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001 67334
003 UtSlPG
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006 m
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040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aWilson, Richard,
_d1920-1987
245 1 0 _aCourse of Empire
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2022
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from Infinity Science Fiction, February 1956
500 _aRelease date is 2022-02-06
508 _aGreg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"Course of Empire" by Richard Wilson is a science fiction short story published in the mid-20th century. The narrative explores themes of colonization, cultural misunderstanding, and the unintended consequences of human actions as they extend their reach into the cosmos. Through a blend of humor and critique, the story reflects on the inefficiencies and mistakes inherent in the process of establishing human colonies on other planets. The story unfolds with two men, Roger Boynton and Allister, discussing past efforts to colonize Mars, Venus, and Jupiter under a World Government framework. Boynton shares anecdotes about the decisions made during these colonization efforts, revealing how they were often based on whimsical choices rather than sound strategies. As they reminisce, they realize that their initial plans were thwarted by cultural and environmental misunderstandings, such as the wild Martian camels liberating domesticated ones and rain not falling in the expected manner on Venus. The story takes a sharp turn when 'Medeans, the inhabitants of Ganymede, successfully colonize Earth, highlighting the irony of human colonization efforts being outdone by a more capable alien species. The men’s conversation serves as a critique of human hubris and the unpredictable nature of interplanetary relations. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _pOriginally published:
_cUnited States: Royal Publications, Inc, 1955
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
653 _aSpace colonies -- Fiction
700 1 _aStallman, Emmanuel,
_d1927-1997
830 0 _aProduced from Infinity Science Fiction, February 1956
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67334
999 _c108156
_d108156