Despoilers of the Golden Empire
Encyclopedia
"Despoilers of the Golden Empire" is a science fiction
novelette
by Randall Garrett
, originally published in Astounding Science Fiction in March 1959 under the pseudonym David Gordon.
The story appears to be about an expedition through space to a planet inhabited by a civilized but technologically backward people, whom the expedition conquer. However in the last line it is revealed to be anything but that.
In terms of genre
, the story reads like a pulp magazine
yarn mixing space travel and classic swashbuckling themes, to the point where the characters even fight with swords, bringing to mind the adventures of Flash Gordon
, or the Barsoom
stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs
.
Time goes by and the leaders consolidate their gains, only to be undone by political maneuvering from those who arrive later in the conquered lands. The leader is eventually assassinated by the sons of a defeated rival.
The final line of the story reads "Thus died Francisco Pizarro
, conqueror of Peru
."
, the story is revealed to be an account of actual history, albeit one carefully mis-told. Having pulled off his deception, the author explains at length how not one word of the story was actually untrue. Nothing was described as being anything but what it was, although it was done in such a way as to invite the reader to imagine something else. "Universal Assembly" is simply a literal translation of Ekklesia Katholikos, or the "Catholic Church." The "power metal" which drove the Golden Empire was gold-197, because that is the only naturally-occurring isotope
of gold, and the "power" it brought was economic and political. The ships were never described as flying, and indeed the author did write that they "were not suited to atmospheric navigation". He protests that he had to abandon his intended last words for the leader ("I'm going to Heaven, and you, you bastards, can go to Hell!") in favor of Pizarro's actual last utterance, which was recorded as being "Jesus!" after he drew the sign of the cross in his own blood.
Being published in March, the story was, in effect, an early April Fools' Day
prank. It was re-published in collections of Randall Garrett's works, and an anthology entitled The Lighter Side of Analog edited by Stanley Schmidt
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novelette
Novelette
A novelette is a piece of short prose fiction. The distinction between a novelette and other literary forms is usually based upon word count, with a novelette being longer than a short story, but shorter than a novella...
by Randall Garrett
Randall Garrett
Randall Garrett was an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was a prolific contributor to Astounding and other science fiction magazines of the 1950s and 1960s...
, originally published in Astounding Science Fiction in March 1959 under the pseudonym David Gordon.
The story appears to be about an expedition through space to a planet inhabited by a civilized but technologically backward people, whom the expedition conquer. However in the last line it is revealed to be anything but that.
In terms of genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
, the story reads like a pulp magazine
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
yarn mixing space travel and classic swashbuckling themes, to the point where the characters even fight with swords, bringing to mind the adventures of Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
, or the Barsoom
Barsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
.
Plot summary
An expedition from an imperialistic culture, led by a man hungry for power and riches, and accompanied by an "adept of the Universal Assembly" (a body of men apparently in communion with a higher power) arrives in a series of ships, with some difficulty — the ships land far from their intended destination, being "unsuited to atmospheric navigation" — and encounter the natives. Though the natives are civilized and capable of mustering armies in great number, their technology is inferior to that of the invaders. Despite being few in number, by guile and treachery the expedition is led to victory over the natives, culminating in the capture of their priest-god-king.Time goes by and the leaders consolidate their gains, only to be undone by political maneuvering from those who arrive later in the conquered lands. The leader is eventually assassinated by the sons of a defeated rival.
The final line of the story reads "Thus died Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess was a Spanish conquistador, conqueror of the Incan Empire, and founder of Lima, the modern-day capital of the Republic of Peru.-Early life:...
, conqueror of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
."
Epilogue
Far from being a pulp yarnPulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
, the story is revealed to be an account of actual history, albeit one carefully mis-told. Having pulled off his deception, the author explains at length how not one word of the story was actually untrue. Nothing was described as being anything but what it was, although it was done in such a way as to invite the reader to imagine something else. "Universal Assembly" is simply a literal translation of Ekklesia Katholikos, or the "Catholic Church." The "power metal" which drove the Golden Empire was gold-197, because that is the only naturally-occurring isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
of gold, and the "power" it brought was economic and political. The ships were never described as flying, and indeed the author did write that they "were not suited to atmospheric navigation". He protests that he had to abandon his intended last words for the leader ("I'm going to Heaven, and you, you bastards, can go to Hell!") in favor of Pizarro's actual last utterance, which was recorded as being "Jesus!" after he drew the sign of the cross in his own blood.
Being published in March, the story was, in effect, an early April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
prank. It was re-published in collections of Randall Garrett's works, and an anthology entitled The Lighter Side of Analog edited by Stanley Schmidt
Stanley Schmidt
Stanley Albert Schmidt is an American science fiction author. Since 1978 he has been the editor of the SF magazine Analog Science Fiction and Fact.-Biography:...
.