Zen

by Jerome Bixby, William Ashman (Illustrator)

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction

18 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

Drexel Jerome Lewis Bixby (January 11, 1923 Los Angeles, California – April 28, 1998 San Bernardino, California) was a American short story writer, editor and scriptwriter, best known for his comparatively small output in science fiction. He also wrote many westerns and used the pseudonyms D. B. Lewis, Harry Neal, Albert Russell, J. Russell, M. St. Vivant, Thornecliff Herrick and Alger Rome (for one collaboration with Algis Budrys).

He was the editor of Planet Stories from Summer 1950 to July 1951; and editor of Two Complete Science Adventure Novels from Winter 1950 to July 1951.

Probably his best-known work is the Star Trek: The Original Series 1967 episode "Mirror, Mirror", which introduced the series' concept of the Mirror Universe, also "Requiem for Methuselah" (Episode 76, Season 3:) about 'Flint' a 6,000 year old man. He also wrote the short story "It's a Good Life" (1953), adapted as a teleplay for The Twilight Zone by Rod Serling and parodied in the Simpsons Halloween episode "Treehouse of Horror II". His 1968 Star Trek episode "Day of the Dove" is also much respected by fans of science fiction. Bixby also conceived and co-wrote the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, later novelized by Isaac Asimov.

Jerome Bixby's last work, a screenplay The Man From Earth, was conceived in the early 1960s and completed on his deathbed in April 1998. In 2007, Jerome Bixby's The Man From Earth (as it is now called) was turned into an independent motion picture executive produced by his son Emerson Bixby, directed by Richard Schenkman and starring David Lee Smith, William Katt, Richard Riehle, Tony Todd, Annika Peterson, Alexis Thorpe, Ellen Crawford and John Billingsley.

Bixby wrote the original screenplay for 1958's It! The Terror from Beyond Space, which was the inspiration for 1979's Alien. The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine seventh season (1999) Mirror Universe episode, "The Emperor's New Cloak," is dedicated to Bixby's memory.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1952, this short sci-fi is quite moving with a nice little twist on which to finish!

[Charles van Buren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free Kindle edition

A decent 1950's science fiction short story with an interesting twist at the end. Alien life comes with big surprises but nothing to do with Eastern or other mystical religion.

Bixby was a writer, editor, and scriptwriter who wrote some notable scripts for Star Trek and The Twilight Zone.

[Viji (Bookish endeavors) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trash seems the fitting word,but I shouldn't call it so since it's a book. I found this story in the golden age of sci-fi collection. What I can't understand is,what about this story made the editor include this crap in the golden collection. I wonder if this author wrote anything else. Just to check if he is stupid all the time,or just this once.
(Shift+del) from memory.

[Alexander Fényi · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe not a great read by today's ideal's but still a nice old picture of a simpler view not touched by all scientific knowledge accumulated since the fifties.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining listening 🎶🔰

Another will written fantasy Sci-Fi space adventure thriller short story by Jerome Bixby about Zen and what they mean to the solar system. I would recommend this novella to readers looking for a quick read. Enjoy the adventure of books. 🏡🔰⏰😀 2022

[Akrabar · Rating 4 out of 5]

audiobook

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUKR_...

[Sara]

Why angel want to die coz the alone
thirsty to comunicat
rarb in many handred years
far alone in galaxy
huge my fear
my rare wound
tired of life
yr bet heart find me
care to be loving
i oth y to be with me
learn my lang
and make me want to breath
sing yr songs
and make many handred
the feal to fall in love so beuty
to find someone to colect many shatter
so diffrent
so beutful feeling
thes truth talking from heart
even stars rain jasmin
its love state that we have
our dream cant be end
beutful feeling to be in love

[Persy · Rating 3 out of 5]

”They are so frighteningly far away…”

A very sad and then very hopeful take on space exploration, extinction, and rebirth.

When a crew of spacemen are sent to a new planet in search of materials they run into a lone alien, a Zen, whose species had been wiped out 3,000 years prior. She sat in isolation for centuries, until being reunited with the last of her kind.

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book 'Zen' a scientist on a planet comes upon an animal called well a 'zen' and starts communicating with it. It actually asks him to kill it since 'she' is the only one left, but, coincidentially there's a male 'zen' on board the ship.......

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sci fi short story

A sort of Robinson Caruso tale in reverse. The ending is a little abrupt and brief. In real life there would be a lot more debate,maybe some poaching.

[Zai Zai · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like this one bit. It's a convenient intergalactic dating story lol.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖊 My review: This is akin to a savior story, a savior of not mankind, but a species of life – the Zen. I enjoyed it.
✔️Published in Galaxy Science Fiction October 1952 Vol. 5 No. 1 .
🤔 My rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🟣 Media form: Kindle version.
🟢 Media form Project Gutenberg.
🔲 Excerpts of note:

🔹It's difficult, when you're on one of the asteroids, to keep from tripping, because it's almost impossible to keep your eyes on the ground. They never got around to putting portholes in spaceships, you know—unnecessary when you're flying by GB, and psychologically inadvisable, besides—so an asteroid is about the only place, apart from Luna, where you can really see the stars.

🔹I had left the Lucky Pierre to search for fossils (I'm David Koontz, the Lucky Pierre's paleontologist). Somewhere off in the darkness on either side of me were Joe Hargraves, gadgeting for mineral deposits, and Ed Reiss, hopefully on the lookout for anything alive.

🔹"So. Eert-mn," it said. "And you know what I am?" When I understood, I nodded, too. Then I said, "Yes," realizing that the nod wasn't visible through the one-way glass of my helmet. "I am—last of Zen," it said. I said nothing. I was studying it closely, looking for the features which Yurt had described to us: the lighter red fur of arms and neck, the peculiar formation of flesh and horn on the lower abdomen. They were there. From the coloring, I knew this Zen was a female. . . .

🚀●▬●💫●💫●▬●🚀

[Phil Giunta · Rating 3 out of 5]

While exploring the asteroid Vesta, a team of human scientists encounters a female member of an alien race known as the Zen, whose planet self-destructed 3,000 years ago. She believes herself the last of her kind until the humans reunite her with a male Zen who has been working with them for a while.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very insubstantial story.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on a number of things. Give it a read.

[Forked Radish · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Zen sound tasty, breed like tribbles, and sure do keep well. A Christmas or Thanksgiving zen with cranberry sauce and stuffing? 😋

[Grey]

The brilliant ignorant human-like alien old young creature who was asking me to kill her

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scifi, short story, profound, by a master.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story begins with David Koontz, paleontologist of the 29-man crew of the “Lucky Pierre” investigating the asteroid Vesta. It immediately becomes clear that Vesta is crustal remains of Planet X, otherwise known as Sorn. David begins hunting for fossil remains, but stumbles across the Zen.

Please read the rest of the review here.

[Velma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Um, NO.

Really, that's all I can bring myself to say here. Anything more would simply be gilding the lily, or maybe scraping the gilt off with anything I can find to hand.