• (ReacTor) Five SFF Works About Contests and Competition

    From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to All on Mon Jun 2 12:33:17 2025
    Five SFF Works About Contests and Competition

    It's not about winning, it's about doing your best! And also winning!

    https://reactormag.com/five-sff-works-about-contests-and-competition/
    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

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  • From Don@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Mon Jun 2 23:25:36 2025
    James Nicoll wrote:
    Five SFF Works About Contests and Competition

    It's not about winning, it's about doing your best! And also winning!

    https://reactormag.com/five-sff-works-about-contests-and-competition/

    An egg shaped cell activator in Perry Rhodan bestows immortality upon
    whoever wears it around their neck. In PR151 "Signals of Eternity" the superintelligence collective called IT releases twenty-five activators
    into the wild. Those with the wits to win one and keep it will live
    forever. The collective's competition continues in the background
    through several ensuing PR novellas.

    The race is on for the 25 cell activators distributed by [IT]
    across the Milky Way. The new cell activators are freely
    transferable and, unlike Atlan's and Perry Rhodan's activators,
    do not adapt to the individual cell vibrations of the wearer.
    [IT] denied its former protégés from the United Empire the
    usual cell shower, as the superintelligence is threatened by
    a danger of as yet unknown proportions, and [IT] must withdraw
    indefinitely.

    <https://www-perrypedia-de.translate.goog/wiki/Signale_der_Ewigkeit?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_hist=true>

    Danke,

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. veritas liberabit vos
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

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  • From Christian Weisgerber@21:1/5 to Don on Tue Jun 3 20:43:40 2025
    On 2025-06-02, Don <[email protected]> wrote:

    An egg shaped cell activator in Perry Rhodan bestows immortality upon
    whoever wears it around their neck. In PR151 "Signals of Eternity" the superintelligence collective called IT releases twenty-five activators
    into the wild. Those with the wits to win one and keep it will live
    forever. The collective's competition continues in the background
    through several ensuing PR novellas.

    I wouldn't really call this a competition. It was more like a
    treasure hunt.

    The race is on for the 25 cell activators distributed by [IT]
    across the Milky Way. The new cell activators are freely
    transferable and, unlike Atlan's and Perry Rhodan's activators,
    do not adapt to the individual cell vibrations of the wearer.
    [IT] denied its former protégés from the United Empire the
    usual cell shower, as the superintelligence is threatened by
    a danger of as yet unknown proportions, and [IT] must withdraw
    indefinitely.

    IIRC, the danger from which IT supposedly fled at that time was
    later deemed too trifling for IT's powers and some retconning ensued
    that IT had actually fled from... this other new danger... but had
    misjudged the timing. Because those god-like superentities are
    always a bit absent-minded, it seems.

    --
    Christian "naddy" Weisgerber [email protected]

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  • From Don@21:1/5 to Christian Weisgerber on Wed Jun 4 17:41:41 2025
    Christian Weisgerber wrote:
    Don wrote:

    An egg shaped cell activator in Perry Rhodan bestows immortality upon
    whoever wears it around their neck. In PR151 "Signals of Eternity" the
    superintelligence collective called IT releases twenty-five activators
    into the wild. Those with the wits to win one and keep it will live
    forever. The collective's competition continues in the background
    through several ensuing PR novellas.

    I wouldn't really call this a competition. It was more like a
    treasure hunt.

    Remain mindful of PR's incessant internecine intrigues. With eternal
    life at stake, some selfishly see it as open competition:

    Nr. 151 Signale der Ewigkeit

    »Darum geht es nicht«, gab Fella knurrend zurück. Seit
    der Landung trug er ständig einen Energiestrahler im
    Gürtel. Seine rechte Hand war nicht weit vom Kolben
    entfernt. »Bei allen bisherigen Unternehmungen bist
    du im Schiff geblieben und hast für seine – oder deine
    – Sicherheit gesorgt. Jetzt auf einmal willst du
    selbst 'raus.«

    Der Vater blinzelte vertraulich.

    »Du weißt, warum. Ich bin älter, das sagte ich bereits.
    Du bist noch jung. Ich kann dir den Aktivator später
    immer noch geben, wenn ich keine Lust mehr habe, ihn
    zu tragen. Doch jetzt kann ich den Alterungsprozess
    aufhalten. Ich habe als Patriarch ein Recht darauf,
    ihn zu tragen.«

    »Recht oder Unrecht – wer ihn findet, darf ihn behalten.«

    Gol wandte ihm demonstrativ den breiten Rücken zu. In den
    Gläsern der Messskalen konnte er jedoch genau jede Bewegung
    seines Sohnes verfolgen. Fast wünschte er, die Entscheidung
    würde schon jetzt fallen.

    Aber dazu war Fella zu klug.

    »Die gesamte Mannschaft ist wie vom Teufel besessen, mein
    Sohn. Du bildest keine Ausnahme. Wir können doch nicht
    einfach alle hinauslaufen, um den Aktivator zu suchen. Wir
    können nicht das Schiff ohne Wache zurücklassen.«

    »Niemand wird freiwillig zurückbleiben wollen, denn
    jeder will die Chance haben, das ewige Leben zu
    finden. Auch ich.«

    Langsam drehte Gol sich wieder um. Erregt kaute er
    auf seiner Unterlippe herum. Er sah seinen Sohn
    durchdringend an.»Und die Offiziere, deine
    Untergebenen? Was meinen sie?«

    Fellas Stimme klang triumphierend.Sie sind meiner
    Meinung. Freier Wettbewerb. Wer am schnellsten ist,
    soll den Aktivator bekommen. Er darf niemand
    abgenommen werden. Wer ihn findet, darf ihn behalten.

    # # #

    Transistioning to Ackerman Ace argot, the planetarium setting in the
    singing mountain is a favorite. Below is a cut-and-paste of a previously
    posted review:

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Tyll Leyden's my favorite Zyklus character. My mind pictures him as a physically sluggish endomorph with a brilliantly unique mind. At first,
    Leyden always rubs people, especially his bosses, the wrong way. Because
    Leyden gives no weight whatsoever to institutional authority.
    Nonetheless, after a while, his bosses begrudgingly admit to themselves
    their mistaken first impressions as Leyden's merits and virtues slowly
    become apparent.
    Leyden eventually directs the most interesting Zyklus setting - a planetarium located on a planet in the system where the creatures who originally terrorized IT originate:

    [Leyden] now had to look again upon the artificially
    constructed galaxy with its billions of stars. Immense numbers
    of energy pathways held up the stars with their planets, made
    them circle and move, and spun the artificial galaxy, just like
    the Milky Way moved through the universe.
    He only needed to concentrate intensely in order to be
    carried into the sea of stars, and he would be instantly carried
    aloft - heading to the location that he wanted to reach.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Danke,

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. veritas liberabit vos
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

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