| "The Cage" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by A. Bertram Chandler | |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publication | |
| Published in | The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Media type | |
| Publication date | June 1957 |
"The Cage" is a science fiction short story by A. Bertram Chandler. It was first published in the June 1957 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction , and, in the following month, July 1957, in an issue of Authentic Science Fiction . It was later included in many science fiction anthologies, including The Best Australian Science Fiction Writing : A Fifty Year Collection edited by Rob Gerrand. [1]
The passengers and crew of the Lode Star spaceship find themselves stranded on an isolated planet after their main drive malfunctions and then explodes, destroying the ship. Sometime later they are discovered by another alien species who capture a number of the humans, transport them to another planet and place them in a glass cage, presumably for study. Try as they might the humans are unable to convince the aliens that they are intelligent beings until they solve one minor problem only to inadvertently solve their major one.
The story was translated into French (1958), Japanese (1960), German (1964), Swedish (1977), Polish (1977), Dutch (1978), Croatian (1982), Italian (1987), Russian (1988), and Romanian (1988). [1]
Bruce Gillespie in Steam Engine Time 4 called the story "sharp" with "a memorable twist ending." [2]
In Australian Science Fiction Review 8 Chandler writes about hearing his story described on New Zealand radio as tackling the problem of communication with alien cultures "in a very ingenius manner". [3]
When writing to the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) Forum magazine in April 1974, Chandler notes the possible "over-anthologization" of his story. [4]