Letter to a Phoenix

"Letter to a Phoenix" is a science fiction short story by American writer Fredric Brown, about immortality. It was first published in Astounding Science Fiction in August 1949.

Plot summary

A 180,000-year-old man writes a letter to humanity as a whole, explaining the lessons he has learned while observing the rise and fall of multiple civilizations.

Reception

Literary scholar Jack Seabrook has described it as "(t)hought-provoking rather than exciting" and "perhaps (the) best" of Brown's stories focusing on "social or political commentary".[1] James Nicoll, however, writing in 2018, felt that the story "has not aged well."[2]

Vernor Vinge has said that he was "fascinated" by the story, and that it was the direct inspiration for the 1975 story "The Peddler's Apprentice" which he co-wrote with his then-wife, Joan D. Vinge.[3]

References
  1. Martians and Misplaced Clues: The Life and Work of Fredric Brown, by Jack Seabrook; published 1993 by Popular Press
  2. A Survey of Some of the Best Science Fiction Ever Published (Thanks to Judy-Lynn Del Rey), by James Nicoll, at Tor.com; published August 13, 2018; retrieved August 16, 2018
  3. Introduction to "The Peddler's Apprentice" in The Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge, by Vernor Vinge, published 2002 by Tor Books
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.