A Slave Is A Slave

Federation

by H. Beam Piper

The Galactic Empire is slowly 'welcoming' into the family of civilized worlds those systems so far off in the backwater of the galaxy that they have been overlooked and ignored for the past 500 years or so. This is purely routine work because every planet offered the chance has eagerly accepted the invitation. Mainly because the enlightened Empire lets the planetary government continue to rule and do whatever it wants...with a few minor restrictions of course; and because the they are shown what happens to planets who decide not to accept the invitation.

Aditya is the system in question here. Forgotten for almost a millennium but surviving, thank you very much, with an economy based entirely on slavery. Everyone is a slave except for the few thousand Lords Master. What happens when the this type of society meets the Constitution of the Galactic Empire which forbids any type of slavery? What happens when the poor, oppressed slaves are given their freedom? Funny you should ask

Read by Phil Chenevert

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories

10 pages, Audiobook

First published June 19, 2008

About the author

Henry Beam Piper (1904 - 1964) was an American science fiction author. He wrote many short stories and several novels. He is best known for his extensive Terro-Human Future History series of stories and a shorter series of "Paratime" alternate history tales.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would give 3.5 stars if I could. Skirts slavery apologism, doesn't quite go there, heads for "people are basically shit" instead, which I can't argue with.

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 grade C+/B-

A rather tedious and over long short story. It examines at what might happen when a slavery phobic Galactic Empire annexes a planet where the entire economy and social structure is based on slaves and masters and forces them to change within themselves. I did speed read and took long breaks. If you do that, be sure to remember the names of the characters because there are a lot of them. The premise is actually very interesting though.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excerpt: ... postponed until the word could be passed out to the upper servile levels. A meeting with the chief-slaves in office of the various Managements was scheduled for the next afternoon. Count Erskyll chatted with forced affability while the departing committeemen were being seen to the launch that would take them down. When the airlock closed behind them, he drew Prince Trevannion aside out of earshot of their subordinates. "You know what you're doing?" he raged, in a hoarse whisper. "You're simply substituting peonage for outright slavery!" "I'd call that something of a step." He motioned Erskyll into one of the small hall-cars, climbed in beside him, and lifted it, starting toward the living-area. "The Convocation has acknowledged the principle that sapient beings should not be property. That's a great deal, for one day." "But the people will remain in servitude, you know that. The Masters will keep them in debt, and they'll be treated just as brutally." "Oh, there will be abuses; that's to be expected. This Freedmen's Management, nee Servile Management, will have to take care of that. Better make a memo to talk with this chief-freedman of Martwynn's, what's his name? Zhorzh Khouzhik; that's right, let Zhorzh do it. Employment Practices Code, investigation agency, enforcement. If he can't do the job, that's not our fault. The Empire does not guarantee every planet an honest, intelligent and efficient government; just a single one." "But." "It will take two or three generations. At first, the freedmen will be exploited just as they always have been, but in time there will be protests, and disorders, and each time, there will be some small improvement. A society must evolve, Obray. Let these people earn their freedom. Then they will be worthy of it." "They should have their freedom now." "This present generation? What do you think freedom means to them? We don't have to work, any more. So down tools and let everything stop at once. We can do anything...

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happens when a force from The Galactic Empire arrives on a planet where Slaves outnumber Masters and proceeds to change the rules of society so the planet will be a proper subject of the Empire? We find out in this story from the pages of Analog Science Fact-Science Fiction.

Although the topic was compelling, I was a little disappointed in the crafting of the tale. I have trouble keeping names straight when there are too many thrown onto the page at once, and I have lost patience over the years when an author takes a few paragraphs to give a history lesson instead of getting on with the story, even when that history might be vital to the understanding of the plot. I prefer to have small doses of the past woven into the present story but here I had to wade through a bit of '800 years ago...' before the action resumed after the opening scenes. In a short story this is annoying but this one is still worth reading, since others may not have the issues with it that I had.

I have read one other story by Piper and plan to read more, but because of the clunkiness of this story, I can only give it 2 stars.

[Mark Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book is packed with insight beyond its time. So much more than a Sci-Fi story. A slave society instantly taken over by a larger power that outlaws slavery. But slavery is not a political reality, it is a reality of the mind. What a man thinks is very important.

*********************
"Something everybody owns, nobody owns," Mykhyl Eschkhaffar objected.

"Oh, no, Mykhyl; it will belong to everybody," Khreggor Chmidd told him earnestly. "But somebody will have to take care of it for everybody. That," he added complacently, "will be you and me and the rest of us here."
*********************

“Everything has to be at once for six-month-old puppies, six-year-old children, and reformers of any age." --Jurgen, Prince Trevannion
A SLAVE IS A SLAVE BY H. BEAM PIPER

You know, it's quite all right to give the underdog a hand, but only one hand. Keep the other hand on your pistol—or he'll try to eat the one you gave him! As you may have noticed, today, when underdogs get up, they tend to turn out to be wolves."
--Jurgen, Prince Trevannion A SLAVE IS A SLAVE BY H. BEAM PIPER

[Wampuscat · Rating 1 out of 5]

In a word, boring. This short story is not anywhere near the level of Piper's other works. It proposes a very condescending view of humanity. Slaves are slaves because they want to be, or they are too lazy to try to be free? Slavery is better than economic poverty? Slaves, given the chance, are just as depraved as their masters? I dunno. The umpteen jillion names and characters used in this thing just annoyed me. I usually don't browse a story, but this one I had to just to wade through all the junk. It reminded me at times of reading through all the 'begats' in the Bible. I'd rather watch grass grow in the dark. I give it 1 star and call it a Junk Read.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set centuries after SPACE VIKING (but written before), in the Galactic Empire which grew out of Trask's League.

The Imperials have to annex a planet where descendants of the Space Vikings hold a population in slavery. Freeing the slaves is a perfectly simple imperative... or is it? Entertaining social science fiction, with lots of Characters.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

H Beam Piper always deals with interesting theories in his writing, definitely making you think.

[A Critical Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Piper's best stories by far, but still entertaining. Does make a few interesting points about the semantics of 'slavery'.

[Mason Kendrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Piper really excels in short form content, and A Slave is a Slave is a great example of that. Compared to longer works like Space Viking or The Cosmic Computer, this novella feels cleaner and more purposeful. Without the pressure to fill out a full book, Piper can focus on what he does best: exploring scifi concepts and ranting about his weird politics. 


Here, he uses the compact format to dive into cultural clashes between civilizations and to present his political and social ideas without getting bogged down in a tacked on plot. The result is a story that’s both thought-provoking and efficient.


It’s also one of the stronger pieces of world-building in Piper’s Terro-Human Future History series. The novella adds great detail about the lore between books and the current state of the galaxy, making it both enjoyable on its own and one of the more valuable within the larger framework of his future history series.


Maybe its because im reading most of these close together but ot seems like this work improves those that can before it. Terro-human future history definitely benefits from being read as a single sprawling narrative where the pointlessness of works like uller uprising becomes instead a valuable insight into the federations flaws and inevitable collapse.

[Andrew Brooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

A reasonably good story, but not well written. In this story, the author frequently muddied up the dialogs, where multiple people are speaking, but without indicating who is saying what. At first it appears that a character is being completely contradictory to what he previously said, then you realize he had another character enter the conversation with indicating who was speaking

[Susan Molloy · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖊 My review: Entertaining short story with a dénouement that makes me wonder.
🔥 Dénouement: Shocking.
🔻 Genre: Golden Age Science Fiction.
✔️Published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, 1962 April.
👁 Point of view: Third person.
🖋 The writing style: Intelligent.
📌 Would I read this again? Sure.
🤔 My rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟
🟣 Media form: Kindle version.
🔲 Excerpts :

🔸 One, from an outside pickup on the Empress Eulalie herself, showed the surface of the planet, a hundred miles down, the continent under them curving away to a distant sun-reflecting sea; beyond the curved horizon, the black sky was spangled with unwinking stars.

🔸 Jurgen, Prince Trevannion, accepted the coffee cup and lifted it to his lips, then lowered it. These Navy robots always poured coffee too hot; spacemen must have collapsium-lined throats. With the other hand, he punched a button on the robot's keyboard and received a lighted cigarette; turning, he placed the cup on the command-desk in front of him and looked about. The tension was relaxing in Battle-Control, the purposeful pandemonium of the last three hours dying rapidly.

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

It does suffer from the age it was written in, with female characters rare, and when they appear are some man's wife or love interest and hardly do more than smile. Bit what really gets me, in other of Piper's bins but especially in this one, is the casual acceptance of slavery, murder, assassination, and wholesale exploitation of populations. Paratime novels also share a lot of this too. Casts a bit of a shadow over my enjoyment

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

After centuries of partying and other "masterly" duties, the descendants of the Space Vikings are capable of little else. The business of running the planet has been left in the hands of the slaves, the descendants of the original colonists of the planet.

Now a representative of the Galactic Empire has stopped by to annex their planet. The Galactic Empire does not tolerate slavery.

This is a fun little story.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books. Like many great sci-fi books it deals with topics that are controversial, but in a manner that doesn't offend.

In this case slavery and what happens when you do a radical change to the government.

H Beam Piper truly was a master at writing about these type of social issues.

[Doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic pulp writing.

[wassname · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny tale of mutual incomprehension between two societies. One where almost everyone is a slave and is taken care of . The other where you are free to starve - or at least that's how they see it.

[Bill Hohl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this a social commentary or just a fun read? You decide for yourself, I already have