Philip K. Dick 16 min read

A spaceship takes on a fat, placid alien 'wub' as fresh meat for the long haul to Earth, and the wub would very much like to discuss the matter.

Philip K. Dick's first published story (1952) pits gruff Captain Franco against a telepathic, philosophical pig-like creature with unexpected depths and a very reasonable objection to being eaten. Wry, humane, and quietly profound, it announces every Dickian theme to come. Read it for the debut that launched one of SF's greatest careers, funny and unsettling at once.

In its time

Published in 1952, during the 1950s, post-war optimism meets cold war anxiety.

Reading it

16 min read (a short story, a single idea, delivered and gone).

Illustrated by

Herman B. Vestal