Let There Be Light (short story)
Encyclopedia
“Let There Be Light” a science fiction
short story
by Robert A. Heinlein
, originally published in Super Science Stories magazine in May 1940 under the pseudonym
Lyle Monroe. It is the second story in his Future History
and was included in the first collection, The Man Who Sold the Moon
, but was omitted from the omnibus collection The Past Through Tomorrow
for unknown reasons. This story draws on Heinlein's early leftist philosophies, and makes references to George Bernard Shaw
's "The Apple Cart
."
s, invented in 1962). In the course of their discovery, the inventors also discover that these panels can also be used to derive power from light. In attempting to bring their discovery to market, they encounter the active opposition of the Power Syndicate, a conglomeration of energy-producing companies dedicated to preserving their monopoly
on power production. Rather than trying to maintain a patent
on their invention, the scientists then publicly release the scientific details of their discovery for a small royalty
, allowing anyone to obtain their own power, and thus outwitting the Power Syndicate. Douglas-Martin sunpower screens appear in several other Heinlein stories, such as "The Roads Must Roll
".
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 Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
, originally published in Super Science Stories magazine in May 1940 under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Lyle Monroe. It is the second story in his Future History
Future History
The Future History, by Robert A. Heinlein, describes a projected future of the human race from the middle of the 20th century through the early 23rd century. The term Future History was coined by John W. Campbell, Jr. in the February 1941 issue of Astounding Science Fiction...
and was included in the first collection, The Man Who Sold the Moon
The Man Who Sold the Moon (short story collection)
The Man Who Sold the Moon is the title of a 1950 collection of science fiction short stories by Robert A. Heinlein.The stories, part of Heinlein's Future History series, appear in the first edition as follows:* Introduction by John W. Campbell, Jr....
, but was omitted from the omnibus collection The Past Through Tomorrow
The Past Through Tomorrow
The Past Through Tomorrow is a collection of Robert A. Heinlein's Future History stories.Most of the stories are part of a larger storyline of a rapidly collapsing American sanity, followed by a theocratic dictatorship...
for unknown reasons. This story draws on Heinlein's early leftist philosophies, and makes references to George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
's "The Apple Cart
The Apple Cart
The Apple Cart: A Political Extravaganza is a 1928 play by George Bernard Shaw. It is satirical comedy about several political philosophies which are expounded by the characters, often in lengthy monologue...
."
Summary
The story concerns the invention of "light panels" - devices which turn electrical power directly into light (similar to LEDLEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
s, invented in 1962). In the course of their discovery, the inventors also discover that these panels can also be used to derive power from light. In attempting to bring their discovery to market, they encounter the active opposition of the Power Syndicate, a conglomeration of energy-producing companies dedicated to preserving their monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
on power production. Rather than trying to maintain a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
on their invention, the scientists then publicly release the scientific details of their discovery for a small royalty
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
, allowing anyone to obtain their own power, and thus outwitting the Power Syndicate. Douglas-Martin sunpower screens appear in several other Heinlein stories, such as "The Roads Must Roll
The Roads Must Roll
"The Roads Must Roll" is a 1940 science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein. In the late 1960s, it was awarded a retrospective Nebula Award by the Science Fiction Writers of America and published in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964 in 1970.The story is set in the near...
".