Black Destroyer

{{Short description|1939 A. E. van Vogt short story}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{infobox short story |name = Black Destroyer |title_orig = |image = frameless |caption = Cover story painting by Graves Gladney |translator = |author = A. E. van Vogt |country = Canada |language = English |series = |genre = Science fiction |publication_type = |published_in = ''Astounding SF'' |publisher = Street & Smith |media_type = |pub_date = July 1939 }}

"'''Black Destroyer'''" is a science fiction short story by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt, first published in ''Astounding SF'' in July 1939. It has been marked as the story that represents the start of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.{{sfn|Ketterer|1992|p=45}}

"Black Destroyer" was combined with several other short stories to form the novel ''The Voyage of the Space Beagle''. The novel was claimed as an inspiration for the movie ''Alien'' and van Vogt collected an out-of-court settlement of $50,000 from 20th Century Fox.{{sfn|Ketterer|1992|p=47}}{{sfn|Decker|2016|p=31}}

==Plot summary== A Coeurl, a large, immortal, intelligent and tentacled black cat-like animal,{{sfn|Westfahl|2019|p=102}} considers its near-future starvation as its food source of id-creatures has been hunted to extinction.{{sfn|van Vogt|2002|p=276}} Just as all seems lost, a spaceship lands near an abandoned Coeurl city and id-creatures pour out ("id" turns out to be its phosphorus-based nutrient{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|This "id" is changed to "potassium suspended in living tissue (cells)" in ''The Voyage of the Space Beagle''<ref name="magillsguide1996-voyage"/> though actually this is how the simulated id concocted by the chemist Kent is described: "living cells with potassium in suspension" ({{harvnb|van Vogt|2008|p=18}}). However, the simulated id that Kent concocted "was held in suspension in a manner that was almost useless" to the coerl({{harvnb|van Vogt|2008|p=19}}). Elsewhere it is stated: "he must eat living creatures.. substance.. obtained only from tissues that still palpitated with the flow of life" ({{harvnb|van Vogt|2008|p=9}}).}}). He quickly surmises they are a scientific expedition from another star, which excites him as he considers scientists to be unlikely to harm him. He approaches them as if simply curious. The human expedition is first concerned about the Coeurl's approach, but he shows himself to be intelligent and attempting to communicate via radio waves. Assuming an intelligent species would be as curious about them as they are about him, they show him their ship. The Coeurl begins to plan to kill all of the men onboard and then fly to wherever they came from so he will have "unlimited id".{{sfn|van Vogt|1939a|pp=9–13}}

Tortured by his long starvation, the Coeurl kills a man that went off exploring and eats his id. Examining the body, the humans discover it has been drained of all its phosphorus (which the coeurl accomplishes through controlling vibration{{sfn|van Vogt|2002|p=288}}{{sfn|Westfahl|2019|p=102}}), and conclude the Coeurl is the killer. To test their theory, they bring the Coeurl a bowl of phosphorus, which he attacks with relish and almost kills the person who delivered it. They lock him up, but the Coeurl's ability to control "vibrations of every description" allows him to easily open the electric lock. He waits until they are sleeping and then kills several crew members before returning to the cage. This does not fool the men, and they begin planning ways to kill him.{{sfn|van Vogt|1939a|pp=15–22}}

Using his powers to control energy, the Coeurl causes the rear wall of the cage to dissolve and takes control of the engine room. He uses the ship's power to reinforce the walls of the room so the men cannot blast their way in, and then propels the ship into outer space.{{sfn|van Vogt|1939a|p=24}} The coeurl builds a 40 foot cigar-shaped spacecraft in the engine room's machine shop,{{sfn|van Vogt|1939a|p=29}} and before the humans break into the engine room, he enters the small craft and breaks out of the mother ship, making an escape.{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|In the novel, suggestion by the Nexialist Grosvenor prompts the crew to deliberately let the Coeurl have access to a lifeboat in disrepair, and the creature repairs it.{{sfn|van Vogt|2008|pp=46–47}}}} and takes flight.<ref>{{harvnb|van Vogt|1939a|p=30}}: "little craft" and illustration on p. 24: "..Coeurl hurled the tiny ship through the broken wall of the interstellar cruiser".</ref> However, the Coeurl was unfamiliar with the mechanism of the anti-accelerator drive, and his boat had actually been distancing itself rather than approaching his star, and meanwhile the humans catch up. The coeurl commits suicide rather than be inevitably killed by the disintegrator weapon of the humans.<ref>{{harvp|van Vogt|1939a|pp=22–31}}; {{harvp|van Vogt|2008|pp=48–50}}</ref><ref name="hay1982"/>

Considering the situation, the men decide they must return to the planet and kill the other Coeurl (Which seems a wise decision, given that the coeurl was planning to collaborate with others of his kind to exploit his learned knowledge of spaceships to travel to other planets{{sfn|van Vogt|1939a|p=30}}{{efn|But the novel apparently deletes this peering in to the mind, so the reader is not informed the coeurl was planning an exodus with its own kind.}}). Archeologist Korita suggests that rather than form a posse, they can settle down and lure the enemy. Biologist Smith is disgusted by the plan (the biologist contingent was earlier against destroying the valuable specimen). Director Morton declares the consensus was that they correctly judged the creature to be a criminal, even from the era of his original civilization. The archeologist quips "It was history, honorable Mr. Smith, our knowledge of history that defeated him", in conclusion.{{sfn|van Vogt|1939a|p=31}}{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|In the novel version, Nexialist Grosvenor becomes the hero of the novel, even though his ideas are generally despised by the crew. In the end, however, most of the crew are leaning to accept Nexialism.{{sfn|Sussex|1983|p=29}} The Nexialist had suggested letting the coeurl escape back to its home, and now that it was destroyed, suggests a more passive approach: "So why not just let them die of starvation?" getting the last word in the novel.{{sfn|van Vogt|2008|p=51}}}}

==Publication== In 1939, Van Vogt's first SF story "Vault of the Beast" submitted to ''Astounding'' was returned for a rewrite and was not published until the following year, but his second effort, "Black Destroyer" was accepted straightaway and graced the cover of the July 1939 issue, becoming an instant sensation.<ref name="gunn2002"/>{{sfn|Sussex|1983|p=30}}

The story was re-used in 1950 as the basis for the early portions (chapters 1–6{{sfn|Sussex|1983|p=30}}) of ''The Voyage of the Space Beagle'', Van Vogt's first and most famous fix-up novel,<ref name="gunn2013"/>{{Refn|group="lower-alpha"|The "fix-up" was actually composed of four novellas,{{sfn|Sussex|1983|p=29}} the other constituent works being "Discord in Scarlet" published December 1939 (chapters 13–21),{{sfn|van Vogt|1939b}} "War of Nerves" (chapters 9 to mid-12) and "M33 in Andromeda" spread throughout.{{sfn|Sussex|1983|p=30}}}} (in fact the first sci-fi fix-up novel ever created{{sfn|Sussex|1983|p=29}}), the pieces tied together by the theme of "nexialism" (multidisciplinary approach to solutions, a method for grooming polymaths<ref name="hay1982"/>).<ref name="rottensteiner1975"/> The work incorporates ideas inspired by Oswald Spengler's historical principles.<ref name="gunn2013"/><ref name="hay1982"/> Several minor changes were made to the Coeurl; the tentacles that act as receptors and fingers now end in suction cups,{{sfn|van Vogt|2008|pp=4, 12}} and the dietary chemical was changed from phosphorus{{sfn|van Vogt|2002|p=288}}{{sfn|Westfahl|2019|p=102}} to potassium (drained through the terminal suckers on its tentacles{{sfn|van Vogt|2008|pp=4, 12, 22}}). In the original story the coeurls are assumed to be direct descendants of the race who built the planet's civilization, but in the novel we learn they were created by "the builders", which were the ones that once dominated the planet.{{sfn|van Vogt|1950}}

''The Voyage of the Space Beagle'' describe both the coeurl consuming id (and thus humans) as well as another alien called the Ixtl boarding a spaceship so they can lay eggs within the crew,{{sfn|Ketterer|1992|p=47}}<ref name="booker2006"/> which taken together so closely matched the plot of ''Alien'' that van Vogt sued the production company for plagiarism. The suit was eventually settled out of court for $50,000.{{sfn|Ketterer|1992|p=47}}<ref name="booker2006"/>

The story, in its original form, has appeared in anthologies on occasion.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=David |editor1-last=Drake |editor2-first=Eric |editor2-last=Flint |editor3-first=Jim |editor3-last=Baen |title=The World Turned Upside Down |publisher=Baen Books |date=2005 |location=Riverdale, NY |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qoYssK4L79g }}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Reception== The same July 1939 issue of ''Astounding'' also contained Isaac Asimov's first story to appear in the magazine, "Trends", while the next issue included the first story by Robert A. Heinlein,<ref name="earlyyears79_82">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/78/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City NY |pages=79–82}}</ref> "Life-Line", and the next, Theodore Sturgeon's, "Ether Breather".<ref>{{cite web |first=Jamie |last=Rubin |title= Vacation in the Golden Age, Episode 1: July 1939 |date = 21 January 2011 |url=http://www.jamierubin.net/2011/01/23/vacation-in-the-golden-age-episode-1-july-1939/}}</ref> As a result, this issue is described as the start of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.{{r|earlyyears79_82}}{{sfn|Ketterer|1992|p=45}}<ref>{{cite book |first1= Isaac |last1=Asimov |first2=Martin |last2=Greenberg |title= The Mammoth Book of Golden Age SF |publisher= Little Brown |date= 2012 |page=10 |isbn=9781780337234 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tVXBBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT10}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first= Fredric |last=Jameson |title= Archaeologies of the Future: The Desire Called Utopia and Other Science Fictions |publisher= Verso |date=2005 |page=314 |isbn=9781844670338 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sPBad_aN0i0C&pg=PA314}}</ref>

Asimov cited "Black Destroyer" itself and not the issue as the starting point, stating that the presence of his story was "pure coincidence".{{r|earlyyears79_82}} According to David Drake, "Almost everybody agrees that the Golden Age started with the July, 1939, issue of ''Astounding'', however. That's because its cover story was 'Black Destroyer,' the first published SF by A. E. Van Vogt." Eric Flint also praises it, but notes that Terry Carr was somewhat dismissive of its place in history simply because both were thirteen years old when they read it, and "thirteen ... was the age that defined everybody's 'Golden Age'.

The basic plot was the standard formula already being criticized by the readership of the day, but Vogt was seen as offering a fresh approach.{{sfn|Westfahl|2019|p=101}}<ref>Also {{harvp|Sussex|1983|p=29}}: "In synopsis,“Black Destroyer” does not sound very impressive, but the story is undoubtedly effective".</ref>

==Adaptations== The MARVEL series ''Worlds Unknown'' adapted ''Black Destroyer'' into comic book format.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.comics.org/issue/27191/ |title=Worlds Unknown #5 |work=MARVEL |accessdate=2020-01-18 |publisher=Grand Comics Database }}</ref>

==Coeurl in other works== The ''Dirty Pair'' series of novels by Japanese writer Haruka Takachiho features a pet coeurl named Mugi as sidekick, modified to be tame to humans.{{efn|See cover art of ''Dirty Pair'' showing the coeurl.}}

===In games=== The coeurl is one of stock monsters in the ''Final Fantasy'' series beginning with ''FF II''.{{efn|It has the "Blaster" ability that can cause paralysis or sudden death. In earlier series, it had a black leopard look but shifted to spotted leopard fur. Instead of tentacles, it has long whiskers acting as tentacles.}} A reptilian looking coeurl appears as boss in ''Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl''. In the MMORPG title {{illm|CARAVAN STORIES|ja|lt=''Caravan Stories''}} a snow leopard-like coeurl with large horns appears, designed by {{illm|Miho Midorikawa|ja|緑川美帆}} aka G.River<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/GR_River/status/993523420678602752?s=20 |title=Design tantō no Coeurl-chan taoshita kinen..|script-title=ja:デザイン担当のクアールちゃん倒した記念！色味は野生のユキヒョウのボスらしくアレンジして頂いてます。定番の頬ひげタイプの案もあったのですが、上見の良さと顔立ち優先でヒゲは頭に設置しました。結果的に群れのリーダーっぽくなって良かったです。#キャラスト |author=緑川美帆/G.River |date=2018-05-07 |accessdate=2020-01-17 |publisher=Twitter }}</ref>

==Explanatory notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist|30em|refs= <ref name="booker2006">{{cite book |last=Booker |first=M. Keith |author-link= |title=Alternate Americas: Science Fiction Film and American Culture |location= |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |year=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cHrDEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA146 |page=146|isbn=9780313025143}}</ref>

<ref name="gunn2002">{{cite book |last=Gunn |first=James E. |author-link=James E. Gunn |title=The Road to Science Fiction: From Wells to Heinlein |volume=2 |edition=2 |location= |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2002|orig-year=1979 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gr0Ziaz2V5kC&pg=PA417 |page=417 |isbn=9780810844391}}</ref>

<ref name="gunn2013">{{cite book |last=Gunn |first=James E. |author-link=James E. Gunn |title=Paratexts: Introductions to Science Fiction and Fantasy |location= |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3XSQAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA40 |pages=40, 41 |isbn=9780810891234}}</ref>

<ref name="hay1982">{{cite journal|last=Hay |first=George |author-link= |title=Sleep No More |journal=Foundation: The Review of Science Fiction |volume=24 |date=February 1982 |url=https://fanac.org/fanzines/Foundation/foundation_24_pringle_1982-02.pdf |page=70}}</ref>

<ref name="magillsguide1996-voyage">{{cite book |editor-last=Shippey |editor-first=T. A. |editor-link=:en:Tom Shippey |chapter=The Voyage of the Space Beagle |title=Magill's Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature: Software and wetware |volume=4 |location= |publisher=Salem Press |year=1996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ScYAAAAIAAJ&q=id |page=995 |isbn=9780893569068 }}</ref>

<ref name="rottensteiner1975">{{cite book|last=Rottensteiner|first=Franz |author-link=Franz Rottensteiner |title=The Science Fiction Book: An Illustrated History |location= |publisher=Seabury Press |year=1975 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hZANAQAAMAAJ&q=beagle |page=89 |isbn=9780816491698}}</ref>

}}

==Sources== {{refbegin}} ;(Primary source) *{{cite magazine|last=van Vogt |first=A. E. |author-link=A. E. van Vogt |others=Illustrated by Frank Kramer |title=Black Destroyer |magazine=Astounding |volume=23 |number=4 |date=July 1939a |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M_cDAAAAYAAJ&q=coeurl |pages=9–31}} ({{URL|1=https://dn790000.ca.archive.org/0/items/Astounding_v23n05_1939-07_dtsg0318/Astounding_v23n05_1939-07_dtsg0318.pdf |2=pdf file}} @ archive.org) ** {{cite book|last=van Vogt |first=A. E. |author-link=A. E. van Vogt |author-mask=2 |title=The SFWA Grand Masters |location= |publisher=Macmillan |year=2002 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aRiNRcxaeBsC&pg=PA275 |pages=275– |isbn=9780312868765}} * {{cite magazine |first=A E |last=van Vogt |author-link=A. E. van Vogt |title= Discord in Scarlet |magazine=Astounding |volume=24 |number=4 |date=December 1939b |url=}} * {{cite book |last=van Vogt |first=A. E. |author-link=A. E. van Vogt |title= The Voyage of the Space Beagle |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |date=1950 |url=http://www.icshi.net/worlds/voyagechapter.htm}} ** {{cite book|last=van Vogt |first=A. E. |author-link=A. E. van Vogt |author-mask=2 |title=The Voyage of the Space Beagle |location= |publisher=Macmillan |year=2008 |orig-year=1950 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9rd65eOCzqwC |pages= |isbn=9780765320773 }}

;(Secondary sources) * {{cite book|last=Decker |first=Mark |author-link= |title=Industrial Society and the Science Fiction Blockbuster: Social Critique in Films of Lucas, Scott and Cameron |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland |year=2016 |isbn=9781476623870 }} * {{cite book |title=Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy |last=Ketterer |first=David |author-link=|publisher=Indiana University Press |year=1992 |isbn=9780253331229 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/canadiansciencef00davi }}

* {{cite journal|last=Sussex |first=Lucy |author-link=Lucy Sussex |title=Long Versus Short SF: The Examination of a Fix-Up |journal=Foundation: The Review of Science Fiction |volume=28 |date=July 1983 |url=https://fanac.org/fanzines//Foundation/foundation_28_pringle_1983-07.pdf |pages=28–33}}

* {{cite book |last=Westfahl |first=Gary |author-link=Gary Westfahl |title=The Rise and Fall of American Science Fiction, from the 1920s to the 1960s |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland |year=2019 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tPuzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA103 |page=|isbn=978-1-4766-3851-5}}

==External links== * {{ISFDB title|id=41604|short=y}} * [http://www.baen.com/Chapters/0743498747/0743498747___5.htm "Black Destroyer"] on the Baen Free Library

Category:1939 short stories Category:Fiction about immortality Category:Science fiction short stories Category:Short stories by A. E. van Vogt Category:Works originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact