About
"The Overlord's Thumb" by Robert Silverberg is a science fiction novella written in the late 1950s. The story centers around Colonel John Devall, the head of a Terran cultural and military mission on the alien planet Markin. The novella explores themes of cultural interaction and the moral dilemmas faced by a superior civilization in its dealings with less advanced societies. The narrative follows Colonel Devall as he grapples with a serious incident: his nephew, Lieutenant Paul Leonards, accidentally kills an alien while on a botanical expedition. The alien society demands that Leonards be handed over for trial, not merely for murder, but for blasphemy against their sacred laws, complicating the situation. Devall is faced with a challenging choice – to assert Earth's dominance by protecting his nephew or to respect the alien culture by allowing them to conduct their trial. Ultimately, he opts to hand over Leonards, leading to an unexpected twist when the trial reveals a ritualistic m
Source and licence
This work is public domain or openly licensed. The licence terms are published by the source.
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