Inside Earth

by Poul Anderson

The Valgolia rule the Galaxy. But they're fomenting revolt throughout their own empire. Their hope is to unite all of their subjects by giving them a common enemy. But the trick is finding a way not to be destroyed by the rebellion in the process.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Novella

56 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1951

About the author

Pseudonym A. A. Craig, Michael Karageorge, Winston P. Sanders, P. A. Kingsley.

Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.

Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]

Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.


Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nov2023: Reread with the "Evolution of SF" group. I listened to the Librivox audiobook. I wasn't as thrilled with it this time around, but otherwise my earlier review holds.

Dec2017: A lot of excellent concepts in this novella. An excellent twist on the empire & rebellion from the point of view of agent provocateur. The story sets the reader against his/her own bias in a particularly effective way. I found the use of 'human' particularly well done since the main character/hero isn't by my provincial standards. That's the whole point & while it is obvious from the beginning, it's so well done that I found myself somewhat conflicted all the way through & still satisfied with the ending, even though it wasn't what I was hoping for.

This is yet another public domain book that has been republished on Amazon. Don't buy it! Get it for free from Gutenberg.org in both .epub & .mobi (Kindle) formats here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51184
or from Librivox.org here:
https://librivox.org/inside-earth-by-...

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short SF novella, or even a novelette (according to ISFDB), first published in Galaxy Science Fiction, April 1951. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for November 2023 at The Evolution of Science Fiction group.

This is the story that uses a plot common for the Cold War period SF – a spy is sent to alien species (which are suitably humanoid), e.g. Wasp by Eric Frank Russell, but turns it upside down, sending an ‘enemy’ alien to Earth people (this is was ‘inside’ in the title means):
The biotechnicians had been very thorough. I was already a little undersized, which meant that my height and build were suitable—I could pass for a big Earthling. And of course my face and hands and so on were all right, the Earthlings being a remarkably humanoid race. But the technicians had had to remodel my ears, blunting the tips and grafting on lobes and cutting the muscles that move them. My crest had to go and a scalp covered with revolting hair was now on the top of my skull.

Moreover, the main goal of the agent is to actually help incite a rebellion against his own species, Valgolians, because they desire to finally unite Earth people, which later will allow them to join other spacefaring species, an uplifting strategy.

There is some humor and parodying of spy novels with their beautiful femme fatale, convoluted plots, and a lot of action. The story is fine and the size allows it not to grow boring.

[Ahmed Al-Mahdi · Rating 4 out of 5]

رواية "داخل الأرض" هي رواية عن احتلال فضائي للأرض، ولكن بمنظور جديد تمامًا! الإمبراطورية المجرية الي احتلت كوكب الأرض وجدت أنه كوكب غني بالموارد الطبيعية، ولكن مشكلته أن قاطنيه تسودهم الكراهية والتمييز العنصري بين بعضهم البعض، وأن هناك حروب مستمرة بين بعضهم البعض تضيع موارد هذا الكوكب.
لذا قبل أن ينضم كوكب الأرض للإمبراطورية يجب أن يتعلم أبناء هذا الكوكب أن يتوحدوا ويكونوا على قلب رجلٍ واحد، ويكون الحل الوحيد هو أن يتمرد سكان كوكب الأرض ضد المحتل الجديد فيتوحدون وينسون خلافاتهم الخاصة، ولكن المشكلة هي أن أبناء كوكب الأرض لا يبدون أدنى بادرة للتمرد ـ إلا من قلة قليلة ـ بل إن أغلبهم يقلدون المحتل ويتشبهون بهم، رغم تعمد جنود المحتل معاملة الأرضيين بشكلٍ فظ، وفرض الضرائب الباهظة عليهم. وهكذا يكون الحل الوحيد أمام الإمبراطورية هو أن يتنكر أحدهم كواحد من الأرضيين ويذهب لزرع بذور التمرد وجعل الأرضيين يثورون في وجه المحتل.
تروى الرواية كلها من منظور هذا المخلوق الفضائي الذي يزرع على الأرض، ونشاهد الرواية من خلال عينيه، وهي كما قلت رواية مختلفة في طرحها، وقد استمتعت بها كثيرًا، وأرشحها بقوة لكل عشاق الخيال العلمي.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5 stars. I enjoyed Anderson's imaginative work, with a few interesting characters, friendly and enemy aliens, and a nice unifying theme. However, it was just too short to develop the ideas adequately.
The story opens with an introduction to Conru, an alien sent to Earth to work on the unification of species. He disguises himself as a human (changing his body to look the part) and then travels around the United States, finding that Earthlings were discontent. He goes to Maine and is put to work by Nat Hawkins as a roving agent. He travels to Boreas, an ice planet, where everyone lives in heated places underground. He meets Barbara, an earthling, and rather quickly falls in love.
The Valgolian's arrive and quickly destroy buildings and space ships. Then the earthlings are told they'll be taken to penal colonies when actually they'll be indocrinated.
The story talks a lot about the goal to advance humans so they can gain intelligence and establish a unified universe with other aliens. I enjoyed that though Anderson brings up some big ideas (alien races, the role of government, progression of species), there's enough action and character interaction to keep the story going.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls · Rating 3 out of 5]

This pulp-era Science-Fiction story/novella tells the story of a future Earth under occupation by the Valgolian race of humanoid aliens, who came to our planet looking for precious resources but eventually assumed control because humans were technologically poorer and also were fractioned into various races/countries/political groups which lacked unity. The comparison between European settlers taking over the "New World" of the Americas is helped along by the pejorative "redskins" which humans use to describe the aliens' skin pigmentation. This story doesn't appear to have been collected in any of Anderson's various anthologies but is available free online for those who are interested: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/51184...

[Phil Giunta · Rating 3 out of 5]

After conquering Earth, the Valgolian Empire sends an undercover agent to foment rebellion against the Valgolians in the hope that humans will cast aside their chauvinisms (racism, ethnocentrism, nationalism, etc.) and unite as one planet. Only then will Earth be eligible to join the Empire as a member world and the Valgolians' work will be complete.

Although the characters lack depth, and the plot is a familiar one in the espionage genre, Anderson's concept raises SF to that higher level that the genre achieves so well when it challenges the reader's beliefs and prejudices. The portrayal of an empire exceptionally altruistic in its goals was also unique.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I was able to comfortably read it through to the end, which is three stars at least in my book.

There is a touch of Asimov here in so much as there is a galactic empire, but a different one to Isaac's concept. There is also a whiff of Arthur's Children of Men, a peaceful alien invasion, but again a different end game.

The overall concept is interesting, that Poul's version of Earth's population should unite and forget their cultural and racial differences in opposition to the Valgolians and so be channeled to evolve to a higher level.

Some would say that we could use the Valgolians in our present times ...

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humanoid aliens have conquered the Earth. They are a highly advanced, peace-loving people with a secret agenda. Our hero is one of the invaders who has been surgically modified to pass for human. His mission is to infiltrate the human resistance and act as an agent provocateur to end racism by creating a common enemy. This clever take on McCarthy-era fear of brainwashing and communist spies would have made a good Twilight Zone episode.
The cover price on the April 1951 issue of Galaxy, in which Inside Earth was a featured novella, was 25 cents. It is now free on Project Gutenberg.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this as part of a promotion by Amazon 6 months ago. I am at this time attempting to clean up the books, box sets, and megapacks on my Kindle Fire.

I listened to this as part of The 12th Science Fiction Megapack. It was a quick entertanting listen.

This is a very good Science Fiction novella quick read. As with all multipe story book, box set, and Megapack I like some better than other but the is normal 2023

[Raymond Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read if a little simple. Characters lack a bit of depth. Too much black and white between good and bad. Decent plot but again a little to simple

A good story for the younger readers. Does try to address some of the issues of race and religion hate

[Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

one of those out-of-copyright books on Project Gutenberg. An alien conqueror infiltrates human society and tries to fit in. Was fine, a bit funny in its observations, I'm still not totally enamoured by Anderson as a writer though.

[Gr1972 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good read. Short and consistent with the themes of Anderson. A classic.

[Ryan Dash · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. A short, relatively breezy read with an early take on an alien POV. The world-building was interesting and I would be interested in a full-length novel set in the world. This novelette, however, took a narrower focus, and the dialogue suffered from that somewhat. The plot was too simple even for its short length.

[Dodger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed a lot longer than the few pages involved in the story. Perhaps, the reason being I didn't like the story very much. It seemed long and drawn out as if it was two paragraphs drawn out to many pages.
I love classic, short-story science fiction, but this is one I could have skipped.

[Adhoc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good solid scifi