Riding the Crocodile
A novella about contacting an isolated alien civilization.
"Riding the Crocodile" is a science-fiction novella by Australian writer Greg Egan. It first appeared in December 2005 in the anthology *One Million A.D.*, edited by Gardner Dozois. The work was later included in the collections *Dark Integers and Other Stories* (2008) and *Oceanic* (2009). The story shares its setting with Egan's short stories "Glory" and "Hot Rock," as well as his novel *Incandescence*.
The plot follows an alien civilization called the Aloof, which has inhabited the galaxy's core for millions of years and maintained strict isolation. All attempts at communication have been ignored, and any non-sentient probes sent into their territory are shut down and returned decades later. Leila and Jasim, a married couple for over ten thousand years who have voluntarily chosen death, decide to make another contact attempt. They travel through the communication network of another alien civilization, the Amalgam, from their home planet Najib to the planet Nazdeek. The journey takes more than ten thousand additional years, spent mostly unconscious, by which time their children and grandchildren have likely already chosen death. Leila enters the Aloof's network and is allowed to pass through the galactic core. Every attempt at communication is still ignored, and Leila realizes that all her arguments for cooperation have surely already been considered by the Aloof. She ultimately accepts their isolation but assures them that others will continue investigating them for a better understanding, as that is simply their nature.
In a review for the SF Site, Rich Horton notes that "the portrayal of the far future posthuman culture is intriguing, and the notion of the Aloof comes off pretty well, but never did I quite care." Karen Burnham, writing in *Greg Egan (Modern Masters of Science Fiction)*, discusses "Riding the Crocodile" alongside "Glory" and *Incandescence*, stating that "the real challenge is coping with the ennui of immortality" and that "his characters tend to do this by maintaining a spirit of scientific inquiry."
The novella was a Locus Award Nominee for Best SF Novelette in 2007, placing 12th.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Greg Egan
- Country
- Australia
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Published In
- One Million A.D.
- Pub Date
- December 2005
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The plot follows Leila and Jasim, a married couple who have lived for more than ten thousand years and voluntarily chosen death. They travel through the communication network of the alien Amalgam from their home planet Najib to Nazdeek, a journey taking over ten thousand additional years spent mostly unconscious. Leila enters the network of the Aloof, an alien civilization in the galactic core that has maintained strict isolation for millions of years, ignoring all communication and returning non-sentient probes. She is allowed to pass through the core but every attempt to communicate is ignored. Leila realizes the Aloof have already considered all her arguments for cooperation. She accepts their isolation but assures them others will continue to investigate them, as that is their nature.
Reader's Guide
"Riding the Crocodile" explores themes of posthuman immortality and the ennui of extended lifespans. Critics note that the portrayal of far-future posthuman culture is intriguing, and the concept of the Aloof is effective, though some found it difficult to emotionally engage with the characters. Karen Burnham, in her book Greg Egan (Modern Masters of Science Fiction), observes that the real challenge for Egan's characters is coping with the ennui of immortality, which they do by maintaining a spirit of scientific inquiry. The novella received a Locus Award nomination for Best SF Novelette in 2007, placing 12th. It contributes to Egan's larger fictional universe that includes "Glory," "Hot Rock," and Incandescence, and is available in full text on Egan's website.
Did You Know?
- It is set in the same universe as Egan's short stories "Glory" and "Hot Rock" and his novel Incandescence.
- The alien civilization known as the Aloof has maintained strict isolation for millions of years.
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