Goat Song (novelette)

Infobox short story
name = Goat Song
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author = Poul Anderson
country = United States
language = English
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genre = Science fiction short story
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pub_date = 1972
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"Goat Song" is a science fiction novella by Poul Anderson.

This story has strong parallels to the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice

Plot summary

In a future world humanity is dominated by a massive computer, SUM, which claims to record the soul, and promises a resurrection at an indefinite future date. A harper—who alone remembers the old songs—mourns for the loss of his love, and desires nothing but her resurrection. SUM so far has only used that power to keep its human representative, the Dark Queen, eternally young. The harper confronts the Dark Queen on a lonely road. Appealing to her lingering humanity, she agrees to take the Harper before SUM. In SUM's dark, underground fortress it agrees to return the harper's love, if the harper will teach humanity to worship SUM as a god. But there is one condition: a test of loyalty. The Harper must walk all the way to the outside, but not once look back to see if his love is following. The harper agrees. On the long walk back he is full of doubts, but manages to look straight ahead, until the last moment. He turns and sees his love for an instant before she is taken away, and he is cast outside.

SUM admits that it is more interested in the harper as an antagonist than a servant, since it doesn't yet fully understand the human mind. Harper goes nearly insane for many months, but then begins the deliberate process of using his songs to implant the idea that humans should rule their own lives and that SUM should be destroyed.

Awards and nominations

* Hugo Award for Best Novella, winner (1973)
* Locus Poll Award for Best Short Story, third place (1973)
* Nebula Award for Best Novelette, winner (1972)

ources, references, external links, quotations

*isfdb title|id=41368|title=Goat Song