One Man's Poison

By: Robert Sheckley

Narrated by: Al Kessel

Someone had made a mistake when the space ship was loaded for this prospecting trip. Someone had made a BIG mistake. On their way back, Casker and Hellman realize the only food left is a single radish that they must share. Then, when things look darkest, they find an oddly shaped abandoned planet with…a huge warehouse! As they search the alien storehouse for anything edible to humans, they encounter many strange and dangerous obstacles.

Armed with a local dictionary, they set out to interpret the alien language on the plethora of cargo. Will they find something to keep them alive? Or, will they find something more sinister?

Public Domain (P)2014 Al Kessel

Disappointing For Sheckley

Any additional comments?

I'm probably one of Robert Sheckley's biggest fans, but this story was easily one of the weakest of his works.

The idea itself isn't too bad, but the writing just seemed rushed. Definitely not on par with the author's other short stories.

It's almost as if Sheckley was writing this under a strict deadline where he had to finish before he was entirely happy with it. That is, of course, complete conjecture on my part but that's how it comes across.

Skip this one.

5.6 / 10.0