Synopsis
Two explorers are on Mercury and see something that might be life.
History
First publication: If, December 1964
Review
Niven’s first story, which he states isn’t very good. It’s okay, but just doesn’t build much of anything. You don’t know if the thing they found is alive, Niven never tells you that. The story is a "slice of life", a day in the lives of two explorers. There’s some interesting ideas here, but Niven doesn’t really do anything with them.
Videos
We have the story in these editions:
Tales of Known Space, paperback, Del Rey, 1978-11-00
Before They Were Giants, edited by James L. Sutter, trade paperback, Paizo Publishing, 2010-09-00
All of the stories in the Known Space series:
The Borderland of Sol
Procrustes
Ghost
World of Ptavvs
A Gift from Earth
Protector
Neutron Star
The Coldest Place
World of Ptavvs
Becalmed in Hell
Eye of an Octopus
The Warriors
How the Heroes Die
At the Core
A Relic of the Empire
At the Bottom of a Hole
The Handicapped
The Jigsaw Man
The Soft Weapon
Flatlander
The Ethics of Madness
Safe at Any Speed
The Adults
Grendel
Wait It Out
The Deceivers
There Is a Tide
Cloak of Anarchy
