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Desertion
Two volunteers who have had their bodies turned into “Lopers” so that they can survey the surface of Jupiter disappear. The administrator can’t in good conscience send another volunteer to look for them, so he transforms himself and his faithful dog into Lopers.
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First published November 1, 1944
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181 people want to read
About the author
Clifford D. Simak
963 books1,064 followers"He was honored by fans with three Hugo awards and by colleagues with one Nebula award and was named the third Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) in 1977." (Wikipedia)
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford...
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 7, 2015
I believe I read this one before, years ago. It's by far my favorite Simak short that I've read so far.
On Jupiter, an experimental program is in place to transpose men into the bodies of Jovian native fauna in order to allow people to go out into the hostile environment. The procedure seems to work perfectly - but something is going wrong. So far, the first four test subjects have gone out into the wilds of Jupiter - and have not returned.
The head of the program may have no moral option but to change tack.
On Jupiter, an experimental program is in place to transpose men into the bodies of Jovian native fauna in order to allow people to go out into the hostile environment. The procedure seems to work perfectly - but something is going wrong. So far, the first four test subjects have gone out into the wilds of Jupiter - and have not returned.
The head of the program may have no moral option but to change tack.
February 23, 2022
simak said yes animals can talk to us and yes humans are actually the dumbest species on the planet, thank you for listening. and to that i say, thank you for writing! this is the exact vein of science fiction (old tv show about space travel vibes) that makes me say i enjoy the genre at all.
July 6, 2020
3.5 Will review at www.fantasyliterature.com.
July 23, 2022
"She was the top-notch conversion unit operator in the Solar System and she didn't like the way he was doing things."
Extraordinarily for a 1940's story, Miss Stanley is quite a bit of a badass. She brings the humanity to this story too, which is a little less unexpected, but she doesn't do so by yelping about in hysterics like many other female characters of the time. We meet her protesting the wasteful methods used to perfect a way for humans to establish ourselves on Jupiter!
"No matter how many men may die, you’ll go up a notch or two." - is Mr. Fowler's very unsavoury response. And then it seems like business will persist as usual until a little introspection causes a very sudden twist in the narrative. The ending is not so surprising as the way it is reached. Very creative.
Extraordinarily for a 1940's story, Miss Stanley is quite a bit of a badass. She brings the humanity to this story too, which is a little less unexpected, but she doesn't do so by yelping about in hysterics like many other female characters of the time. We meet her protesting the wasteful methods used to perfect a way for humans to establish ourselves on Jupiter!
"No matter how many men may die, you’ll go up a notch or two." - is Mr. Fowler's very unsavoury response. And then it seems like business will persist as usual until a little introspection causes a very sudden twist in the narrative. The ending is not so surprising as the way it is reached. Very creative.
February 17, 2018
From 1944, a year for questioning what being human was. This is the kind of story that makes me love science fiction. Short, a little old fashioned in style, but - it makes me feel like my skull is a little bit stretchier than it was before I read it.
The introduction in the Vandermeers’ Big Book of Science Fiction says this story was incorporated into Simak’s novel City that came out in 1952.
The introduction in the Vandermeers’ Big Book of Science Fiction says this story was incorporated into Simak’s novel City that came out in 1952.
July 28, 2018
A 1944 story about human settlement of the planets which is of its period in postulating a 'patriotic' (though to a species, our own, not a nation) willingness to sacrifice oneself for the sake of the future - albeit that we have the absurdity of sacrificing fit young males who are the future.
It is interesting though because of its subversion of that ideal. The science fiction element (other than the Jovian location) lies in the physical transmutation through biological science of humanity into life forms capable of living in hostile environments.
This is, of course, nonsense but it does not really matter because, as a plot device, it gets you to the nub of the matter - that there might be a state of being to be discovered that is so superior to being human that one might as well 'desert' humanity altogether.
Although the quasi-military-scientific bits are fairly standard fare, Simak rises to the occasion with some excellent writing about the higher state which five other humans have clearly preferred before the previously dutiful administrator decides to go AWOL - and we get a talking dog to boot!
October 7, 2024
A man and his dog finally find happiness!
February 26, 2024
How id love to have my dog talk to me
November 27, 2025
This is one of those rare science-fiction stories that remains emotionally resonant long after its final sentence, not because of grand spectacle or cosmic conflict, but because it dares to ask an elemental question: “What if our deepest limitations are not cosmic, but biological—and what if abandoning humanity is the only way to truly experience the universe?”
The story is set on Jupiter, where humanity has attempted to establish a foothold inside the planet’s deadly storm-wracked atmosphere. The environment is so hostile—immense pressure, corrosive gases, crushing winds—that humans can survive only inside domed “bubbles.”
To explore the surface, researchers use the “Loper conversion process,” which turns a human into a native Jovian creature. The twist is that every person sent out in Loper form never returns.
They disappear into the Jovian wilderness, supposedly dead, “deserters” from humanity’s mission. When Fowler, the station chief, and his loyal dog, Towser, undergo the conversion to uncover the truth, the story takes a breathtaking turn.
Simak’s genius lies in how he reframes the concept of transformation. Instead of treating the Loper body as a monstrous or alien prison, he inundates the reader with a sense of expanding joy.
Fowler experiences a new sensory universe—telepathic communication, radiant perception, and the ability to move with impossible ease across the Jovian plains. His consciousness does not shrink; it flourishes. And Towser’s transformation is even more touching.
A being once trapped inside a limited sensory cage suddenly speaks, reasons, and feels the world with clarity. Their telepathic exchange is one of the most uplifting, poignant moments in mid-century SF.
At its heart, ‘Desertion’ is a meditation on ‘embodiment’—the idea that consciousness is inseparable from the body that houses it. Simak suggests that humanity’s stubborn attachment to its fragile physiology is what restricts it from attaining new forms of wisdom.
The Loper form isn’t a loss of humanity; it’s an evolution beyond the constraints of carbon-based fragility. Simak inverts the typical “body horror” trope into something close to “body transcendence.”
Yet the novella is not merely philosophical. It is structured as a mystery:
1) Why does no one come back?
2) Are they dying?
3) Are they rebelling?
4) What truth about Jupiter are they discovering that makes human goals meaningless?
When the revelation comes, it is devastating in its simplicity.
No one returns because the life they find out there is infinitely richer than the one inside the human bubbles. Their desertion is not cowardice; it’s liberation.
Simak’s prose is gentle, warm, and elegiac, a tone often overlooked in discussions of “Golden Age” SF.
While contemporaries wrote about war, conquest, and technological triumph, Simak wrote about ‘‘belonging’’—about the quiet ache of finding one’s true home in a place utterly unexpected. ‘Desertion’ embodies this emotional clarity.
The winds of Jupiter become not a threat but an invitation; the alien terrain feels like a spiritual landscape.
The emotional core of the story rests heavily on the relationship between Fowler and Towser. Simak loved animals, and it shows. Their bond is rendered with tenderness and respect, and the moment when Towser speaks his first telepathic words is one of the most quietly explosive scenes in all of science fiction. It is not melodramatic; it is simply beautiful—a creature finally given the fullness of expression.
The story also critiques militaristic, colonial attitudes toward planetary exploration. The arrogance of trying to “conquer” Jupiter collapses once the explorers understand that their human framework was the wrong tool for the job. The narrative thus becomes a subtle indictment of anthropocentrism.
Humanity’s inability to return from Loper form is less a scientific puzzle than a moral one: What does it mean to choose a better life if it means walking away from the species that made you?
If the novella has a limitation, it is only that it ends too quickly. Readers might long to see more of the Jovian world through Loper's senses or to witness further philosophical evolution between Fowler and Towser.
But that brevity is also its strength; Simak leaves us in a moment of profound possibility.
In sum, ‘Desertion’ is a humane, visionary, deeply moving piece of science fiction. Simak merges philosophy with emotional intimacy, asking whether the essence of humanity might lie not in holding onto the human form, but in embracing whatever form best awakens our capacity for joy, understanding, and connection.
It is a timeless meditation on freedom—one that still astonishes with its quiet, luminous courage.
The story is set on Jupiter, where humanity has attempted to establish a foothold inside the planet’s deadly storm-wracked atmosphere. The environment is so hostile—immense pressure, corrosive gases, crushing winds—that humans can survive only inside domed “bubbles.”
To explore the surface, researchers use the “Loper conversion process,” which turns a human into a native Jovian creature. The twist is that every person sent out in Loper form never returns.
They disappear into the Jovian wilderness, supposedly dead, “deserters” from humanity’s mission. When Fowler, the station chief, and his loyal dog, Towser, undergo the conversion to uncover the truth, the story takes a breathtaking turn.
Simak’s genius lies in how he reframes the concept of transformation. Instead of treating the Loper body as a monstrous or alien prison, he inundates the reader with a sense of expanding joy.
Fowler experiences a new sensory universe—telepathic communication, radiant perception, and the ability to move with impossible ease across the Jovian plains. His consciousness does not shrink; it flourishes. And Towser’s transformation is even more touching.
A being once trapped inside a limited sensory cage suddenly speaks, reasons, and feels the world with clarity. Their telepathic exchange is one of the most uplifting, poignant moments in mid-century SF.
At its heart, ‘Desertion’ is a meditation on ‘embodiment’—the idea that consciousness is inseparable from the body that houses it. Simak suggests that humanity’s stubborn attachment to its fragile physiology is what restricts it from attaining new forms of wisdom.
The Loper form isn’t a loss of humanity; it’s an evolution beyond the constraints of carbon-based fragility. Simak inverts the typical “body horror” trope into something close to “body transcendence.”
Yet the novella is not merely philosophical. It is structured as a mystery:
1) Why does no one come back?
2) Are they dying?
3) Are they rebelling?
4) What truth about Jupiter are they discovering that makes human goals meaningless?
When the revelation comes, it is devastating in its simplicity.
No one returns because the life they find out there is infinitely richer than the one inside the human bubbles. Their desertion is not cowardice; it’s liberation.
Simak’s prose is gentle, warm, and elegiac, a tone often overlooked in discussions of “Golden Age” SF.
While contemporaries wrote about war, conquest, and technological triumph, Simak wrote about ‘‘belonging’’—about the quiet ache of finding one’s true home in a place utterly unexpected. ‘Desertion’ embodies this emotional clarity.
The winds of Jupiter become not a threat but an invitation; the alien terrain feels like a spiritual landscape.
The emotional core of the story rests heavily on the relationship between Fowler and Towser. Simak loved animals, and it shows. Their bond is rendered with tenderness and respect, and the moment when Towser speaks his first telepathic words is one of the most quietly explosive scenes in all of science fiction. It is not melodramatic; it is simply beautiful—a creature finally given the fullness of expression.
The story also critiques militaristic, colonial attitudes toward planetary exploration. The arrogance of trying to “conquer” Jupiter collapses once the explorers understand that their human framework was the wrong tool for the job. The narrative thus becomes a subtle indictment of anthropocentrism.
Humanity’s inability to return from Loper form is less a scientific puzzle than a moral one: What does it mean to choose a better life if it means walking away from the species that made you?
If the novella has a limitation, it is only that it ends too quickly. Readers might long to see more of the Jovian world through Loper's senses or to witness further philosophical evolution between Fowler and Towser.
But that brevity is also its strength; Simak leaves us in a moment of profound possibility.
In sum, ‘Desertion’ is a humane, visionary, deeply moving piece of science fiction. Simak merges philosophy with emotional intimacy, asking whether the essence of humanity might lie not in holding onto the human form, but in embracing whatever form best awakens our capacity for joy, understanding, and connection.
It is a timeless meditation on freedom—one that still astonishes with its quiet, luminous courage.
May 25, 2025
Προσοχή περιέχει spoiler:
Το μέγεθος δεν είναι το παν... προφανώς μετράει και η τεχνική. Αυτο σκέφτηκε ο Clifford Simak και άρχισε να γράφει...
Αρχικά ο τίτλος Desertion αποδεικνύεται εντέλει μια μεγάλη ειρωνεία. Αυτό που μια στατωκεντρική δομή/κοινωνία βλέπει ως λιποταξία στην πραγματικότητα αποτελεί την απελευθέρωση από ένα κίβδηλο καθήκον και ένα άσκοπο σύστημα.
Είναι ευρέως αποδεκτό πως η ζωή μας συνδέεται άμεσα με την τεχνολογία οδεύοντας με πυξίδα την τεχνολογική εξέλιξη. Και ενώ η ΕΦ την εποχή του Simak επικεντρώνεται κατά κύριο λόγο σε θέματα όπως είναι τα διαστρικά ταξίδια, οι διαγαλαξιακές μάχες και η κυριαρχία του σύμπαντος και του χωροχρόνου, αυτός αντί να απαντήσει στο ερώτημα "τι μπορούμε να κάνουμε με την επιστήμη" θέτει φιλοσοφικά ερωτήματα όπως:
1. "Πρέπει να το κάνουμε;"
2. "Αν το κάνουμε, θα ικανοποιηθούμε/θα μας αρέσει αυτό που θα βρούμε"
Επίσης παρατηρείται μια υπαρξιακή αμφιβολία. Είναι ο άνθρωπος όντως η κορωνίδα της εξέλιξης ή αποτελεί μονάχα ένα στάδιο αυτής; Βλέπουμε την προσπάθεια της ανθρωπότητας να κατανοήσει (και να κοπιάρει) μια εξωγήινη μορφή χωρίς ομως να εχει κατανοήσει τον ίδιο της τον ευατο.
Πραγματικά ένα διαμάντι που θα πρεπει να διδάσκεται στα σχολεία.
Το μέγεθος δεν είναι το παν... προφανώς μετράει και η τεχνική. Αυτο σκέφτηκε ο Clifford Simak και άρχισε να γράφει...
Αρχικά ο τίτλος Desertion αποδεικνύεται εντέλει μια μεγάλη ειρωνεία. Αυτό που μια στατωκεντρική δομή/κοινωνία βλέπει ως λιποταξία στην πραγματικότητα αποτελεί την απελευθέρωση από ένα κίβδηλο καθήκον και ένα άσκοπο σύστημα.
Είναι ευρέως αποδεκτό πως η ζωή μας συνδέεται άμεσα με την τεχνολογία οδεύοντας με πυξίδα την τεχνολογική εξέλιξη. Και ενώ η ΕΦ την εποχή του Simak επικεντρώνεται κατά κύριο λόγο σε θέματα όπως είναι τα διαστρικά ταξίδια, οι διαγαλαξιακές μάχες και η κυριαρχία του σύμπαντος και του χωροχρόνου, αυτός αντί να απαντήσει στο ερώτημα "τι μπορούμε να κάνουμε με την επιστήμη" θέτει φιλοσοφικά ερωτήματα όπως:
1. "Πρέπει να το κάνουμε;"
2. "Αν το κάνουμε, θα ικανοποιηθούμε/θα μας αρέσει αυτό που θα βρούμε"
Επίσης παρατηρείται μια υπαρξιακή αμφιβολία. Είναι ο άνθρωπος όντως η κορωνίδα της εξέλιξης ή αποτελεί μονάχα ένα στάδιο αυτής; Βλέπουμε την προσπάθεια της ανθρωπότητας να κατανοήσει (και να κοπιάρει) μια εξωγήινη μορφή χωρίς ομως να εχει κατανοήσει τον ίδιο της τον ευατο.
Πραγματικά ένα διαμάντι που θα πρεπει να διδάσκεται στα σχολεία.
September 15, 2025
fun, short read. The ending is interesting, but I kind of feel like it failed to make a point? There are lots of themes here of otherness and what that means, the inherent mystery of the Lopers and the horror of something unspeakable happening to you if you turn you if you turn into one. The first half of the story was quite unsettling because of this.
Maybe this is missing the point, but I still would have wanted more of a point to be made about Fowler. he was clearly very guilty about his choice and life, and given a new life. But he just takes it? I don't know, I felt a snapshot of that guilt and never felt it appropriately resolved. This may be a symptom of it being a short story.
Maybe this is missing the point, but I still would have wanted more of a point to be made about Fowler. he was clearly very guilty about his choice and life, and given a new life. But he just takes it? I don't know, I felt a snapshot of that guilt and never felt it appropriately resolved. This may be a symptom of it being a short story.
October 29, 2025
Fun story. The older I get, and the creakier I get, the more envious I am of those guys being rejuvenated in new bodies and being sent out to explore Jupiter.
I also enjoy the descriptive passages of being in Jupiter's atmosphere more now that I am older and I am taking the time to read them. When I was younger I hurried over them to get to the talking dog part.
This story is part of a collection of loosely connected stories that make up the book "City". I've read it a couple of times and it's a pretty good read.
If you like talking dogs there are more to be found in that book. That's all I'll say about that because I don't want to spoil the book's ending.
I also enjoy the descriptive passages of being in Jupiter's atmosphere more now that I am older and I am taking the time to read them. When I was younger I hurried over them to get to the talking dog part.
This story is part of a collection of loosely connected stories that make up the book "City". I've read it a couple of times and it's a pretty good read.
If you like talking dogs there are more to be found in that book. That's all I'll say about that because I don't want to spoil the book's ending.
February 19, 2020
To explore the planet of Jupiter, men are physically converted into one of the more intelligent native species, the Lopers. The last five men sent out by Kent Fowler, the head of the survey project, haven't returned. The exploration must continue, but Fowler can't face sending another man out to what appears to be certain death, so he decides to go in their place, accompanied by his elderly dog.
This was a beautiful story. I wish it had been longer. 4 out of 5.
This was a beautiful story. I wish it had been longer. 4 out of 5.
July 14, 2023
A science team assigned to explore the “surface” of Jupiter uses a converter to transform humans into “lopers,” creatures that can withstand the planet’s fierce storms and crushing pressure. The team’s leader, Fowler, has already sent four men out who never returned. They are presumed dead. After a fifth volunteer vanishes, Fowler decides that he and his dog, Towser, will be the next to undergo conversion and venture out into the unknown.
September 11, 2020
Read this because it was nominated for a retro Hugo award, so I was reading quite a few works from the same year in a short period of time.
This is one of my favourite short stories, and rereading it I was pleased to discover that the strength of the first reading has held together. I love the Jovian setting, and the way that the story explores the social framing of disability.
This is one of my favourite short stories, and rereading it I was pleased to discover that the strength of the first reading has held together. I love the Jovian setting, and the way that the story explores the social framing of disability.
April 30, 2022
"Desertion" is a brilliant story that, besides captivating the mind, perfectly dispels the commonly held belief -- or myth, I'd argue -- that extraterrestrial life must be like us, i.e., carbon-based. No, it must not. The story also slaps down the ethnocentric belief that human life is the most advanced. I mean, it could be, but given the age of the universe, that seems unlikely.
January 15, 2025
I found it to be quite an engaging short but found the links between happenings and revelations a little patchy. It was all a bit vague, like a dream, though fed you just enough detail to keep you reading. And I’m glad I did, it’s just I now need to go back and read it a second time to see if my impressions were well founded.
Read
October 24, 2021One of the masterpieces of the Great Clifford Simak, another great piece of his work; short, yet enormous by its essence, meaning and depth story which will never lose its meaning or importance for real admirers and connoisseurs of the science fiction genre.
September 25, 2017
Science Fiction just isn't my favorite genre, but I have a Sci Fi class so I have to read a ton of it.
March 13, 2018
Short story from 1944. Still hold up well, and has been reprinted many, many times:
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cg...
4.5 stars, by memory.
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cg...
4.5 stars, by memory.
December 18, 2019
Loved it, wrote a paper on it. Very good science fiction short story.
March 5, 2022
DOGS IN SPACE
Read
November 30, 2022read for my pulp fiction class
May 2, 2024
hell yeah. fantastic writing, great story, top transhumanism, from 1944. You can very much see the war influence and message.
January 21, 2025
Somewhat corny but did a good job keeping me in the story.
February 17, 2025
A quick and comprehensive story which perfectly encapsulates the universal themes of science fiction. A phenomenal short story written with shining simplicity.
Want to read
December 3, 2025https://1024terabox.com/s/1b8Source: YouTube https://share.google/pykxJyf9w41NAlII...
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2025
Cool short story about a human and dog transforming into another lifeform on Jupiter and finding our that the human perspective on life is very limiting in a multitude of ways, and deciding to abandon their past life, full of hope about the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2025
read for school
January 24, 2017
“Desertion” – Clifford D. Simak (1944)
This story is about pantropy, the human modification of ourselves for space exploration, rather than environmental modification. The title only made sense at the end of the story. It's about the elitism of human beings assuming that as the superior race anything or anyone who did not 'return' was a 'deserter'. The story challenges our biased perspective of 'lesser creatures' in that they may possibly be more existential and clearer of purpose than we are.
Opening line: “Four men, two by two, had gone into the howling maelstrom that was Jupiter and had not returned. They had walked into the keening gale – or rather, they had loped, bellies low against the ground, wet sides gleaming in the rain.
For they did not go in the shape of men.”
“For men in the domes of Jupiter did know fear – fear and humility. It was hard for man to reconcile his puny self with the mighty forces of the monstrous planet.”
“... fleeing shadows over a red and purple sward.”
{* sward = the upper layer of soil, especially when covered with grass.}
- -
This story is about pantropy, the human modification of ourselves for space exploration, rather than environmental modification. The title only made sense at the end of the story. It's about the elitism of human beings assuming that as the superior race anything or anyone who did not 'return' was a 'deserter'. The story challenges our biased perspective of 'lesser creatures' in that they may possibly be more existential and clearer of purpose than we are.
Opening line: “Four men, two by two, had gone into the howling maelstrom that was Jupiter and had not returned. They had walked into the keening gale – or rather, they had loped, bellies low against the ground, wet sides gleaming in the rain.
For they did not go in the shape of men.”
“For men in the domes of Jupiter did know fear – fear and humility. It was hard for man to reconcile his puny self with the mighty forces of the monstrous planet.”
“... fleeing shadows over a red and purple sward.”
{* sward = the upper layer of soil, especially when covered with grass.}
- -
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews