Think Like a Dinosaur
A teleportation device creates an ethical dilemma with alien dinosaurs.
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"Think Like a Dinosaur" is a science fiction novelette by James Patrick Kelly. It first appeared in the June 1995 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. The story won the 1996 Hugo Award for Best Novelette.
Quick Facts
- Author
- James Patrick Kelly
- Original publication
- June 1995 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine
- Awards won
- 1996 Hugo Award for Best Novelette
- Asimov's Reader Poll Award
- SF Chronicle Award
- Award nominations
- Locus Poll Award, Nebula Award
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The story features a transportation device overseen by the Hanen, a dinosaur-like alien race. The device transmits an exact copy of a person's body to a distant planet, disintegrating the original once reception is confirmed. The Hanen, called "dinos" by humans, mock humans for their fear of the process, calling them "weepy". A woman is teleported to an alien planet, but the original is not disintegrated because reception cannot be confirmed at the time.
When reception is later confirmed, the original refuses to re-enter the scanning device and tries to escape. The cold-blooded Hanen and their warm-blooded human associates view the ethical quandary differently. The narrator, a human intern on the space station, agrees with the Hanen philosophy and murders the woman to balance the equation and secure the aliens' continued help for humanity.
Did You Know?
- The story was adapted as the "Think Like a Dinosaur" episode of The Outer Limits TV series in 2001.
- It was adapted into an audio play for Seeing Ear Theater.
- The story has been reprinted in several science fiction anthologies since its original publication.
More in Novels About Dinosaurs
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Think Like a Dinosaur (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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