The Quest for Saint Aquin
- The Quest for Saint Aquin
Infobox short story |
name = The Quest for Saint Aquin
author = Anthony Boucher
country = flag|USA
language = English
series =
genre = Science fiction short story
published_in =
publication_type =
publisher =
media_type = Print (Magazine)
pub_date = 1951
followed_by =
"The Quest for Saint Aquin" is a science fiction short story by Anthony Boucher originally published in 1951.
Plot summary
In a technocratic future Earth, religion has been banned and the Catholic church has gone underground, relying on secret cells and symbols as in the days of the early church. The narrator is a crypto-priest named Thomas, who is charged by the secret Pope with finding the resting place of a semi-legendary figure called Aquin. Aquin had been an evangelist of great power who converted all those who listened to him preach, and his body supposedly never rotted after his death. The Pope believes that this miracle, if true, will be a powerful tool in winning new converts.
Thomas is provided with an intelligent multi-terrain transportation device called a "robass," to assist him in reaching the area where Aquin's body supposedly rests. To his surprise, the vehicle is theologically literate and tries to persuade him to abandon his quest, arguing for example that he had not been asked to "find" Aquin, but rather to "report" that he had so that the pope could begin the process of canonization. Thomas resists the robass' persuasive arguments in the main, though he does succumb to the temptation to drink and carouse with a pretty half-Martian barmaid in a small town. The people in the town discover he is a priest, beat and rob him. Various episodes from the New Testament are echoed as his quest continues.
Ultimately, Thomas does locate Aquin, only to find that he was a robot, and that therefore the legend of his incorruptibility was true...in a sense: his body could not possibly have decayed as he was never made flesh. The robass had known this all along. The creature continues to try to pervert Thomas's intent, but is rejected. The priest realizes that if a robot, with its perfect logic, believed in God, others can be convinced of God's existence by simply using perfect reason.
"The Quest for Saint Aquin" was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one the best science fiction short stories of all time. As such, it was published in "The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929-1964".
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Aquin (disambiguation) — Aquin may refer to:People* Emmanuel Aquin, Canadian novelist, screenwriter, editor, graphic artist and illustrator. * François Aquin, Canadian politician * Hubert Aquin, Canadian novelist, political activist, essayist, filmmaker and editor.… … Wikipedia
Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 13 (1951) — is the thirteenth volume of Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories, which is a series of short story collections, edited by Isaac Asimov and Martin H. Greenberg, which attempts to list the great science fiction stories from the Golden Age of… … Wikipedia
Histoires de robots — est le deuxième volume de la première série de La Grande anthologie de la science fiction. Préfacé par Gérard Klein, il réunit dix sept nouvelles et a été publié en 1974. « (...) les robots sont(...) à la fois des êtres et des choses,… … Wikipédia en Français
Anthony Boucher — (born William Anthony Parker White) (August 21, 1911 – April 29, 1968) was an American science fiction editor and writer of mystery novels and short stories. He was particularly influential as an editor. Between 1942 and 1947 he acted as reviewer … Wikipedia
Jack Dann — Born February 15, 1945 (1945 02 15) (age 66) Johnson City, New York Residence Victoria, Australia … Wikipedia
Anthony Boucher — Anthony Boucher, eigentlich William Anthony Parker White, (* 21. August 1911 in Oakland, Kalifornien; † 29. April 1968 ebenda) war ein amerikanischer Science Fiction und Mystery Autor. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Werke 3 … Deutsch Wikipedia
Энтони Бучер — Anthony Boucher Имя при рождении: Уильям Энтони Паркер Уайт Псевдонимы: Энтони Бучер, Х.Х. Холмс, Герман У. Маджет, Тео Дюрран Дата рождения … Википедия
List of Catholic authors — The authors listed on this page should be limited to those who identify as Catholic authors in some form. This does not mean they are necessarily orthodox in their beliefs. It does mean they identify as Catholic in a religious, cultural, or even… … Wikipedia
Canadian literature — Introduction the body of written works produced by Canadians. Reflecting the country s dual origin and its official bilingualism, the literature of Canada can be split into two major divisions: English and French. This article provides a brief… … Universalium
Basil Pennington — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Pennington. Basile Pennington, né en 1931 et décédé en 2005, était un moine trappiste et prêtre, professeur, directeur de conscience et ecrivain spirituel de renom. Disciple de Thomas Merton il encouragea… … Wikipédia en Français
