Synopsis
The Kyben is a race that ruless the entire galaxy. One planet of their people is quarrantined because everyone their is thought to be insane. The Kyben have teams of Watchers whose job it is to watch the people on this planet and record everything that they do. But they are not supposed to fraternize. Themus starts talking to one woman he is watching.
History
First publication: If, June 1956
Review
Very good story that questions the line between the creative mind and the madman. Creative people are often thought as unstable or mad. Who really is mad? Why should people who see the world differently be scorned and shunned? Do any of us really have the same perspective as another or are we all shut into our own little mad world, never really understanding one another? What if the people who demand rules and order in society are the mad ones - forcing everyone else to conform to their insane view of order and perfection? These questions are all inherent in this story, where the situation is posed in a way very different from our society. It harks back to Poe and the question, have the madmen taken over the asylum? Recommended!
Videos
We have the story in these editions:
Paingod and Other Delusions, paperback, Ace, 1983-00-00
If: Worlds of Science Fiction, June 1956, edited by James L. Quinn, magazine, Quinn Publishing, 1956-06-00
