What do you think?
Rate this book
Danger—Human
Gordon R. Dickson.Danger—Human. Garden Doubleday, 1970. First edition, first printing. Octavo. 228 pages.
228 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1970
38 people want to read
About the author
Gordon R. Dickson
549 books381 followersGordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author. He was born in Canada, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teenager. He is probably most famous for his Childe Cycle and the Dragon Knight series. He won three Hugo awards and one Nebula award.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 17, 2019
This story really stuck with me and I still recall it many years later while most have completely left my memory.
May 18, 2025
This short story is in my top three of science fiction short stories! Or any short story now that I think about it.
Another one is by Asimov and the third I don't recall the title unfortunately.
Maybe a story by Tiptree or Russell. It was like this:
Protagonist: Male human, abducted by an alien, mind-wiped (specifically, higher mental functions inhibited or diminished, suggesting reduced cognitive capacity, e.g., reasoning, memory, or language).
Alien: Large, possibly elephant-like (in size or appearance, e.g., massive, trunk-like features), capable of easily killing the human but terrified of violence, potentially frightened to death, and surprised by the human’s return to the spaceship.
Plot:
The human is abducted and subjected to a mind wipe that diminishes higher mental functions.
He is released into the “wilds” beyond a fence surrounding the spaceship, implying a natural or untamed area (possibly on Earth, an alien planet, or near the ship).
Despite his diminished mental state, he returns to the spaceship by diving under a fence in water (a submerged or water-adjacent barrier, suggesting physical instinct overrides cognitive loss).
The alien is shocked to see the human back, likely believing the mind wipe or release ensured he wouldn’t return.
The human kills the alien, who is paralyzed by fear of violence and may die from fright (or is killed due to its inaction).
The human returns to Earth as a “wild man,” indicating a feral, savage, or psychologically altered state, possibly a lasting effect of the mind wipe or abduction trauma.
Setting: Involves an alien spaceship with a fenced perimeter, a wild area beyond, and a water-based barrier (e.g., a moat, river, or flooded fence). The return to Earth suggests the spaceship is on or near Earth, or the human accesses a ship to travel back.
Format and Era: Short story, likely 1950s–1970s, aligning with my interest in Gordon R. Dickson’s “Danger—Human” (1957) and the pulp magazine era (Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy, If, Amazing Stories).
Themes: Human resilience (overcoming mental diminishment), alien fear of human violence, psychological transformation (from civilized to “wild man”), and possibly the unpredictability of human instinct.
I've read this story many many times!
Another one is by Asimov and the third I don't recall the title unfortunately.
Maybe a story by Tiptree or Russell. It was like this:
Protagonist: Male human, abducted by an alien, mind-wiped (specifically, higher mental functions inhibited or diminished, suggesting reduced cognitive capacity, e.g., reasoning, memory, or language).
Alien: Large, possibly elephant-like (in size or appearance, e.g., massive, trunk-like features), capable of easily killing the human but terrified of violence, potentially frightened to death, and surprised by the human’s return to the spaceship.
Plot:
The human is abducted and subjected to a mind wipe that diminishes higher mental functions.
He is released into the “wilds” beyond a fence surrounding the spaceship, implying a natural or untamed area (possibly on Earth, an alien planet, or near the ship).
Despite his diminished mental state, he returns to the spaceship by diving under a fence in water (a submerged or water-adjacent barrier, suggesting physical instinct overrides cognitive loss).
The alien is shocked to see the human back, likely believing the mind wipe or release ensured he wouldn’t return.
The human kills the alien, who is paralyzed by fear of violence and may die from fright (or is killed due to its inaction).
The human returns to Earth as a “wild man,” indicating a feral, savage, or psychologically altered state, possibly a lasting effect of the mind wipe or abduction trauma.
Setting: Involves an alien spaceship with a fenced perimeter, a wild area beyond, and a water-based barrier (e.g., a moat, river, or flooded fence). The return to Earth suggests the spaceship is on or near Earth, or the human accesses a ship to travel back.
Format and Era: Short story, likely 1950s–1970s, aligning with my interest in Gordon R. Dickson’s “Danger—Human” (1957) and the pulp magazine era (Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy, If, Amazing Stories).
Themes: Human resilience (overcoming mental diminishment), alien fear of human violence, psychological transformation (from civilized to “wild man”), and possibly the unpredictability of human instinct.
I've read this story many many times!
April 24, 2024
I had reason to recall this work lodged in my memory after many moons and still find . . .
I'm stuck here . . .
for the indefinite future . . .
for the future is indefinite . . .
if you believe in free Will . . .
and Parker
I'm stuck here . . .
for the indefinite future . . .
for the future is indefinite . . .
if you believe in free Will . . .
and Parker
April 13, 2012
Очень позитивная с точки зрения мыслей о супер способности человечества история, но довольно интересная.
April 27, 2017
Was wandering around the internet and I stumbled on some stories by Gordon Dickson. This one uses the "human as superior to alien" sort of trope. A regular, average man is kidnapped by aliens and taken to another world, in order to be studied. He manages to escape from his prison and steal a ship.
The reason the aliens would like to study humans is because it is implied that humans have previously, on at least three occasions, risen up and taken over the galaxy. Earth is a planet that those advanced humans seeded with life, as a back up plan should they be defeated. The irony is, of course, that by taking a human and allowing him to escape they have set off the start of what will inevitably be another conflict between the humans and the aliens.
Short story for those interested: http://www.baen.com/Chapters/07434717...
The reason the aliens would like to study humans is because it is implied that humans have previously, on at least three occasions, risen up and taken over the galaxy. Earth is a planet that those advanced humans seeded with life, as a back up plan should they be defeated. The irony is, of course, that by taking a human and allowing him to escape they have set off the start of what will inevitably be another conflict between the humans and the aliens.
Short story for those interested: http://www.baen.com/Chapters/07434717...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews