Damon Knight

“To Serve Man” is a short story by Damon Knight, published in November 1950 in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine. Aliens called Kanamites arrive on Earth with the promise of using their advanced technology to eradicate hunger, war, and disease. Although their grotesque appearance arouses suspicion at first, lie detector tests seem to confirm their sincerity. Amidst the general enthusiasm, a skeptical translator decides to study their language, convinced that there is a hidden motive behind such altruism.