Planet for Transients
Encyclopedia
"Planet for Transients" is a 1953 science fiction
short story by Philip K. Dick
. The story is set in a future where humans of the original variety wear lead-lined spacesuits and take other precautions against the lethal levels of surface radiation on Earth. Other varieties of human have evolved to cope with the radiation levels, such as "bugs", "runners", "toads", and others. Those varieties speak and think as do the original variety of humans, yet their bodies are radically different. These body types have evolved as necessary modifications for survival on a highly radioactive Earth. The planet is far from dead. Earth teems with plant and animal life, yet the original type of humans must live underground and can only visit the surface with protective equipment.
In the story, the protagonist Trent is on a mission to find another isolated group of humans like himself. Before Trent makes contact with people like himself, he encounters several of these mutant types, many of whom have never seen a human of the original type before.
The author's original title for the story was "The Itinerants".
Elements of this story appear in the novel Deus Irae
, written by Dick and Roger Zelazny
.
The story was originally published in the October-November 1953 issue of Fantastic Universe
. The story also appears in We Can Remember It for You Wholesale
(The Collected Short Stories of Philip K. Dick, Vol. 2) (formerly entitled Second Variety
).
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 by Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
. The story is set in a future where humans of the original variety wear lead-lined spacesuits and take other precautions against the lethal levels of surface radiation on Earth. Other varieties of human have evolved to cope with the radiation levels, such as "bugs", "runners", "toads", and others. Those varieties speak and think as do the original variety of humans, yet their bodies are radically different. These body types have evolved as necessary modifications for survival on a highly radioactive Earth. The planet is far from dead. Earth teems with plant and animal life, yet the original type of humans must live underground and can only visit the surface with protective equipment.
In the story, the protagonist Trent is on a mission to find another isolated group of humans like himself. Before Trent makes contact with people like himself, he encounters several of these mutant types, many of whom have never seen a human of the original type before.
The author's original title for the story was "The Itinerants".
Elements of this story appear in the novel Deus Irae
Deus Irae
Deus Irae is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick and Roger Zelazny. It was published in 1976. Deus irae means God of wrath in Latin. The name is a play on Dies Irae, meaning Day of Wrath or Judgment Day...
, written by Dick and Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny
Roger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
.
The story was originally published in the October-November 1953 issue of Fantastic Universe
Fantastic Universe
Fantastic Universe was a U.S. science fiction magazine which began publishing in the 1950s. It ran for 69 issues, from June 1953 to March 1960, under two different publishers. It was part of the explosion of science fiction magazine publishing in the 1950s in the United States, and was moderately...
. The story also appears in We Can Remember It for You Wholesale
We Can Remember It for You Wholesale (collection)
We Can Remember It for You Wholesale is a collection of science fiction stories by Philip K. Dick. It was first published by Citadel Twilight in 1990 and reprints Volume II of The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick replacing the story "Second Variety" with "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale"...
(The Collected Short Stories of Philip K. Dick, Vol. 2) (formerly entitled Second Variety
Second Variety (1989 collection)
Second Variety is a collection of science fiction stories by Philip K. Dick. It was first published by Gollancz in 1989 and reprints Volume II of The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick. It had not previously been published as a stand-alone volume...
).