Black Destroyer Review

What if humanity discovered aliens, but they were far, far smarter and more animalistic than us? In A. E. Van Vogt’s short story “Black Destroyer,” paranoia and terror abound as a group of astronauts encounter a cat-like alien on a distant planet. In the end, I believe it offers a realistic view of what would happen if we actually discovered alien life. I’ll explain in a bit. First to ramble.

Van Vogt wrote “Black Destroyer” in 1939. It was actually his first published science fiction story, appearing on the cover of Astounding Science Fiction before eventually becoming the beginning part of his celebrated novel The Voyage of the Space Beagle. Both works aren’t only a staple of science fiction, but also pivotal works of the Golden Age. It could even be argued that van Vogt’s story, as well as the earliest works by authors like Asimov that appeared in Astounding, were some of the first in this new era. It’s not hard to see why.

The story centers on an alien that vaguely resembles a cat named Coeurl, as well as several human astronauts who have come to Coeurl’s planet on an exploratory mission. Coeurl convinces the group he means no harm as a means to harvest their “id,” the alien’s primary food source. The humans must decide whether or not to trust the alien. But Coeurl realizes he can use the humans’ ship to save his species and take over other planets, thus feeding on infinite id.

This was the kind of thrill and mystery that made the Golden Age so golden. An alien beast stalking and dismantling human lives, and humanity eventually triumphing. The basic plot influenced sci-fi for decades to come, everywhere from Alien to Star Trek to Dungeons and Dragons. So the story is a big deal, but it didn’t come without its critics. And honestly? I see where those critics came from. As influential as it was, it was a very early story in a growing movement.

But I want to start with some good points. A good portion of the story involves the different human characters debating whether or not Coeurl can be trusted. This doesn’t slow the story down at any point. If anything, it adds to the tension. I actually found each of the characters varied decently enough for the time it was published, even if there were moments of head-hopping. Of course, nowadays each character feels like a blueprint for the standard sci-fi protagonist. That comes with the territory, however. Not only that, but introducing so many characters tends to be a pitfall in a short story. But more on the writing aspect to the story in a second.

“He snarled audibly, a defiant, devilish sound that quavered on the air, echoed and re-echoed among the rocks, and shuddered back along his nerves—in­stinctive and hellish expression of his will to live.
And then—abruptly—it came.”

It almost feels like a realistic portrayal of what an actual alien encounter might look like. But it says a lot about current feelings we already have. The story seems to turn around and ask us what we would do. And isn’t that what science fiction is all about? It takes the familiar and combines it with the unfamiliar, asking, “What if this happened?” It’s the mark of a brilliant short story when it leaves you questioning your thoughts and feelings.

It also helps that this story has wonderful prose. I lost count of how many times the imagery startled me. I had to use all of my senses to read this one. I’m always on the lookout for good imagery, and any story capable of using all five senses well is a win in my book.

There were, however, some areas of the story that confused me. Specifically, the end. At this point, Coeurl plans to take the ship to other planets to continue consuming id. But the ship’s controls bring him back to his home planet. He ends up going in a circle, but to be honest, I got lost at this part. I wasn’t sure what was going on just from the way this passage was written.

The story represents some of the very best of Golden Age sci-fi, but in my opinion, it needs to be discussed more. I recommend reading this story before most or all of A. E. Van Vogt’s work. It also serves as a beautiful and hostile introduction to classic science fiction.

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