Robert E. Gilbert 1 hr 10 min read

The hog is deadly and virtually invulnerable, but it's Planet Maggie's weird laws that make the hunt truly tough, especially for people stamped 'Recessive, Alien Status.'

Robert E. Gilbert's 1957 story blends a dangerous alien hunt with sharp social-SF satire about caste and status. Colorful, pointed golden-age SF. Read it for an inventive adventure where bagging the monster is the easy part next to navigating the planet's bizarre rules.

In its time

Published in 1957, during the 1950s, post-war optimism meets cold war anxiety.

Reading it

1 hr 10 min read (a novelette, room for a turn or two).

Illustrated by

Ed Emshwiller