The novel was shortlisted for the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Short Novella.
There is a blessed land on the Shock Star far from Earth, and the humans who migrated from Earth to the Shock Star lost the battle with the LizardMen for land dominion and became second-class citizens of the planet. Keller, an earthling, has lived most of his life on the impact star, lost his wife in the struggle with the lizardmen, and saved his life but could not escape the fate of being enslaved. When he learns from his doctor, Qiu, that he is suffering from cancer and that his life is short, he has an idea in his mind: to carve a stone tablet for himself at the risk of being executed by the lizardmen, and instruct his best friend Serna to bury his ashes deep in the ground - and end his life early. In this way, Keller tried to occupy an inch of the impact star forever, and he firmly believed that more important than conquest and domination was the preservation of wisdom and dignity.
Author Gray Rinehart's writing career began early. His science fiction works are mainly short and medium stories, and have been published in Asimov Science Fiction Magazine, Analog and other journals. Gray is not a prolific science fiction author, but his work is almost a blockbuster hit, and was shortlisted for the 2015 Hugo Awards for "Dust to Dust, Soil to Earth, Dirt Back to Alluvial Layers". He served in the U.S. Air Force, and his novels, especially those after his retirement, were mostly cold and resolute, but they did not lose a strong sense of humanistic care.
Dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth, and earth returns to impact stars
ashes to ashes, dust to dust, earth to alluvium
By Gray Rinehart
Translator Zhu Tianyi
Wonderful excerpts
To Serna --
Thank you for your willingness to indulge in my whim and let my obsessions continue to live on after I die. Under the seemingly gentle rule of the LizardMen, our obsessions cannot be preserved, but their rule cannot eradicate our dreams and hopes.
"Of course I want them to care. In fact, I count on them to care. But first of all, I have a question, do you think that in the eyes of the Paisha people, human beings are considered intelligent beings, or do they only have the ability to feel? ”
"I thought that meant something."
"No, sensory power is simply the ability to perceive things, to be aware of the existence of the sensory world. Wisdom refers to having the ability to think, such as 'Homo sapiens'. Of course we think we're the latter, but do Paisha people think the same way? Adinjay has studied them more than anyone else, and if she's right, then the Paisha people really think so of us. They think we're the same kind, or something close to—"
"That's why they attack us—"
"That's right! You're kidding, but it's not a joke. When they arrived here and found our little base just in the spot they wanted to occupy, they didn't immediately hit us. They don't know enough about us. We do the same with them. As far as we know, they are clearly high civilizations, and we are therefore pleased to keep peace and friendship with them. But human spaceships didn't impress them much. Do you remember what happened a week after they landed? ”
Serna recalls, "I remember is is Isaac Bliss was killed. He fell into the river and hit his head against a rock. ”
"Yes, Jane invited them to the Eagle's Nest Ridge for a memorial service. Almost everyone came, as if to make the Paisha people particularly shocked. Although we didn't know much of each other's language, they watched when they saw Isaac's brother throw his ashes in the air. Since then, we have become images of intelligent life in their eyes. ”
"Intelligent-like beings?"
"That's right. They haven't reached their level for three reasons. First, we did not make Isaac's body a permanent monument like they did. Second, we live in enclosed buildings, and they never do that. Third, they see some of us working in mines, which is something they would never do. So for them, this makes us seem less 'wise'. ”
"Where did you learn all these theories?"
"I read it. Susan Edinje's reports are in public repositories. I also think. You should also try it when you have time. ”
"Stupid."
"If you stab us, won't we bleed?"
Serna rubbed his cheek, "So the Paishas came to the conclusion that we are human beings and not animals. ”
"Yes, because we pay respect to the dead, in a way very much like them. If we also build a cremation pyre like the Greeks or something, I think it will certainly satisfy them. , maybe you can make them admire them to the ground. ”
"But anyway, it doesn't hurt us. If we were nothing more than animals in their eyes, they would certainly treat us worse. As humans or humanoids, we become the object of their decision to live with each other carefully. When they first attacked, our resistance was so fierce, I don't think they could have expected that..." He stopped talking and didn't look over his shoulder.
"They thought it was enough to capture the commander, didn't they?" Think you're a gladiator or a warrior or something? ”
Keller wiped his eyes and nodded. "That's what I thought. We did not surrender immediately, but resisted for so long, which surprised them. ”
"For them, the conditions they give us are already very tolerant. While they continue to deprive us of the technology we are allowed to have, we can guarantee a good standard of living. The socio-economy is still functioning, and there is a certain autonomy and no small freedom of movement, although they have taken away all the means of transportation that can be used for long-distance travel. Of course, for us — at least for some of us — these conditions are simply outrageous. No matter how friendly the conditions are, no matter whether the gates are open or not, the prison is still a prison. ”
Serena looked at Keller in his control chair to deal with a small alarm. Although there are still some small pieces of the puzzle that have not yet been found, he may have begun to see the whole picture of the puzzle.
"So you think burial, rather than cremation, is somehow an insult to the lizards?"
"I hope it's not just an insult. You have only heard of cremation in your life, or it is recycling, as long as everyone's nano is still working, there should be no one who needs it. But in the past, when we were on Earth, we had cemeteries full of dead people. That's a pretty interesting history, and it's a funny story — you've probably seen some cemeteries in the movies. I think that's why our colonies never had much halloween. If ghouls and zombies don't know where to get out, how can it be scary?
Anyway, Susan read some of paisa history and myths and legends. A considerable part of it is anecdotes, heroic epics and the like, which are both quirky and funny, but there is a theme that is constantly recurring. It's like our legend about the Great Flood: many Earth cultures have a figure like Utnapshtim or Noah who saved some of human civilization from a catastrophic flood. It's a cultural memory. The Paishas also have a story that keeps coming up, with several versions, but this story is a fear shared by their race.
Susan found five or six different versions of the story throughout the records of the Paisha civilization: a village or town was buried because of a landslide or an avalanche. In one version, it was because of a volcanic eruption, as in Pompeii. Early in their history, it was very likely that this event actually happened, but for some reason — probably because their forelimbs were weaker , they had to dig holes with their hind feet, who knows? This becomes an entrenched fact that you can conclude by saying, 'It is wrong to bury others.' ’
"No, it's not just a fundamental conceptual 'mistake', but it's reprehensible and unforgivable. For them it is a curse that transcends personal existence. Their recent historical records include records of entire villages being abandoned because earthquakes destroyed some houses and crushed some villagers to death. This curse does not come from 'people buried in the ground', but from 'the land where the body is buried', and even develops to 'buildings that may collapse and bury the body'. ”
Serna turned to face the window and the entrance to the mine. A driverless, fully procedurally operated truck pulled out of the mine and headed for the processing area. "If that's true, you know they're not going to let you do that."
Keller chuckled softly, "It's funny you said that. ”
"Why?"
Keller tilted his head to the side, "Because I was dead at that time." I wouldn't really 'do' anything. ”
Serna shrugged and lowered his voice in dissatisfaction, "Well, they're not going to do it for you as you wish." ”
"So I need you to do it for me." Keller said.
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This article is excerpted from Douban Reading Tongwenguan works
"Dust to Dust, Earth to Earth, Earth to Impact Star (Chinese and English Bilingual)"
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