Back
Linebarger, Paul Myron Anthony: Scanners Live in Vain (American English language, 1950) 5 stars

"Scanners Live in Vain" is a science fiction short story by American writer Cordwainer Smith …

One of the best SF short stories

5 stars

A classic about a group of workers who are being downsized. Unions and management today might take a look at this one. Part of how this story works is that Smith was able to use his main character to empathize with both the workers and how upset they are about their plight being changed by the discovery that would make them obsolete and the non-changed humans and how they would react to the solution voted upon by the Scanners. The funny thing is that I do feel sorry for the oysters, though.