One Man's Poison

Illustrated by Ed Emshwiller

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"One Man's Poison" by Robert Sheckley is a science fiction short story published in the early 1950s. This narrative explores themes of alien life and survival in a comical yet suspenseful manner. The story revolves around two space travelers, Hellman and Casker, who find themselves in a predicament as they land on a mysterious planet devoid of food. The plot follows Hellman and Casker, who are struggling to survive after running out of food during their space journey. Upon landing on a desolate planet, they discover a warehouse filled with various alien substances but face the dilemma of whether to consume them or not. As they engage in humorous discourse over the possibility of alien foods being either edible or poisonous, their encounters escalate into absurd situations, including a sentient liquid and a malfunctioning transport that claims Casker as its prey. Ultimately, they learn that the alien logic regarding food is vastly different from their own, leading to ironic conclusions about survival and the nature of food in alien cultures. The story combines elements of dark humor with speculative fiction, leaving readers to ponder the intricacies of life beyond Earth.

Summary written by Project Gutenberg, by machine.