Lost Legacy
Encyclopedia
Lost Legacy is a novella
by science fiction
writer Robert A. Heinlein
. It was collected in the book Assignment in Eternity
(1953).
The novella is an exploration of the possibilities that humans, with the proper training, have the potential to make use of a wide range of telepathic and telekinetic abilities. It is based on the presumption that most, if not all, humans have innate psychic
abilities, but simply don't know it and therefore do not make use of them. This ignorance is encouraged by a mysterious and powerful cabal which benefits from keeping people unaware of their abilities.
(born 1842) is said to be over 100 years old. Europe and Asia have suffered a "collapse" and the only significant technological advances mentioned are Picturephones and a "pocketphone". The story relates the rediscovery of psychic
powers by a trio from a California university (a woman student, and two male friends, an MD/instructor at the medical college and a Psychology professor), and the attempts of a corrupt elite to silence them.
There is also a group of individuals that have developed their telepathic and other powers for good and live in secrecy on Mount Shasta
. They can tap into an inner power somewhat like The Force
discussed in Star Wars
. This group claims Mark Twain
was one of them, as was Walt Whitman
and Oliver Wendell Holmes
. As part of their program to protect America as a bastion of freedom they chose Abraham Lincoln
. After being rescued by Ambrose Bierce the three main characters stay with them. In the secret headquarters on the mountain they receive training.
According to psychic records found by the good adepts, humanity reached a great level of development in a Golden Age
, but when their leaders (mythologized into such gods as Jove
and Odin
) moved on to a new plane of existence, a new group used their mental powers for profit. After a great war their main bases in Mu
and Atlantis
sank and humanity was thrown back to a Stone Age
.
The main characters begin to spread information on how to use psychic powers, particularly training Boy Scouts
. After the evil cabal tries to stop them, individual mental battles occur between the two groups with the good adepts victorious. The story ends with a lyrical description of an empty Earth, since the human race has now evolved to a new plane of existence. An ape
is beginning the long climb of his species to intelligence and psychic ability.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by science fiction
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...
writer 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...
. It was collected in the book Assignment in Eternity
Assignment in Eternity
Assignment in Eternity, is a collection of four mixed science fiction and fantasy novellas by Robert A. Heinlein, first published in hardcover by Fantasy Press in 1953, with some of the stories somewhat revised from their original magazine publications, as follows:* Gulf .* Lost Legacy...
(1953).
The novella is an exploration of the possibilities that humans, with the proper training, have the potential to make use of a wide range of telepathic and telekinetic abilities. It is based on the presumption that most, if not all, humans have innate psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
abilities, but simply don't know it and therefore do not make use of them. This ignorance is encouraged by a mysterious and powerful cabal which benefits from keeping people unaware of their abilities.
Plot summary
No date is given for the events, but they are in a near future America where Ambrose BierceAmbrose Bierce
Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist...
(born 1842) is said to be over 100 years old. Europe and Asia have suffered a "collapse" and the only significant technological advances mentioned are Picturephones and a "pocketphone". The story relates the rediscovery of psychic
Parapsychology
The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir, and originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology. The term was adopted by J.B. Rhine in the 1930s as a replacement for the term psychical research...
powers by a trio from a California university (a woman student, and two male friends, an MD/instructor at the medical college and a Psychology professor), and the attempts of a corrupt elite to silence them.
There is also a group of individuals that have developed their telepathic and other powers for good and live in secrecy on Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
. They can tap into an inner power somewhat like The Force
Force (Star Wars)
The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas. Mentioned in the first film in the series, it is integral to all subsequent incarnations of Star Wars, including the expanded universe of comic books, novels, and...
discussed in Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
. This group claims Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
was one of them, as was Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
and Oliver Wendell Holmes
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was an American physician, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat...
. As part of their program to protect America as a bastion of freedom they chose Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. After being rescued by Ambrose Bierce the three main characters stay with them. In the secret headquarters on the mountain they receive training.
According to psychic records found by the good adepts, humanity reached a great level of development in a Golden Age
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...
, but when their leaders (mythologized into such gods as Jove
JOVE
JOVE is an open-source, Emacs-like text editor, primarily intended for Unix-like operating systems. It also supports MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. JOVE was inspired by Gosling Emacs but is much smaller and simpler, lacking Mocklisp...
and Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
) moved on to a new plane of existence, a new group used their mental powers for profit. After a great war their main bases in Mu
Mu (lost continent)
Mu is the name of a hypothetical continent that allegedly existed in one of Earth's oceans, but disappeared at the dawn of human history.The concept and the name were proposed by 19th century traveler and writer Augustus Le Plongeon, who claimed that several ancient civilizations, such as those of...
and Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
sank and humanity was thrown back to a Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
.
The main characters begin to spread information on how to use psychic powers, particularly training Boy Scouts
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
. After the evil cabal tries to stop them, individual mental battles occur between the two groups with the good adepts victorious. The story ends with a lyrical description of an empty Earth, since the human race has now evolved to a new plane of existence. An ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
is beginning the long climb of his species to intelligence and psychic ability.