Strange Relations (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Philip Jose Farmer
- First Published: 1960
- Type of Work: Stories
- Type of Plot: Science fiction—cultural exploration
- Time of Work: From the 1950’s to an unspecified time in the future
- Setting: Earth, Mars, and various planets
- Genres: Short fiction, Science fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, Extraterrestrial life, Future, Other worlds, Parasites, Earth, Mars, Expeditions
- Locales: Earth, Mars, Fictional planets
The Plot
The five stories in this collection vary in length and were written and published separately in various science-fiction magazines, including Argosy. The first story, “Mother,” was published in 1953 and focuses on the concept of maternal relationships. Paula, a domineering female scientist, and her son Eddie, a mother-fixated divorcé, embark on a scientific expedition, only to crash-land on the planet Baudelaire. They are captured by a race of intelligent, wholly female vegetables.
Once inside his new mother, Eddie functions as a sexual parasite...
[The entire page is 1107 words long]
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