Allamagoosa
| "Allamagoosa" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Eric Frank Russell | |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Publication type | magazine |
| Publication date | May 1955 |
"Allamagoosa" is a humorous science fiction short story by English author Eric Frank Russell, originally published in the May 1955 issue of Astounding. It has been collected in The Hugo Winners (1962), The Best Of Eric Frank Russell (1978), and Major Ingredients: The Selected Short Stories of Eric Frank Russell (2000).[1]
Plot summary[edit]
Informed of a surprise inspection by a famously-strict senior officer, the command crew of the interstellar military spaceship Bustler begin a tedious line-by-line itemization of their manifest. To their annoyance, they discover that their equipment is supposed to include something called an "offog"; however, no one among the crew has any idea what that is, or even what department it is supposed to belong to. Misplacing an issued item is a serious error, but Captain McNaught devises a plan to pass inspection anyway: on the assumption that "offog" must be a nickname for some obscure and unnecessary piece of technology, he orders communications officer Burman to fabricate a small box with blinkenlights and feed the inspecting officer some technobabble about what it does. The ruse work swimmingly, and the Bustler passes.
Shortly afterward, the ship is unexpectedly ordered back to Earth for a complete overhaul; however, Burman warns McNaught that the engineers at the naval shipyard will immediately recognize his fake device. The captain solves this problem by having Burman discreetly dispose of the "offog" and blandly informing headquarters that it had "came apart under gravitational stress" while the ship passed close to a star. Two days later, an almost-unprecedented emergency transmission recalls Earth's entire spacefleet to the nearest bases; an equally urgent query is addressed to the Bustler, and makes the horrified McNaught and Burman belatedly realize that "offog" had been a typo for "off.dog," or "official dog."
Reception[edit]
"Allamagoosa" won the 1955 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.[2]
John Joseph Adams has called it "uproariously funny".[3]
James Nicoll has commented that it is "apparently based on an urban legend".[4] In fact, it is essentially a science-fictional retelling of a traditional tall tale, "The Shovewood".[5]
References[edit]
- ^ ISFDB entry
- ^ "Locus Index to SF Awards". Archived from the original on 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- ^ Locus Listens to Audio: Reviews by John Joseph Adams, at Locus Online; published July 23, 2004; retrieved September 7, 2017
- ^ One of the gentler voices of the Golden Age: The Best of Eric Frank Russell — Eric Frank Russell, reviewed by James Nicoll, at James Nicoll Reviews; published November 9, 2014; retrieved September 7, 2017
- ^ Ingham, John L. (2010). Into Your Tent: The Life, Work and Family Background of Eric Frank Russell. Plantech (U.K.). ISBN 978-0-9564576-0-8.
External links[edit]
- Allamagoosa title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Allamagoosa at webarchive of scifi.com