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Keep Out
Keep Out appeared in the March 1954 issue of Amazing Stories.
With no more room left on Earth, and with Mars hanging up there empty of life, somebody hit on the plan of starting a colony on the Red Planet. It meant changing the habits and physical structure of the immigrants, but that worked out fine. In fact, every possible factor was covered—except one of the flaws of human nature....
With no more room left on Earth, and with Mars hanging up there empty of life, somebody hit on the plan of starting a colony on the Red Planet. It meant changing the habits and physical structure of the immigrants, but that worked out fine. In fact, every possible factor was covered—except one of the flaws of human nature....
14 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 1954
1 person is currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Fredric Brown
807 books354 followersFredric Brown was an American science fiction and mystery writer. He was one of the boldest early writers in genre fiction in his use of narrative experimentation. While never in the front rank of popularity in his lifetime, Brown has developed a considerable cult following in the almost half century since he last wrote. His works have been periodically reprinted and he has a worldwide fan base, most notably in the U.S. and Europe, and especially in France, where there have been several recent movie adaptations of his work. He also remains popular in Japan.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
Never financially secure, Brown - like many other pulp writers - often wrote at a furious pace in order to pay bills. This accounts, at least in part, for the uneven quality of his work. A newspaperman by profession, Brown was only able to devote 14 years of his life as a full-time fiction writer. Brown was also a heavy drinker, and this at times doubtless affected his productivity. A cultured man and omnivorous reader whose interests ranged far beyond those of most pulp writers, Brown had a lifelong interest in the flute, chess, poker, and the works of Lewis Carroll. Brown married twice and was the father of two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 21, 2022
A Twist in the Tale
One of the reasons I decided to study English was that at school, I was lucky enough to have the best English teacher in the world, whose mastery of the English language was as much top-notch as his mastery of the skill of making his learners develop interest in and passion for English literature. Apart from what was obligatory to read in those days – like The Great Gatsby, whom I didn’t find so great after all –, our teacher also treated us to Byron and Tennyson but also to the short stories of Shirley Jackson, Isaac Asimov and Frederic Brown, and I was especially intrigued with the latter, e.g. Earthmen Bearing Gifts, because there was always a surprising twist in the tale, which, as soon as you started discussing it, would lead you into various ways of interpreting the story in question – apart from being good fun.
Keep Out is another of these stories, one we didn’t read at school, in which Brown shows his talent for giving his stories an unexpected turn and thus shedding everything that has been said before into a different light. This story is told by one of the adolescents that have been selected for the colonization of Mars. Living conditions on that planet not allowing Earthlings to dwell there without a lot of technological support, for example because of the thinner atmosphere, Terra’s dream of colonizing other planets in its solar system had seemed to come to a premature stop, until a scientist developed a serum that enabled the offspring of the person who is injected it to adapt to whatever environment, provided it is done in little steps. So, these children who were earmarked for establishing a Terran civilization on Mars were kept in special conditions, which were more and more matched to those on the Red Planet so that they developed larger lungs, and larger chests as a result, and grew a fur against the cold on that planet. They were taken to Mars together with their Terran teachers to give them ample time to get used to their new habitat … and on the eve of the day when they will finally be allowed to start colonizing the planet, our narrator tells us that the new Martians will first of all kill their teachers and former protectors because they are disgusted with the sight of furless, small-chested people who can’t even live on Mars without technological support. He ends by saying that they are determined to keep the Earthlings out of Mars and fight to death anyone that will come to take their planet off them.
One can read this story as a critical comment on colonialism but there is also another reading I still find more interesting, namely how technological progress reshapes us as human beings. We need not even go so far as to look at some people’s crazy ravings about transhumanism, dreams that are as megalomaniac and result in something as little worth being called human as the project of altering human beings in order to enable them to live on a neighbouring planet. But if we do, the story seems to warn us of consequences we will not be able to foresee: Just as the “Martians” in this story will turn against their “creators”, thus thwarting Terra’s dream of expanding its influence on Mars, the new transhumans will probably not regard non-transhumans in a spirit of kindliness, which will beg the question whether the transhumanists’ dreams will not turn into nightmares after all. Even if you leave this question aside, you can see technology reshaping human behaviour and human capacities on all levels, in our present-day life: I go to the gym twice or three times a week and have made the following observation – lots of people there take their smartphones with them when doing their exercises, and often they sit on their weight-training machine, blocking it for everyone else, not doing their exercises but scrolling on their displays and staring at news and messages that are apparently so important that their addressees cannot for the lives of them concentrate for five minutes on that particular exercise machine in question. If they cannot concentrate on a machine for five minutes, however, after going to that gym to do their exercises (theoretically), what can they concentrate on then? This is just one example of how those gadgets are warping our habits and our minds, one should think.
Probably, this world is going to pieces anyway, but I am going, hopefully, among others things, to use the time remaining by reading some more of Brown’s stories in the meantime, having downloaded a megapack on my e-reader, another of those gadgets.
One of the reasons I decided to study English was that at school, I was lucky enough to have the best English teacher in the world, whose mastery of the English language was as much top-notch as his mastery of the skill of making his learners develop interest in and passion for English literature. Apart from what was obligatory to read in those days – like The Great Gatsby, whom I didn’t find so great after all –, our teacher also treated us to Byron and Tennyson but also to the short stories of Shirley Jackson, Isaac Asimov and Frederic Brown, and I was especially intrigued with the latter, e.g. Earthmen Bearing Gifts, because there was always a surprising twist in the tale, which, as soon as you started discussing it, would lead you into various ways of interpreting the story in question – apart from being good fun.
Keep Out is another of these stories, one we didn’t read at school, in which Brown shows his talent for giving his stories an unexpected turn and thus shedding everything that has been said before into a different light. This story is told by one of the adolescents that have been selected for the colonization of Mars. Living conditions on that planet not allowing Earthlings to dwell there without a lot of technological support, for example because of the thinner atmosphere, Terra’s dream of colonizing other planets in its solar system had seemed to come to a premature stop, until a scientist developed a serum that enabled the offspring of the person who is injected it to adapt to whatever environment, provided it is done in little steps. So, these children who were earmarked for establishing a Terran civilization on Mars were kept in special conditions, which were more and more matched to those on the Red Planet so that they developed larger lungs, and larger chests as a result, and grew a fur against the cold on that planet. They were taken to Mars together with their Terran teachers to give them ample time to get used to their new habitat … and on the eve of the day when they will finally be allowed to start colonizing the planet, our narrator tells us that the new Martians will first of all kill their teachers and former protectors because they are disgusted with the sight of furless, small-chested people who can’t even live on Mars without technological support. He ends by saying that they are determined to keep the Earthlings out of Mars and fight to death anyone that will come to take their planet off them.
One can read this story as a critical comment on colonialism but there is also another reading I still find more interesting, namely how technological progress reshapes us as human beings. We need not even go so far as to look at some people’s crazy ravings about transhumanism, dreams that are as megalomaniac and result in something as little worth being called human as the project of altering human beings in order to enable them to live on a neighbouring planet. But if we do, the story seems to warn us of consequences we will not be able to foresee: Just as the “Martians” in this story will turn against their “creators”, thus thwarting Terra’s dream of expanding its influence on Mars, the new transhumans will probably not regard non-transhumans in a spirit of kindliness, which will beg the question whether the transhumanists’ dreams will not turn into nightmares after all. Even if you leave this question aside, you can see technology reshaping human behaviour and human capacities on all levels, in our present-day life: I go to the gym twice or three times a week and have made the following observation – lots of people there take their smartphones with them when doing their exercises, and often they sit on their weight-training machine, blocking it for everyone else, not doing their exercises but scrolling on their displays and staring at news and messages that are apparently so important that their addressees cannot for the lives of them concentrate for five minutes on that particular exercise machine in question. If they cannot concentrate on a machine for five minutes, however, after going to that gym to do their exercises (theoretically), what can they concentrate on then? This is just one example of how those gadgets are warping our habits and our minds, one should think.
Probably, this world is going to pieces anyway, but I am going, hopefully, among others things, to use the time remaining by reading some more of Brown’s stories in the meantime, having downloaded a megapack on my e-reader, another of those gadgets.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2025
This is one of those deceptively simple short stories that reveals its brilliance only when you step back and examine the mechanism behind it. Brown, always a master of the twist, uses his trademark economy of prose to construct a narrative that is half warning, half cosmic joke.
The story’s premise appears straightforward: Earth faces a potential extraterrestrial threat, and a group of scientists works desperately to understand and neutralise it. Yet Brown immediately destabilises expectations by shifting focus away from the traditional heroics of science fiction and into the unease, paranoia, and human pettiness that arise when contact with the unknown becomes imminent.
What makes “Keep Out” enduring is its tightness—the plot is fast, the dialogue sharp, and the pacing unrelenting. Brown gives you no time to settle. Every line is a puzzle piece, and every revelation folds back into the story’s ultimate thematic punchline: humanity’s assumption that it is the rightful gatekeeper of Earth is, at best, delusional. Brown delights in showing how small we are — not by invoking grand cosmic entities, but by revealing the irony embedded in our self-importance.
Much of the story’s power lies in its structural gimmick. Brown was famous for stories that hinge on a final twist, and in “Keep Out”, that twist lands with a clean precision. It’s the kind of ending that forces readers to reconsider every previous scene, every conversation, and even the title itself. The narrative becomes, in effect, a mirror: “Keep Out” is not only a message directed outward but inward—a commentary on our impulse to guard, classify, repel, and wall off.
Brown is also unusually deft with atmosphere. In just a few brushstrokes, he creates a world steeped in Cold War anxiety, yet the story never feels dated. Instead, it reads like a parable about modern border politics, xenophobia, and the illusion of control.
Brown’s aliens may be literal or metaphorical; the ambiguity is deliberate. His interest isn’t in explaining extraterrestrial motives but in exposing human ones.
The story’s brevity is its strength. Brown excises all unnecessary ornamentation, leaving behind a narrative skeleton that is almost architectural in its symmetry. The result is a story with the purity of a fable and the sharpness of a blade.
“Keep Out” is not merely clever; it is strategically clever—witty, biting, and designed to linger long after its final line. It stands as one of Brown’s finest demonstrations of how science fiction can critique human behaviour without ever raising its voice.
The story’s premise appears straightforward: Earth faces a potential extraterrestrial threat, and a group of scientists works desperately to understand and neutralise it. Yet Brown immediately destabilises expectations by shifting focus away from the traditional heroics of science fiction and into the unease, paranoia, and human pettiness that arise when contact with the unknown becomes imminent.
What makes “Keep Out” enduring is its tightness—the plot is fast, the dialogue sharp, and the pacing unrelenting. Brown gives you no time to settle. Every line is a puzzle piece, and every revelation folds back into the story’s ultimate thematic punchline: humanity’s assumption that it is the rightful gatekeeper of Earth is, at best, delusional. Brown delights in showing how small we are — not by invoking grand cosmic entities, but by revealing the irony embedded in our self-importance.
Much of the story’s power lies in its structural gimmick. Brown was famous for stories that hinge on a final twist, and in “Keep Out”, that twist lands with a clean precision. It’s the kind of ending that forces readers to reconsider every previous scene, every conversation, and even the title itself. The narrative becomes, in effect, a mirror: “Keep Out” is not only a message directed outward but inward—a commentary on our impulse to guard, classify, repel, and wall off.
Brown is also unusually deft with atmosphere. In just a few brushstrokes, he creates a world steeped in Cold War anxiety, yet the story never feels dated. Instead, it reads like a parable about modern border politics, xenophobia, and the illusion of control.
Brown’s aliens may be literal or metaphorical; the ambiguity is deliberate. His interest isn’t in explaining extraterrestrial motives but in exposing human ones.
The story’s brevity is its strength. Brown excises all unnecessary ornamentation, leaving behind a narrative skeleton that is almost architectural in its symmetry. The result is a story with the purity of a fable and the sharpness of a blade.
“Keep Out” is not merely clever; it is strategically clever—witty, biting, and designed to linger long after its final line. It stands as one of Brown’s finest demonstrations of how science fiction can critique human behaviour without ever raising its voice.
July 10, 2013
A short story about the children of Earth became the first Martians.
I like how the writer didn't need to produce too many words to make it interesting. I also like the twist.
It's still etched into my mind.
I like how the writer didn't need to produce too many words to make it interesting. I also like the twist.
It's still etched into my mind.
September 21, 2015
It was unique enough, succinct & the ending make me grin. My ideal for a short story I can read and enjoy during a lunch break.
December 30, 2025
Scifi short story by a master and narrated by a great narrator.
March 31, 2018
Part of LibriVox Short Science Fiction Collection 048. A rather disturbingly prescient tale of Mars Colonisation - particularly given the recent rise of xenophobia championed by US sTrumpets and UK Brexit doters. It just seems to show to me that even an ex-alcy author and his ex-junky reader have more compassion and perception than the current crop of human sheep in charge of posterity.
January 15, 2012
A well thought out store with a twist at the end, that is told well.
I listen to these short stories while walking to and from work.
I listen to these short stories while walking to and from work.
January 5, 2018
Krótka forma i sci-fi zawsze były dla mnie tożsame, pewnie dlatego, że nie odważyłam się jeszcze po coś grubszego sięgnąć. Klasyczne, science-fiction jest dla mnie ciężkie i nie do przejścia, z punktu widzenia czysto rozrywkowego. Jest za to niesamowicie pouczające w kwestii budowania napięcia, zwrotów akcji, głębszego sensu i puenty - właśnie w krótkich opowiadaniach. Minimum słów, maksimum treści. W tym micro-opowiadaniu to znalazłam. Z chęcią przeczytam jeszcze kilka tego typu, w celach edukacyjnych :)
April 13, 2025
“Keep Out” by Fredric Brown floats the idea of deliberate genetic mutation as the humans of Earth realize that they can’t survive on Mars. But maybe if they create a generation of children who could survive there to be supervised by adults in the life support suits needed to barely live on the planet? This runs into one of the obvious problems when the kids rebel.
Read as part of "Science Fiction Adventures in Mutation" https://www.skjam.com/2025/04/13/book...
Read as part of "Science Fiction Adventures in Mutation" https://www.skjam.com/2025/04/13/book...
July 5, 2022
Una realto que es mas actual de lo que imaginamos, una sociedad en Marte que se independiza de los terrestres. Un libro de lños años 50 o mas bien un cuento corto que vale la pena darle una oportunidad de lectura.. quizas en este 2022 nos parezca un poco viejo su metodo de escritura pero me gusta.
August 22, 2023
I listened to this as part of The Seventh Science Fiction Megapack. It was an enteremting space story. I have listened to a number of novels by the author. I would recommend to readers of space opera novels. 2023
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June 28, 2025When Horror Meets Science Fiction: Volume II
Episode 4: Keep Out
"Keep Out" was written by American writer, Fredric Brown in 1954. Plans are made to colonize Mars – everything was considered – nothing was overlooked – but when it comes to human beings, there’s no such thing as infallible
Episode 4: Keep Out
"Keep Out" was written by American writer, Fredric Brown in 1954. Plans are made to colonize Mars – everything was considered – nothing was overlooked – but when it comes to human beings, there’s no such thing as infallible
September 21, 2019
This took only 7 minutes to read!
February 23, 2022
History in a nutshell.
October 1, 2022
Very good.
January 19, 2025
A Lesson and Warning for Our Time.
🖊 In the short science fiction story, Man decides to nurture a new Martian race by molding Earthlings to populate Mars. When Man monkeys around with what is natural, it always bites him back.
📕Published in Amazing Stories - March 1954 - Vol. 28, No. 1.
🎨Illustrated.
જ⁀🟢The e-book version on Project Gutenberg .
༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻ ༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻
My ratings for this work:
Content: ★★★★★
Grammar: ★★★★★
Writing style: ★★★★★
Ease of reading: ★★★★★
My recommendation: ★★★★★
My total rating for this work: ★★★★★ (5.0)
🖊 In the short science fiction story, Man decides to nurture a new Martian race by molding Earthlings to populate Mars. When Man monkeys around with what is natural, it always bites him back.
📕Published in Amazing Stories - March 1954 - Vol. 28, No. 1.
🎨Illustrated.
જ⁀🟢The e-book version on Project Gutenberg .
༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻ ༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻
My ratings for this work:
Content: ★★★★★
Grammar: ★★★★★
Writing style: ★★★★★
Ease of reading: ★★★★★
My recommendation: ★★★★★
My total rating for this work: ★★★★★ (5.0)
November 2, 2015
Cambiando un poco, saliendo del género de terror para adentrarme en el mundo de la ciencia ficción, comienzo mi recorrido con este breve cuento llamado Fuera de aquí, de Fredric Brown. Con una base biológica, en este cuento, vemos que el avance en la tecnología y en la ciencia, le permite al hombre colonizar nuevos mundos, pero ... a un costo que no pensaban que podían tener que pagar.
A pesar de tener tan pocas páginas, ha tenido un buen desarrollo y un final aún mejor. Un cuento que recomiendo a partir de ahora.
A pesar de tener tan pocas páginas, ha tenido un buen desarrollo y un final aún mejor. Un cuento que recomiendo a partir de ahora.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews