The War with the Fnools
Encyclopedia
"The War with the Fnools" is a science fiction
short story by Philip K. Dick
. It was first published in Galaxy
magazine in 1969.
The Fnools are invaders in the guise of two-foot-tall human beings. They take on the guise of Volkswagen
mechanics, ethnic circus performers, and other similar business practitioners. A discovery is made by a Fnool that if one of their kind partakes in an activity associated with growing older (in this case tobacco and alcohol), the Fnool will gain two feet in height. The knowledge is spread, and as a result, the Fnools become indistinguishable from human beings, albeit temporarily, before one engages in sex and makes them inhumanly tall.
Dick said of the story:
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...
. It was first published in 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...
magazine in 1969.
The Fnools are invaders in the guise of two-foot-tall human beings. They take on the guise of Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
mechanics, ethnic circus performers, and other similar business practitioners. A discovery is made by a Fnool that if one of their kind partakes in an activity associated with growing older (in this case tobacco and alcohol), the Fnool will gain two feet in height. The knowledge is spread, and as a result, the Fnools become indistinguishable from human beings, albeit temporarily, before one engages in sex and makes them inhumanly tall.
Dick said of the story:
"Well, once again we are invaded. And, humiliatingly, by a lifeform which is absurd. My colleague Tim PowersTim PowersTimothy Thomas "Tim" Powers is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels Last Call and Declare...
once said that Martians could invade us simply by putting on funny hats, and we'd never notice. It's a sort of low-budget invasion. I guess we're at the point where we can be amused by the idea of Earth being invaded. (And this is when they really zap you.)"