Title: Time Quarry
Author: Clifford D. Simak
Date of First Publication: October-December,1950
Place of Publication: Galaxy Magazine
Type: Short story (three-part serial)
Characters: No Character
Themes: ANDROID; RACE/POLITICS; POSTHUMAN
Critical Summary: Simak contributes to pulp science fiction by interweaving traditional literary themes within a futuristic setting. In the 80th century, humanity has created a galactic empire that must be preserved at all costs. Earthlings are spread too thin with minimal representation for each planet within its empirical borders. The number one galactic law that no human may be killed without severe punishment tenuously holds insurgence at bay.
Asher Sutton returns to Earth after a twenty-year diplomatic expedition to the planet, 61 Cygni. The success of his mission to determine if the inhabiting aliens may threaten the galactic empire is rather ambiguous. Upon arrival, Sutton’s ship had crashed landed on Cygni’s surface, killing him. The Cygnians resurrect Sutton and when he revives, his physiology is changed. Though he never actually meets any aliens, he declares them no threat, but the Alien Relations Bureau is not convinced. In his debriefing, Sutton refers to the Cygnians as symbiotic abstracts without corporeal bodies.
Five days prior to Sutton’s homecoming, Supervisor of the Alien Relations Bureau and Sutton’s commander, Christopher Adams, is visited by a stranger claiming to be Adams’ successor, from the near future. The stranger tells Adams that Sutton will return and must be killed immediately. In the future, Sutton writes a book telling inconvenient existential truths that spark a religious war that kills millions. But the stranger fails to reveal who Earth will be fighting.
Meanwhile, Sutton’s return to Earth finds him struggling to acclimate himself to terrestrial life while dodging unknown assassins. Adams is faced with another mystery as several humans are killed on Aldebaran XII in a freak vehicle accident. During his investigation, Adams discovers a piece of puzzling evidence. A partially burned book lies in the wreckage with only the author’s name left visible on the cover. Asher Sutton. There is no record of Sutton ever publishing a book.
Perhaps the most illustrated theme in Simak’s novel is empire. Because there aren’t enough humans to enforce imperial authority across the galaxy, they create the androids to serve humanity on Earth. They resemble humans in all but three ways: They have no soul, they cannot biologically reproduce, and humanity gave them the gift of inferiority. The proverbial barcode is unobtrusively stamped on their foreheads to other them from humans. By giving androids inferiority, humanity denies them the one thing they evolve to desire and fight to obtain; equality. Throughout the story the underlying themes of what is human and the singularity intertwines with imperialism. The androids evolve to self-awareness and find a way to chemically reproduce with the new copies lacking barcode stamps. The warning Adams received from the stranger is not an alien invasion, but instead points to Sutton as responsible for the android insurrection.
More subtle themes percolate through the novel. In the 80th century posthumans have evolved to live well over a hundred years. Therefore, Sutton’s twenty years in space is not as impactful as it would be today. During that mission, Sutton is killed and resurrected by the Cygnians resulting in complete physiological change. Unlike the androids, Sutton is trans human, mind and soul infused with the mechanical. Simak’s myriad of techno-commentary parallels with Romantic era literary themes and scientific thought. Such that, navigating the novel’s thematic maze can be sublime in of itself.
Administrative Notes: David Marshel, CSUF; Amanda Howard, CSUF (editing)