Mr. Spaceship
Encyclopedia
"Mr. Spaceship" is a science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick
, first published in 1953 in Imagination
, and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick
. It has since been republished several times, including in Beyond Lies the Wub
in 1988.
The story is set in the distant future, where mankind is at war with "Yuks", an alien life form which doesn't use mechanical spaceships nor constructions, instead, it relies on life forms. The war has been going on for a long time, and mankind hasn't been able to come up with a solution against the life-form based ships and mines that the Yuks use. One day, a team of researchers led by Philip Kramer decide to build a spaceship which is powered by a human brain. They find the ideal candidate, Kramer's old professor, a dying man who volunteers to donate his brain to the project.
The spaceship is built and on the first test run into outer space, the team discovers that the professor made some changes to the ship, giving him — or rather, his brain — full control over the ship. Sensing trouble, the team flees the ship, leaving the empty ship, piloted by the professor, into outer space. Later, the spaceship returns and kidnaps Kramer and his wife, and on board the ship, the professor's brain informs them that they'll be looking for a new planet to colonize, to start over, as the professor sees no hope in mankind and what it has become — a species which desires, above all else, war.
since its original copyright was not renewed with the US Copyright Office on the 27th year after the initial copyright expired. Mr. Spaceship is therefore freely available to read and download online.
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
, first published in 1953 in Imagination
Imagination (magazine)
Imagination was an American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in October 1950 by Raymond Palmer's Clark Publishing Company. The magazine was sold almost immediately to Greenleaf Publishing Company, owned by William Hamling, who published and edited it from the third issue,...
, and later in The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick
The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick
The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick is a collection of science fiction stories by Philip K. Dick. It was first published by Underwood-Miller in 1987 as a five volume set. See Philip K...
. It has since been republished several times, including in Beyond Lies the Wub
Beyond Lies the Wub (collection)
Beyond Lies the Wub is a collection of science fiction stories by Philip K. Dick. It was first published by Gollancz in 1988 and reprints Volume I of The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick...
in 1988.
The story is set in the distant future, where mankind is at war with "Yuks", an alien life form which doesn't use mechanical spaceships nor constructions, instead, it relies on life forms. The war has been going on for a long time, and mankind hasn't been able to come up with a solution against the life-form based ships and mines that the Yuks use. One day, a team of researchers led by Philip Kramer decide to build a spaceship which is powered by a human brain. They find the ideal candidate, Kramer's old professor, a dying man who volunteers to donate his brain to the project.
The spaceship is built and on the first test run into outer space, the team discovers that the professor made some changes to the ship, giving him — or rather, his brain — full control over the ship. Sensing trouble, the team flees the ship, leaving the empty ship, piloted by the professor, into outer space. Later, the spaceship returns and kidnaps Kramer and his wife, and on board the ship, the professor's brain informs them that they'll be looking for a new planet to colonize, to start over, as the professor sees no hope in mankind and what it has become — a species which desires, above all else, war.
Copyright status
Mr. Spaceship is in the public domain in the United StatesPublic domain in the United States
Works are in the public domain if they are not covered by intellectual property rights, such as copyright, at all, or if the intellectual property rights to the works has expired.- Public domain in copyrighted works in the United States :...
since its original copyright was not renewed with the US Copyright Office on the 27th year after the initial copyright expired. Mr. Spaceship is therefore freely available to read and download online.