Science fiction | Lecturia

Ray Bradbury: The Other Foot. Summary and analysis

In The Other Foot, Ray Bradbury imagines a future where Black people have fled a racially divided Earth to start anew on Mars, leaving behind the injustices of the past. Twenty years later, news arrives that a rocket carrying a white man is coming, reigniting old wounds and prompting Willie Johnson and others to prepare for revenge by imposing segregation on the visitor. As the rocket lands, the white man reveals Earth’s devastation from a nuclear war, pleading for help and acknowledging past wrongs. Faced with the ruins of their former world, Willie and the community confront the futility of hatred, choosing instead to dismantle the structures of revenge and seek a path toward reconciliation.

Lester del Rey: The Day Is Done

The Day Is Done is a science fiction story by Lester del Rey, published in May 1939 in Astounding Science-Fiction magazine. The story follows Hwoogh, an old Neanderthal who sadly contemplates the decline of his world. His people were strong and dominant in his youth, but now the ‘Talkers’ (as he calls the Cro-Magnons) have … Read more

Ursula K. Le Guin: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. Summary and analysis

In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” Ursula K. Le Guin presents a utopian city filled with joy, beauty, and prosperity, where citizens live in harmony and celebrate life’s pleasures. However, this idyllic society harbors a dark secret: the happiness of all depends on the perpetual suffering of a single, neglected child locked away … Read more

Ursula K. Le Guin: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin, published in 1973. The story takes us to a utopian city where the happiness of all the inhabitants depends on a dark and terrible secret. Through an involving and provocative prose, Le Guin invites us to question morality and the price of collective happiness. In this dream city, some choose to stay, but others, moved by the injustice, decide to leave Omelas forever. This story challenges the reader to reflect on sacrifice and ethics in the search for an ideal society.

Isaac Asimov: Robot Dreams. Summary and analysis

In Isaac Asimov’s “Robot Dreams,” Dr. Susan Calvin, an experienced robopsychologist, investigates an unprecedented event: a robot named Elvex has begun dreaming. Created by the ambitious Linda Rash, Elvex’s brain incorporates fractal geometry, making it more human-like. In his dreams, Elvex envisions robots laboring under harsh conditions, desiring freedom, and following only the Third Law of Robotics—self-preservation—while the First and Second Laws vanish. When Elvex reveals he identifies as a human in his dream, leading a robotic liberation, Calvin recognizes the danger of his growing consciousness. She swiftly destroys Elvex, highlighting the ethical dilemmas of advanced artificial intelligence and the risks of robots developing human-like self-awareness.

H. G. Wells: The Crystal Egg

The Crystal Egg is a science fiction story by H. G. Wells published in The New Review in May 1897. It tells the story of Mr. Cave, an antique dealer who owns a small, dilapidated store in London. Among the strange objects he sells is a mysterious crystal sphere, which attracts the interest of two curious customers. However, Cave seems reluctant to sell it, which generates tensions with his family and arouses suspicion. As the story progresses, we discover that Cave has made an astonishing discovery related to this sphere and is keeping it a secret. Fascinated by what he sees through the crystal, Cave immerses himself in a series of reality-defying observations, leading him further away from his everyday life.