#the best policy by randall garrett

[shallpass13]

Page 110

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[tchintchun]

January Readings

Articles:

"Approaching the Monstrous: A Few Thoughts on Monster Studies in Taiwan" by Yung-chao Liao

"Beauty and the Enchanted Beast: The Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) in the Canadian Cultural Landscape" by Marie-France Boissonneault

"Bilad al-Brazil: The Importance of West African Scholars in Brazilian Islamic Education and Practice in Historic and Contemporary Perspective" by Ayodeji Ogunnaike

"Debunking an Urban Legend of the Deep Sea: The Queen of the Abyss and her Contribution to Ceratioid Anglerfish Biology" by Toshiro Saruwatari

"The First Russian Voyage Around the World and Its Influence on the Exploration and Development of Russian America" by Alexey V. Postnikov

"'The Hours of the Day and Night Are Ours Equally': Dracula and the Lighting Technologies of Victorian London" by Maria Peker

"The Impact of Hispano-Moresque Imports in Fifteenth-Century Florence" by Timothy Wilson

"Independent Indians and the U.S.-Mexican War" by Brian DeLay

"Information, Industrialization, and the Business of Press Clippings, 1880-1925" by Richard K. Popp

"Living a Dream Life: Creating an Image of a Cookbook Author in Early 2000s Russia" by Elizaveta Litovskaia

"Mapping the Nineteenth-Century Brazilian Returnee Movement: Demographics, Life Stories and the Question of Slavery" by Lisa Earl Castillo

"The Mesolithic and Neolithic in Sudan" by Sandro Salvatori and Donatella Usai

"Pollution, Sci-Fi, and the Sublime" by Simon C. Estok

"The Pseudoplanktonic Crinoid Traumatocrinus from the Late Triassic of Southwest China -- Morphology, Ontogeny, and Taphonomy" by Hans Hagdorn and Xiao-Feng Wang

"Rethinking the Vertical Archipelago: Ethnicity, Exchange, and History in the South Central Andes" by Mary Van Buren

"Saraïde: Une Demoiselle Arthurienne pas comme les Autres?" by Anna Elżbieta Korczakowska

"Seascapes as a Critical Framework in American Sea Literature" by Shin Yamashiro

"Tracing the Cretan Labyrinth: Mythology, Archaeology, Topology, Phenomenology" by Paul A. Harris

"Troy in the Troilus and Criseyde" by Wei-ko Sung

"The Two Voices of Virgil's 'Aeneid'" by Adam Parry

"Vertuous Women Found: New England Ministerial Literature, 1668-1735" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

"Victorian Historiography and the Image of China" by Shu Yunzhong Short Stories:

"Ashes of Exploding Suns, Monuments to Dust" by Chris McKitterick

"The Best Policy" by Randall Garrett

"Last Contact" by Stephen Baxter

[lexreadsdiversely]

Lex's December Reading Wrap Up

Novels/Novellas:

Your Shadow Half Remains - Sunny Moraine (3 🌟)

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy - Alyssa Cole (3.75 🌟)

Short Stories:

Blood is Another Word for Hunger - Rivers Solomon

We Come as Gods- Suyi Davies Okungbowa

You Don't Belong Where You Don't Belong - Kemi Ashing-Giwa

The Best Policy - Randall Garrett

Jack O'Dander - Priya Sharma

Poetry Collections:

Nepantla: An Anthology Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color - Edited by Christopher Soto (6 🌟 - that's right, I said 6)

Night Sky with Exit Wounds - Ocean Vuong (5 🌟)

Life on Mars - Tracy K. Smith (4.5 🌟)

❄️ ❄️ ❄️

Despite finding out I had three weeks to move, dealing with the physical and emotional upheaval of packing my entire life (as well as four cats and five reptiles), spending much of the month in intense maladaptive daydreaming mode, getting very sick, and going through some kind of "mild" psychosis for a few days there, I'm really proud of myself for what I've read this month. I'm grateful I had reading to lean on.

No novels, but novellas, short stories, and poetry kept my love and enjoyable for reading intact while the end of the year went up in flames. I loved the short stories I read this month. A few of them were by authors with novels I'd already planned to read. It was nice to get a feel for their style before jumping into a longer story. Also, I got to read another short story but Priya Sharma, who (at least on the short story front) is shaping up to be a favorite author. She just writes such weird and cool shit.

I'll see if I'm up for an end of year wrap up :D

[soapflowers]

dec 15, 2024: state of the soap

time is hard, man.

current wips

[various error noises hiding exchange work(s)]

hiatus works

none right now!

what i've read

"the best policy" by randall garrett

what i've watched

more hannibal (2013)

wild life smp

the west wing (1999-2005)

[crankydevon]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Policy

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[decentatrtskindamaybe]

@dramatic-dolphin I found it! It’s on page 110 of the book (122 of the pdf)

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[bornadragon]

“The Best Policy” by Randall Garrett (pseudonym "David Gordon”). It was published 1957 in Astounding Science Fiction.

I saw other comments provide links!

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[whattywhatwhat]

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[calyxaomphalos]

It's short, three pages, and it's free on line.

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[dracovoid]

I think I found it is called The Best Policy by Randall Garrett

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[crazedmilitaryhousewife]

I read it based on this recommendation and it is cute and funny. A fast read. Here is a link:

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[bright-eyed-sunshine]

It's ~6.5k words, and very funny. Enjoy!

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[transmasc-wheatley]

psst you can read it here in like 10 minutes

its really whimsical actually

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[bigger-nerd]

Heres a link to the story, go read it, it’s really good

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[khaleeesii]

Read here: https://royallib.com/read/Garrett_Randall/The_Best_Policy.html#0

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.

[anna-neko]

The Best Policy by Randall Garrett

THATS THE BASTARD!!!!

originally read it as part of a rando SciFi collection book, 'cept it was in Russian, so crediting wasn't exactly... the best....

now to track down the other short stories.... like the one with an off-world hard labor camp, but you earn "crime tickets" there, as in literally "you done the time, go do the crime" credits

a while ago I read this sci-fi short story from the 50s where a guy is kidnapped and interrogated by aliens using a very sophisticated lie detector, but he realizes that the lie detector works off technical truth, and with some careful phrasing and misdirection, he manages to make them believe that humans are a race of immortal, overpowered, omniscient telepathic beings. and it works.

my favorite part is when he tells them that humans are "capable of transportation without the aid of spaceships or any vehicles, just by using mental power to control physical matter". it's true, we can. it's called walking.