![]() ![]() (Bob Hilbreth’s cover for the December 1946 issue of Amazing Stories) (as always, are the books worth reading? Silverberg’s The Stochastic Man (1975) is on my radar as is the Theodore Sturgeon short stories collection but I know very little about the others - I’ve read John Christopher’s Tripod trilogy but haven’t delved into his earlier corpus) Regardless, depicting extraordinary intelligence - whether harnessed for nefarious schemes or not - is a common trope: gigantic brains! unusual metal helmets! exploding heads replete with spectral fires! rays darting from eyes! otherworldly auras encircling heads, emanating symbols and shapes and diagrams…. Some of us probably wish for mechanisms that conjure extraordinary feats of telepathy or the throbbing delights (avoiding all the pitfalls, of course) of a wisdom inundated supermind (well, I do at least). There’s no better way to start off the new year than a gallery of science fiction covers depicting rampant imagination, unlimited promise. Dodeth had a way with raking sarcasm that made a person tend to cringe.ĭodeth was perfectly well aware of that.(Uncredited cover for the 1960 edition of The 22nd Century (1954), John Christopher) Not that he didn't have a good answer it was just that he wanted to couch it in exactly the right terms. Dodeth had simply asked, Why wasn't this reported to me before? But Wygor couldn't find the answer as simply as that. Wygor Bedis twitched his mouth and allowed his eyelids to slide up over his eyeballs in a slow blink before answering. The ripple was a good deal more effective than just tapping one's fingers, and equally as satisfying. He started the ripple again, while he waited for Wygor's answer. Each of his twelve right feet came down in turn while he glared across the business bench at Wygor Bedis. Clopclopclop clop-clopclop- clopclop-clop clopclopclop. Ith the careful precision of controlled anger, Dodeth Pell rippled a stomp along his right side. And at that moment his eyes were opened and he saw the angel before him. Have I ever been known to fail thee?Īnd Balaam answered: No. Then the ass spoke and said: Why dost thou beat me? I have always obeyed thee and never have I failed thee. When the ass stopped for the third time and lay down, refusing to go further, Balaam waxed exceeding wrath and smote again the animal with a stick. And again the ass turned aside, despite the beating from Balaam, who, in his blindness, was unable to see the angel. Balaam smote the beast and forced it to return to the path, and again the angel blocked the way with drawn sword. Balaam, not seeing or recognizing the angel, kept urging his ass forward, but the ass recognized the angel and turned aside. On the road, he met an angel with drawn sword, barring the way. It is written in the Book of Numbers that Balaam, a wise man of the Moabites, having been ordered by the King of Moab to put a curse upon the invading Israelites, mounted himself upon an ass and rode forth toward the camp of the Children of Israel. ![]() Sometimes a child is more perceptive-because more straightforward and logical-than an adult. The remarkable characteristic of Balaam's ass was that it was more perceptive than its master. THE ASSES OF BALAAM By DAVID GORDON Illustrated by Schoenherr copyright on this publication was renewed. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. ![]() This etext was produced from Analog Science Fact Fiction October 1961. Produced by Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ASSES OF BALAAM *** With this eBook or online at Title: The Asses of Balaam Re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and withĪlmost no restrictions whatsoever. The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Asses of Balaam, by Gordon Randall Garrett
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