used to drive over it gets eaten by it, tires and all. Bombs, including an atom bomb, are used to try to destroy it. All to no avail.

Finally, they get the idea that they can get a lot of radioactive material to use as a kind of carrot for the ass. They at first decide to take the carrot to the sun, but then realize that the entity might consume the sun. So they then lead it away from the sun and then detonate the nuclear warhead. The warhead destroys the leech, but the body of the leech is converted into billions of baby leeches.

The Hour of Battle

 There's this idea that one day our curiosity might end us. We might find ourselves going somewhere that results in us making contact with an alien species which has a technology or ability for which we have no adequate defense. In this case, contact is made with beings that have the ability to take over our ability to control ourselves. The telepathic ability is possible to detect, but once detected it's already too late. And then, even if it is detected, then what?

A few things that made me laugh a bit: playing gin. The technological world that makes the setting in this story is so advanced that there are ships that can travel to other systems and ships capable of defending mankind from other ships. However, they haven't yet discovered basic forms of entertainment we enjoy today. They don't have any kind of Internet or TV to watch. As a result, the soldiers are experiencing cabin fever. They've been stuck for awhile and are getting antsy with each other.

I can't help but wonder: what is the hardest thing about being stuck out in space? How would I feel?

Forever

Imagine what good might one day come of an immortality drug. Take it, and you can live forever. Then imagine what bad might one day come of an immortality drug. Who would have the right to use it? Who would not? If it comes, will it be a good government in place or a bad one? Would the world be a better place, or a worse one? The author suggests a dystopia.

Beside Still Waters

A hermit lives on an asteroid. He has a little farm. Once upon a time, he imagined having the company of a wonderful woman, but she never materialized. He never really looked for her. He sounds very anti-social anyhow.

So, the hermit buys a robot which can only say a few things. But it's enough for the man who grows old on his asteroid farm. But the equipment degrades and fails, and he suffocates (but doesn't explode due to air pressure loss, I guess). In any case, the robot stays by his side and then says an unscripted prayer for him (or is it scripted? The author never indicates).

Death Wish

A mechanical problem causes a spaceship to overshoot its destination (Mars), and as a result, the crew members are doomed. They turn on a super computer designed for Mars to see if it can't come up with a solution to their problem. Unfortunately, its solution is much the same as the others, but it has a sense of humour.

Warrior Race

This is actually one of the better stories. A ship without enough fuel to make it to wherever they need to go has to stop by a planet for refueling. The alien race that inhabits the planet is a warrior race. But rather than being the kind of warrior who is a great killer, these warriors kill themselves until the others give up.

This makes it difficult for the human visitors as they don't want them to kill themselves and they also need the fuel. They are not under any real threat from the warriors. They wear space suits which are impervious to such primitive weapons. But their conscience refuses to allow them to sacrifice themselves in such a way.

They take the chief hostage and threaten to kill them, thereby stealing from them the honourable way to die (suicide). This works, they get their fuel, and they're on their way.

Bad Medicine

This is actually a good short fiction. I really enjoyed this and had a good laugh at the conclusion. Clearly Sheckley had a good sense of humour. A man wants to kill his friend. But, at the same time, he doesn't. So, he goes to a place where there are machines for sale. He knows he's crazy. He is looking for a cure. So he buys the machine and takes it home.
For whatever reason, the store had on display a model actually meant for Martians. Martians are completely different from humans. I'm not entirely clear on all of these differences, but they seem substantial: how they are raised as young as well as their problems. I am not sure if they are human or something else. In any case, so he gets the wrong treatment.

Police try to track him down, and they do so successfully. However, the psychotic claims that he has been cured despite having the wrong machine. But he hasn't been cured. He still wants to kill his best friend, but not with a gun and not for the same reasons (which were not reasonable in the first place).

Cost of Living

This story has an uncanny relationship with current day problems: everyone is in debt. In this sci-fi setting, parents sign their children up for debts. The items they buy do everything for them: cooking, driving, cleaning. To get them all, they must go into tremendous credit. The credit is so great that they cannot pay for everything in their lifetimes, even though their lives have been extended into the 150s. Furthermore, work is little more than pushing a button for everyone. The author makes it seem quite dystopic. There is nothing to really do. Just relax and push buttons.

Keep Your Shape

After "Bad Medicine", I'd have to say that thus far this is my favorite story of Sheckley's. Aliens who can shift into any shape or any animal they want are sent to Earth to open a portal to their own world for domination. However, when they get to Earth, they find that they are free. In their own world, they are in rigid castes, not unlike what I have heard of India. They may only take the shapes that are passed down to them from generation to generation. So, if your father was a pilot, then you must also be a pilot.

When they come to Earth, they do not want to bring his Grom brothers to colonize it because they want to be free to assume whatever shape they wish. It's an interesting take on immigration and freedom of choice.

 Ask a Foolish Question

A machine is programmed to answer questions. It's located on a special planet in orbit around a special star. But no one can ask it the right questions. All the questions are foolish, I suppose. In the end they give up.

"In order to ask a question you must already know most of the answer."

I don't always get the reason for a story. This is one of those stories I don't understand the ending to or the point to.

Diplomatic Immunity

This story is about an alien who is making an attempt to prepare people for the coming of his people.

Some parts of this story make no sense. The takeover is somewhat hostile. That is to say, it is not just a 'hello, nice to meet you. Let's be friends.' It's a, 'We're coming, nothing you can do about it. So just accept it peacefully.' Well, by being diplomatic at all, the alien race is doing itself a disservice. It would have been better if the diplomat had simply found Earth and sat in the park to wait for his people to settle the planet. Instead, he gives the humans all the time in the world to figure out how to destroy him, which they ultimately succeed at.