Problem on Balak by Roger D. Aycock
"Problem on Balak" by Roger D. Aycock is a science fiction story published in the early 1950s. The narrative focuses on a small crew of space explorers who encounter an unusual alien society on a remote planet called Balak, known for its remarkable race of eight-armed native surgeons. The crux of the story revolves around an intriguing dilemma the explorers must solve involving two identical Terrans, leading to themes of identity and
self-understanding. The plot follows the crew members as they land on Balak and swiftly encounter its inhabitants, who present them with a test: they must determine which of two identical Terran men is the original and which is a synthetic duplicate, created by the Balakians. This test leads to a series of humorous and intense moments as the crew grapples with the challenge under a time constraint. Ultimately, their journey becomes not just about solving an external problem but also reflects their deeper understanding of their own species, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness and the complexities of identity in both human and alien forms. The resolution of their dilemma hinges on a clever twist, showcasing Aycock's blend of humor and insight within the sci-fi genre. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Aycock, Roger D., 1914-2004 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Francis, Dick |
| Title | Problem on Balak |
| Series Title | Produced from the September 1953 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction. |
| Credits |
Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 79.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Human-alien encounters -- Fiction |
| Subject | Identity -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 33839 |
| Release Date | Oct 4, 2010 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 230 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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