Hostess (short story)
Encyclopedia
"Hostess" is a science fiction
short story
by American writer Isaac Asimov
. It was first published in the May 1951 issue of Galaxy
and reprinted in the 1969 collection Nightfall and Other Stories
.
and made contact with four other intelligent non-human races
. Harg Tholan, a medical doctor and researcher from the planet known as Hawkin's Planet arrives on Earth
and visits Rose Smollett, a research biologist
, and her husband Drake, ostensibly a police officer but in fact an agent of a secret government organization.
Dr. Tholan is researching a disease known as Inhibition Death, unknown on Earth. He describes his theory that a sixth, parasitic non-physical intelligence exists that lives in the minds of the humans and consequently is the reason that humans die of old age, whereas the four other life forms live indefinitely.
Drake, whose bureau already knows about this disease and the plans of the Hawkinsites, kills Tholan and disappears with the body, which is notable because the sixth intelligence is known to compel human beings to make themselves disappear.
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 American writer 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...
. It was first published in the May 1951 issue of Galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
and reprinted in the 1969 collection Nightfall and Other Stories
Nightfall and Other Stories
Nightfall and Other Stories is a book collecting previously published science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov. Asimov added a brief introduction to each story, explaining some aspect of the story's history and/or how it came to be written. The main criteria for inclusion were that they had...
.
Plot summary
Humanity has spread out into the galaxyGalaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
and made contact with four other intelligent non-human races
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
. Harg Tholan, a medical doctor and researcher from the planet known as Hawkin's Planet arrives on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and visits Rose Smollett, a research biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
, and her husband Drake, ostensibly a police officer but in fact an agent of a secret government organization.
Dr. Tholan is researching a disease known as Inhibition Death, unknown on Earth. He describes his theory that a sixth, parasitic non-physical intelligence exists that lives in the minds of the humans and consequently is the reason that humans die of old age, whereas the four other life forms live indefinitely.
Drake, whose bureau already knows about this disease and the plans of the Hawkinsites, kills Tholan and disappears with the body, which is notable because the sixth intelligence is known to compel human beings to make themselves disappear.