Half-Breeds on Venus
Encyclopedia
Half-Breeds on Venus is a science fiction
short story
by Isaac Asimov
. Asimov was asked by Frederik Pohl
, editor of Astonishing Stories
, to write a sequel to his earlier Tweenie story "Half-Breed", and he spent April and May 1940 doing so. He submitted the sequel to Pohl on June 3, and Pohl accepted it on the 14th, running it in the December 1940 issue of Astonishing. Asimov subsequently included the story in his 1972 collection The Early Asimov
.
Half-Breeds on Venus was the twentieth story written by Asimov, the tenth to be published, the first sequel to an earlier story, and the first to "make the cover", i.e. to be the source of the magazine's cover illustration. At ten thousand words, it was also the longest story Asimov had had published up to that time. In commentary in The Early Asimov, Asimov says that the character of Irene was named after a fellow chemistry student at Columbia University
that he had developed a crush on.
, and over a thousand Tweenies, led by Max Scanlon, emerge onto an upland plateau. As Max is getting on in years, he gives his elder son Arthur the task of preparing the underground settlement where the Tweenies will live, keeping out of sight of the planet's human settlers.
Meanwhile, Arthur's younger brother Henry is exploring Venus and flirting with his girlfriend Irene. The two of them come across a lake hidden within a forest, and see a large amphibian creature rise up from it. The amphibians prove to be friendly, much to Max's puzzlement, since the earlier reports from human explorers indicate that the amphibians are very shy. Max notices that their brain-cases are large, and speculates that they might be intelligent. The Tweenies soon realize that the amphibians (or Phibs, as Henry names them) are touch-telepaths, and they learn to communicate with them.
Several months later, the Tweenies are busy setting up their new underground town below a nearby ridge when a group of human settlers crosses over from the far side of the mountains. The Tweenies hide within their town while the humans establish a farming community a few miles away.
One day, Irene and Henry sneak out of the Tweenie town to visit the Phibs. Henry is able to communicate their problem with the humans, and the Phibs suggest a solution. Accompanied by a group of Phibs, Henry and Irene travel for three days to the Venusian lowlands. There, the Phibs use their telepathic abilities to take control of three large, dangerous twenty-legged reptilian carnivores called Centosaurs.
The two young Tweenies and their escorts return to the plateau at night just as a storm breaks. The human settlers are startled out of their sleep by the screaming Centosaurs, and at the sight of them they all run. After the humans leave, the reptiles go on to destroy the deserted human settlement. Then the Centosaurs break free of the Phibs' control and try to attack them, but Henry and Irene are able to fend them off with their Tonite ray guns until more Tweenies arrive to finish them off. Irene then falls into a swollen river and Henry jumps in after her. The two are rescued by the Phibs.
When Henry recovers, his father congratulates him on his plan. With so many other places to settle on Venus, the humans are unlikely to return soon to a place they think is infested with Centosaurs. When they do finally return, the Tweenies will be ready for them. The story ends with Henry proposing to Irene.
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...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. Asimov was asked by Frederik Pohl
Frederik Pohl
Frederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...
, editor of Astonishing Stories
Astonishing Stories
Astonishing Stories was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published by Popular Publications between 1940 and 1943. It was founded under Popular's "Fictioneers" imprint, which paid lower rates than Popular's other magazines. The magazine's first editor was Frederik Pohl, who also edited a...
, to write a sequel to his earlier Tweenie story "Half-Breed", and he spent April and May 1940 doing so. He submitted the sequel to Pohl on June 3, and Pohl accepted it on the 14th, running it in the December 1940 issue of Astonishing. Asimov subsequently included the story in his 1972 collection The Early Asimov
The Early Asimov
The Early Asimov or, Eleven Years of Trying is a 1972 collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov. Each story is accompanied by commentary by the author, who gives details about his life and his literary achievements in the period in which he wrote the story.-Contents:* "The Callistan Menace" *...
.
Half-Breeds on Venus was the twentieth story written by Asimov, the tenth to be published, the first sequel to an earlier story, and the first to "make the cover", i.e. to be the source of the magazine's cover illustration. At ten thousand words, it was also the longest story Asimov had had published up to that time. In commentary in The Early Asimov, Asimov says that the character of Irene was named after a fellow chemistry student at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
that he had developed a crush on.
Plot summary
Half-Breeds on Venus begins shortly after the final events in "Half-Breed". The three Tweenie ships have landed on VenusVenus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
, and over a thousand Tweenies, led by Max Scanlon, emerge onto an upland plateau. As Max is getting on in years, he gives his elder son Arthur the task of preparing the underground settlement where the Tweenies will live, keeping out of sight of the planet's human settlers.
Meanwhile, Arthur's younger brother Henry is exploring Venus and flirting with his girlfriend Irene. The two of them come across a lake hidden within a forest, and see a large amphibian creature rise up from it. The amphibians prove to be friendly, much to Max's puzzlement, since the earlier reports from human explorers indicate that the amphibians are very shy. Max notices that their brain-cases are large, and speculates that they might be intelligent. The Tweenies soon realize that the amphibians (or Phibs, as Henry names them) are touch-telepaths, and they learn to communicate with them.
Several months later, the Tweenies are busy setting up their new underground town below a nearby ridge when a group of human settlers crosses over from the far side of the mountains. The Tweenies hide within their town while the humans establish a farming community a few miles away.
One day, Irene and Henry sneak out of the Tweenie town to visit the Phibs. Henry is able to communicate their problem with the humans, and the Phibs suggest a solution. Accompanied by a group of Phibs, Henry and Irene travel for three days to the Venusian lowlands. There, the Phibs use their telepathic abilities to take control of three large, dangerous twenty-legged reptilian carnivores called Centosaurs.
The two young Tweenies and their escorts return to the plateau at night just as a storm breaks. The human settlers are startled out of their sleep by the screaming Centosaurs, and at the sight of them they all run. After the humans leave, the reptiles go on to destroy the deserted human settlement. Then the Centosaurs break free of the Phibs' control and try to attack them, but Henry and Irene are able to fend them off with their Tonite ray guns until more Tweenies arrive to finish them off. Irene then falls into a swollen river and Henry jumps in after her. The two are rescued by the Phibs.
When Henry recovers, his father congratulates him on his plan. With so many other places to settle on Venus, the humans are unlikely to return soon to a place they think is infested with Centosaurs. When they do finally return, the Tweenies will be ready for them. The story ends with Henry proposing to Irene.