Aliens landing on Earth, Humans only food source
Some time ago, I read a story about first contact with aliens. The location is Earth, Humans greet the newcomers - but they only see Humans as a protein source. Whether novel or short story, I do not remember, but probably not by a living writer, somebody active in the 60s or 70s?
story-identification
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NausikaaNausikaa
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Some time ago, I read a story about first contact with aliens. The location is Earth, Humans greet the newcomers - but they only see Humans as a protein source. Whether novel or short story, I do not remember, but probably not by a living writer, somebody active in the 60s or 70s?
story-identification
asked yesterday
NausikaaNausikaa
241
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This is a nice start albeit brief, do you remember anything else you could edit in?
– TheLethalCarrot
yesterday
1
It's not Larry Niven's short “Bordered in Black” (1966) perchance? Earth's first ship to Sirius finds a habitable planet where one continent has, along its whole shore, a swarm of naked humans (black because of heavy ultraviolet) constantly fighting each other for access to the water, because the land is barren and the only food is algae. The explorers conjecture that these humans were brought there to be farmed for food, but I don't think they find any direct evidence of the aliens.
– Anton Sherwood
yesterday
add a comment |
Some time ago, I read a story about first contact with aliens. The location is Earth, Humans greet the newcomers - but they only see Humans as a protein source. Whether novel or short story, I do not remember, but probably not by a living writer, somebody active in the 60s or 70s?
story-identification
asked yesterday
NausikaaNausikaa
241
New contributor
Nausikaa is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Some time ago, I read a story about first contact with aliens. The location is Earth, Humans greet the newcomers - but they only see Humans as a protein source. Whether novel or short story, I do not remember, but probably not by a living writer, somebody active in the 60s or 70s?
story-identification
story-identification
asked yesterday
NausikaaNausikaa
241
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asked yesterday
NausikaaNausikaa
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asked yesterday
NausikaaNausikaa
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asked yesterday
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This is a nice start albeit brief, do you remember anything else you could edit in?
– TheLethalCarrot
yesterday
1
It's not Larry Niven's short “Bordered in Black” (1966) perchance? Earth's first ship to Sirius finds a habitable planet where one continent has, along its whole shore, a swarm of naked humans (black because of heavy ultraviolet) constantly fighting each other for access to the water, because the land is barren and the only food is algae. The explorers conjecture that these humans were brought there to be farmed for food, but I don't think they find any direct evidence of the aliens.
– Anton Sherwood
yesterday
add a comment |
This is a nice start albeit brief, do you remember anything else you could edit in?
– TheLethalCarrot
yesterday
1
It's not Larry Niven's short “Bordered in Black” (1966) perchance? Earth's first ship to Sirius finds a habitable planet where one continent has, along its whole shore, a swarm of naked humans (black because of heavy ultraviolet) constantly fighting each other for access to the water, because the land is barren and the only food is algae. The explorers conjecture that these humans were brought there to be farmed for food, but I don't think they find any direct evidence of the aliens.
– Anton Sherwood
yesterday
This is a nice start albeit brief, do you remember anything else you could edit in?
– TheLethalCarrot
yesterday
This is a nice start albeit brief, do you remember anything else you could edit in?
– TheLethalCarrot
yesterday
1
1
It's not Larry Niven's short “Bordered in Black” (1966) perchance? Earth's first ship to Sirius finds a habitable planet where one continent has, along its whole shore, a swarm of naked humans (black because of heavy ultraviolet) constantly fighting each other for access to the water, because the land is barren and the only food is algae. The explorers conjecture that these humans were brought there to be farmed for food, but I don't think they find any direct evidence of the aliens.
– Anton Sherwood
yesterday
It's not Larry Niven's short “Bordered in Black” (1966) perchance? Earth's first ship to Sirius finds a habitable planet where one continent has, along its whole shore, a swarm of naked humans (black because of heavy ultraviolet) constantly fighting each other for access to the water, because the land is barren and the only food is algae. The explorers conjecture that these humans were brought there to be farmed for food, but I don't think they find any direct evidence of the aliens.
– Anton Sherwood
yesterday
add a comment |
2 Answers
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This sounds like the short story "Food to All Flesh" by Zenna Henderson, first published in 1953 and anthologised many times since. In this story a man wandering in the woods finds an alien creature. The creature (who I recall as somewhat catlike) shows the man its spaceship and indicates by gestures a piece of damaged equipment which produces food. The man offers food which the alien swallows and then "unswallows" when its body rejects it. Over a period of time he brings more and more samples of possible foodstuffs but in every case the result is the same.
On the final visit the alien shows the man some smaller aliens, obviously its children. They are mewling with hunger and somewhat reminiscent of kittens. The man picks one up in order to comfort it; it bites his hand and swallows a small piece of his finger. The mother takes the child and waits for it to regurgitate what it has swallowed. It does not, but instead starts to purr in contentment. The mother alien then grasps the man by the arm and looks long and hard at him, then lets him go, gets into its spaceship with its family (one fed, the rest hungry) and flies away.
edited yesterday
Ayshe
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answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
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Another possibility is Damon Knight's 1950 short story To Serve Man. In this story aliens arrive on Earth and bring about an era of peace and prosperity, providing clean unlimited power, abundant food, stopping war and working to prolong human life. They also offer to take humans on ten year "exchange visits" to the alien homeworld.
A character obtains a book belonging to the aliens which seems to back this up. The title of the book is translated as "How to Serve Man". However, when the first chapter of the book is translated it is found that it is a cook book.
answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
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This sounds like the short story "Food to All Flesh" by Zenna Henderson, first published in 1953 and anthologised many times since. In this story a man wandering in the woods finds an alien creature. The creature (who I recall as somewhat catlike) shows the man its spaceship and indicates by gestures a piece of damaged equipment which produces food. The man offers food which the alien swallows and then "unswallows" when its body rejects it. Over a period of time he brings more and more samples of possible foodstuffs but in every case the result is the same.
On the final visit the alien shows the man some smaller aliens, obviously its children. They are mewling with hunger and somewhat reminiscent of kittens. The man picks one up in order to comfort it; it bites his hand and swallows a small piece of his finger. The mother takes the child and waits for it to regurgitate what it has swallowed. It does not, but instead starts to purr in contentment. The mother alien then grasps the man by the arm and looks long and hard at him, then lets him go, gets into its spaceship with its family (one fed, the rest hungry) and flies away.
edited yesterday
Ayshe
5,8601749
answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
713
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Barry Haworth is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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This sounds like the short story "Food to All Flesh" by Zenna Henderson, first published in 1953 and anthologised many times since. In this story a man wandering in the woods finds an alien creature. The creature (who I recall as somewhat catlike) shows the man its spaceship and indicates by gestures a piece of damaged equipment which produces food. The man offers food which the alien swallows and then "unswallows" when its body rejects it. Over a period of time he brings more and more samples of possible foodstuffs but in every case the result is the same.
On the final visit the alien shows the man some smaller aliens, obviously its children. They are mewling with hunger and somewhat reminiscent of kittens. The man picks one up in order to comfort it; it bites his hand and swallows a small piece of his finger. The mother takes the child and waits for it to regurgitate what it has swallowed. It does not, but instead starts to purr in contentment. The mother alien then grasps the man by the arm and looks long and hard at him, then lets him go, gets into its spaceship with its family (one fed, the rest hungry) and flies away.
edited yesterday
Ayshe
5,8601749
answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
713
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This sounds like the short story "Food to All Flesh" by Zenna Henderson, first published in 1953 and anthologised many times since. In this story a man wandering in the woods finds an alien creature. The creature (who I recall as somewhat catlike) shows the man its spaceship and indicates by gestures a piece of damaged equipment which produces food. The man offers food which the alien swallows and then "unswallows" when its body rejects it. Over a period of time he brings more and more samples of possible foodstuffs but in every case the result is the same.
On the final visit the alien shows the man some smaller aliens, obviously its children. They are mewling with hunger and somewhat reminiscent of kittens. The man picks one up in order to comfort it; it bites his hand and swallows a small piece of his finger. The mother takes the child and waits for it to regurgitate what it has swallowed. It does not, but instead starts to purr in contentment. The mother alien then grasps the man by the arm and looks long and hard at him, then lets him go, gets into its spaceship with its family (one fed, the rest hungry) and flies away.
edited yesterday
Ayshe
5,8601749
answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
713
New contributor
Barry Haworth is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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This sounds like the short story "Food to All Flesh" by Zenna Henderson, first published in 1953 and anthologised many times since. In this story a man wandering in the woods finds an alien creature. The creature (who I recall as somewhat catlike) shows the man its spaceship and indicates by gestures a piece of damaged equipment which produces food. The man offers food which the alien swallows and then "unswallows" when its body rejects it. Over a period of time he brings more and more samples of possible foodstuffs but in every case the result is the same.
On the final visit the alien shows the man some smaller aliens, obviously its children. They are mewling with hunger and somewhat reminiscent of kittens. The man picks one up in order to comfort it; it bites his hand and swallows a small piece of his finger. The mother takes the child and waits for it to regurgitate what it has swallowed. It does not, but instead starts to purr in contentment. The mother alien then grasps the man by the arm and looks long and hard at him, then lets him go, gets into its spaceship with its family (one fed, the rest hungry) and flies away.
edited yesterday
Ayshe
5,8601749
answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
713
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edited yesterday
Ayshe
5,8601749
edited yesterday
Ayshe
5,8601749
edited yesterday
Ayshe
5,8601749
5,8601749
answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
713
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answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
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answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
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713
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Another possibility is Damon Knight's 1950 short story To Serve Man. In this story aliens arrive on Earth and bring about an era of peace and prosperity, providing clean unlimited power, abundant food, stopping war and working to prolong human life. They also offer to take humans on ten year "exchange visits" to the alien homeworld.
A character obtains a book belonging to the aliens which seems to back this up. The title of the book is translated as "How to Serve Man". However, when the first chapter of the book is translated it is found that it is a cook book.
answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
713
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Another possibility is Damon Knight's 1950 short story To Serve Man. In this story aliens arrive on Earth and bring about an era of peace and prosperity, providing clean unlimited power, abundant food, stopping war and working to prolong human life. They also offer to take humans on ten year "exchange visits" to the alien homeworld.
A character obtains a book belonging to the aliens which seems to back this up. The title of the book is translated as "How to Serve Man". However, when the first chapter of the book is translated it is found that it is a cook book.
answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
713
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Barry Haworth is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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Another possibility is Damon Knight's 1950 short story To Serve Man. In this story aliens arrive on Earth and bring about an era of peace and prosperity, providing clean unlimited power, abundant food, stopping war and working to prolong human life. They also offer to take humans on ten year "exchange visits" to the alien homeworld.
A character obtains a book belonging to the aliens which seems to back this up. The title of the book is translated as "How to Serve Man". However, when the first chapter of the book is translated it is found that it is a cook book.
answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
713
New contributor
Barry Haworth is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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Another possibility is Damon Knight's 1950 short story To Serve Man. In this story aliens arrive on Earth and bring about an era of peace and prosperity, providing clean unlimited power, abundant food, stopping war and working to prolong human life. They also offer to take humans on ten year "exchange visits" to the alien homeworld.
A character obtains a book belonging to the aliens which seems to back this up. The title of the book is translated as "How to Serve Man". However, when the first chapter of the book is translated it is found that it is a cook book.
answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
713
New contributor
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answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
713
New contributor
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answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
713
answered yesterday
Barry HaworthBarry Haworth
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713
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This is a nice start albeit brief, do you remember anything else you could edit in?
– TheLethalCarrot
yesterday
1
It's not Larry Niven's short “Bordered in Black” (1966) perchance? Earth's first ship to Sirius finds a habitable planet where one continent has, along its whole shore, a swarm of naked humans (black because of heavy ultraviolet) constantly fighting each other for access to the water, because the land is barren and the only food is algae. The explorers conjecture that these humans were brought there to be farmed for food, but I don't think they find any direct evidence of the aliens.
– Anton Sherwood
yesterday