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Eight Keys to Eden
FROM THE HUGO WINNING NOVELIST
Not long after the colonists landed on the uninhabited planet, every human made artifact—ship communicators, tools—disappeared! Even their clothes!
Here is an enthralling science alien planet puzzle from the man writer, critic and Nebula award winner Barry Maltzberg calls "One of the twelve most influential science fiction writers."
When Eden—the Earth colony eleven light years away— goes silent and fails to answer any communications from the mother planet, Earth's government goes into a panic. Has something tragic happened on a world already proven to have no intelligent, dangerous lifeforms? Or, are the colonists purposely disregarding the messages for some reason of their own? What could be the real explanation for the mysterious silence of a disciplined, scientific colony?
To learn the answer, Earth's leaders turn to the Extrapolators—the honored group of men and women with an almost superhuman ability to see to the core of any problem. Soon the Es assign a probationary Extrapolator, Calvin Gray, to the hazardous journey to Eden, where he will win full admission into the ranks to the Extrapolators if he solves whatever problems he finds there. But, even with his special Extrapolator training, Grey is not prepared for the extent ort nature of the disaster that has struck the colony Eden—thrown back to an almost subhuman state of existence without houses, tools, equipment, or clothing.
Here is a suspenseful science fiction from Mark Clifton, who, with his collaborator, Frank Riley, won the 1955 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel of the year for, They'd Rather Be Right. Galaxy magazine's editors called Clifton's work: "Full of excitement. Richly rewarding. Genuinely mature philosophy tinged with gentle irony."
Not long after the colonists landed on the uninhabited planet, every human made artifact—ship communicators, tools—disappeared! Even their clothes!
Here is an enthralling science alien planet puzzle from the man writer, critic and Nebula award winner Barry Maltzberg calls "One of the twelve most influential science fiction writers."
When Eden—the Earth colony eleven light years away— goes silent and fails to answer any communications from the mother planet, Earth's government goes into a panic. Has something tragic happened on a world already proven to have no intelligent, dangerous lifeforms? Or, are the colonists purposely disregarding the messages for some reason of their own? What could be the real explanation for the mysterious silence of a disciplined, scientific colony?
To learn the answer, Earth's leaders turn to the Extrapolators—the honored group of men and women with an almost superhuman ability to see to the core of any problem. Soon the Es assign a probationary Extrapolator, Calvin Gray, to the hazardous journey to Eden, where he will win full admission into the ranks to the Extrapolators if he solves whatever problems he finds there. But, even with his special Extrapolator training, Grey is not prepared for the extent ort nature of the disaster that has struck the colony Eden—thrown back to an almost subhuman state of existence without houses, tools, equipment, or clothing.
Here is a suspenseful science fiction from Mark Clifton, who, with his collaborator, Frank Riley, won the 1955 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel of the year for, They'd Rather Be Right. Galaxy magazine's editors called Clifton's work: "Full of excitement. Richly rewarding. Genuinely mature philosophy tinged with gentle irony."
159 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
13 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Mark Clifton
96 books10 followersMark Irwin Clifton (1906 - Nov. 1963) was an American science fiction writer. Clifton began publishing in May of 1952 with the often anthologized story "What Have I Done?".
Most of his work fits into one of two series. The "Bossy" sequence was written alone, and in collaboration with both Alex Apostolides and Frank Riley. The "Ralph Kennedy" series, which is lighter in tone, was mostly written solo, including the novel "When They Come From Space", although there was one collaboration with Apostolides.
Clifton gained his greatest success with his novel They'd Rather Be Right (a.k.a. The Forever Machine), co-written with Riley, which was serialized in Astounding in 1954 and went on to win the Hugo Award, perhaps the most contentious novel ever to win the award.
Clifton is also known today for his short story "Star, Bright", his first of three appearances in Horace Gold's Galaxy (July 1952), about a super-intelligent toddler with psi abilities. From Clifton's correspondence we know that Gold "editorially savaged" the story, which appeared in severely truncated or altered form. The story has been compared favorably to Kuttner and Moore's "Mimsy Were the Borogoves", which was published in Astounding nine years earlier.
Clifton worked as a personnel manager during his life and interviewed close to 100,000 people. This experience formed much of Clifton's attitude about the delusions people entertain of themselves, but also the greatness of which they are capable.
Most of his work fits into one of two series. The "Bossy" sequence was written alone, and in collaboration with both Alex Apostolides and Frank Riley. The "Ralph Kennedy" series, which is lighter in tone, was mostly written solo, including the novel "When They Come From Space", although there was one collaboration with Apostolides.
Clifton gained his greatest success with his novel They'd Rather Be Right (a.k.a. The Forever Machine), co-written with Riley, which was serialized in Astounding in 1954 and went on to win the Hugo Award, perhaps the most contentious novel ever to win the award.
Clifton is also known today for his short story "Star, Bright", his first of three appearances in Horace Gold's Galaxy (July 1952), about a super-intelligent toddler with psi abilities. From Clifton's correspondence we know that Gold "editorially savaged" the story, which appeared in severely truncated or altered form. The story has been compared favorably to Kuttner and Moore's "Mimsy Were the Borogoves", which was published in Astounding nine years earlier.
Clifton worked as a personnel manager during his life and interviewed close to 100,000 people. This experience formed much of Clifton's attitude about the delusions people entertain of themselves, but also the greatness of which they are capable.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 17, 2022
I enjoy stories that are about questions. In this story, there is enough action to read on the level of an adventure but the story framework is about questioning assumptions. I also thought it was a timely piece of fiction, as relevant in social commentary today, as in the era it was written.
December 31, 2018
This was a curious book, by it's means of highlighting man's inadequacy in dealing with events outside his understanding. All must be understandable, repeatable, reproducible science, else it is religion. This clever little book explores the idea of a third way - a science our dirt farmer existence makes it all but impossible to comprehend.
Wherever the aliens have tried to interact with earthlings to teach this third way (with a goal of finding their intellectual equals), we've either grovelled in the dirt and treated them as gods, or run in fear from their mighty powers. The events of The Eight Keys to Eden describe the honeypot planet they've created in the hope of attracting a mind curious enough to gain understanding.
Like all elderly sci fi, the quaint futuristic setting equally amuses me and appals me. No matter how far forward they imagine we've progressed in science, these early authors can only imagine a society whose cultural mores match their own. Dear little wifey stomping her delicate foot at being left at home, domineering workplace hierarchies and a scientific elite composed entirely of men. It bothers me these early writers could imagine a universe where man finds his intellectual match in aliens, but never closer to home in his womenfolk.
Wherever the aliens have tried to interact with earthlings to teach this third way (with a goal of finding their intellectual equals), we've either grovelled in the dirt and treated them as gods, or run in fear from their mighty powers. The events of The Eight Keys to Eden describe the honeypot planet they've created in the hope of attracting a mind curious enough to gain understanding.
Like all elderly sci fi, the quaint futuristic setting equally amuses me and appals me. No matter how far forward they imagine we've progressed in science, these early authors can only imagine a society whose cultural mores match their own. Dear little wifey stomping her delicate foot at being left at home, domineering workplace hierarchies and a scientific elite composed entirely of men. It bothers me these early writers could imagine a universe where man finds his intellectual match in aliens, but never closer to home in his womenfolk.
May 28, 2025
Die Kolonie antwortet nicht mehr auf Funksprüche. Ein Raumschiff wird hingeschickt und muss feststellen, dass alle menschlichen Artefakte verschwunden sind. Die Kolonisten sind noch vorhanden, sie tappen nackt in der Gegend herum. Gut dass an Bord des Raumschiffs ein "D" ist, ein Denker.
Laut SF-Lexikon war Clifton bei den Kritikern beliebt (bei den Lesern wohl eher weniger). Dies weil er Themen wie Psychologie und Philosophie einbrachte. In dem Buch stellt er die These auf, dass die Wissenschaft einen einengenden und engstirnigen Blick auf die Welt liefert. Was wäre, wenn es andere, direktere Wege zur Wirklichkeit gäbe?
Ja, im Prinzip schon eine interessante Frage. Seine quasi-esoterische Sichtweise missfällt mir aber doch.
Aber nicht nur das. Das ganze ist zu stark ausgedehnt und mit ein paar Pseudo-Konflikten angereichert. Er hätte besser eine Story draus gemacht.
Laut SF-Lexikon war Clifton bei den Kritikern beliebt (bei den Lesern wohl eher weniger). Dies weil er Themen wie Psychologie und Philosophie einbrachte. In dem Buch stellt er die These auf, dass die Wissenschaft einen einengenden und engstirnigen Blick auf die Welt liefert. Was wäre, wenn es andere, direktere Wege zur Wirklichkeit gäbe?
Ja, im Prinzip schon eine interessante Frage. Seine quasi-esoterische Sichtweise missfällt mir aber doch.
Aber nicht nur das. Das ganze ist zu stark ausgedehnt und mit ein paar Pseudo-Konflikten angereichert. Er hätte besser eine Story draus gemacht.
September 8, 2015
If you like pulpy golden age sci-fi writing, with a bit of acerbic political commentary and a dash of adolescent humor that is capped off with a whole lot of pseudo-intellectual mumbo jumbo then this is the book for you. My inner 13 year old loved this book, while the rest of me thought it was all pretty silly (not intentionally so).
September 18, 2015
Eight keys to Eden by Mark Clifton
The BEST science fiction short story I have read since early 2015,
when I set goal of 100+ books this year.
It is of the scientific science fiction variety.
It is my first Mark Clifton Book.
It is a standalone book, not part of a series.
Satisfying thought provoking ending.
October 20, 2018
Oh joyful wonder!
In high school I stumbled across this little book. It maybe small but the ideas can change your life.
I hope it opens you up to the possibilities that your mind may be able to expand and extend to the ends of the universe. Have found.
In high school I stumbled across this little book. It maybe small but the ideas can change your life.
I hope it opens you up to the possibilities that your mind may be able to expand and extend to the ends of the universe. Have found.
July 10, 2018
On an Earth seemingly one political entity, long after a global conflict rendered the old powers otiose, decision making and problem solving has been delegated to a small group of highly trained thinkers called Extrapolators, E for short, whose jurisdiction is unquestioned save by elements of the planet’s police force. The plot kicks off when all communication with the colony known as Eden, suspiciously admirably suited to human life, is broken off. A junior (therefore not fully qualified) E named Calvin Gray is given the task of finding out exactly what has happened, a decision police chief Gunderson sees as an opportunity to bring the Es under police control.
Dogged by police interference and pursuit Gray travels to Eden where all evidence of human settlement has disappeared, the landscape being as it had before the colonists arrived. Any humans their devices can image are naked. On landing the party is approached by three naked humans and then the landing ship plus the rescue expedition members’ clothes also disappear. The communication breakdown was occasioned by every human artefact being removed by such mysterious means. Moreover any attempt by humans to manipulate the environment is now subverted. They cannot rub sticks together to make fire. They do not even leave footprints in the sand. The humans can survive as there is no problem eating and drinking provided no artificial means are employed in so doing. Plants, berries, raw fish are all fine. In addition in this new dispensation, people cannot concentrate on one thing for very long. The pursuing police ship nevertheless is able to image the scenes on Eden. The pictures of naked humans are seized on by Gunderson as evidence of immorality and the lever which will allow him to bring the Es to heel.
This is one of the areas where the novel shows its age. Gender roles and attitudes are firmly those of the late 1950s, their universality and infinite application unquestioned. Despite near enough instantaneous interstellar travel - the journey from Earth to Eden does take time but it is in the order of hours, not years - and the communication between Earth and the ships round Eden is depicted as having no delay, photographs require chemical processing and development, not to mention physical storage space.
Attempts at further landings to make arrests are prevented by an invisible barrier. However, E Gray proves up to his task, it seems Eden was a kind of lure to bring such an individual to the planet. Under the influence of the powers that control Eden he discovers that far from reality being a matter of equality in mathematical terms as in e = mc2* (here rendered as E = MC2*) it is more fundamentally due to proportionality rather than equality. Merely finding the right way to think about it enables Gray to begin to manipulate matter.
It is the story that drives this. The characters are barely two-dimensional, their motivations simple, their interactions perfunctory. Almost as an aside Clifton implies that self-centredness is the basis of human attitude and behaviour - which is a dubious assertion at best. However, the sentiment, “any police officer will swear to any lie to back up another police officer because he might need the favour returned tomorrow,” is probably applicable anywhere, anytime.
*Not e = mc2 or E = MC2. This comment box doesn't seem to allow superscripts.
Dogged by police interference and pursuit Gray travels to Eden where all evidence of human settlement has disappeared, the landscape being as it had before the colonists arrived. Any humans their devices can image are naked. On landing the party is approached by three naked humans and then the landing ship plus the rescue expedition members’ clothes also disappear. The communication breakdown was occasioned by every human artefact being removed by such mysterious means. Moreover any attempt by humans to manipulate the environment is now subverted. They cannot rub sticks together to make fire. They do not even leave footprints in the sand. The humans can survive as there is no problem eating and drinking provided no artificial means are employed in so doing. Plants, berries, raw fish are all fine. In addition in this new dispensation, people cannot concentrate on one thing for very long. The pursuing police ship nevertheless is able to image the scenes on Eden. The pictures of naked humans are seized on by Gunderson as evidence of immorality and the lever which will allow him to bring the Es to heel.
This is one of the areas where the novel shows its age. Gender roles and attitudes are firmly those of the late 1950s, their universality and infinite application unquestioned. Despite near enough instantaneous interstellar travel - the journey from Earth to Eden does take time but it is in the order of hours, not years - and the communication between Earth and the ships round Eden is depicted as having no delay, photographs require chemical processing and development, not to mention physical storage space.
Attempts at further landings to make arrests are prevented by an invisible barrier. However, E Gray proves up to his task, it seems Eden was a kind of lure to bring such an individual to the planet. Under the influence of the powers that control Eden he discovers that far from reality being a matter of equality in mathematical terms as in e = mc2* (here rendered as E = MC2*) it is more fundamentally due to proportionality rather than equality. Merely finding the right way to think about it enables Gray to begin to manipulate matter.
It is the story that drives this. The characters are barely two-dimensional, their motivations simple, their interactions perfunctory. Almost as an aside Clifton implies that self-centredness is the basis of human attitude and behaviour - which is a dubious assertion at best. However, the sentiment, “any police officer will swear to any lie to back up another police officer because he might need the favour returned tomorrow,” is probably applicable anywhere, anytime.
*Not e = mc2 or E = MC2. This comment box doesn't seem to allow superscripts.
July 2, 2022
Entertaining space listening 🎶🔰
Another will written fantasy Sci-Fi space opera adventure thriller novel by Mark Clifton about a colony has gone missing on a planet. A spaceship is sent to investigate the disappearance and they disappear. What happened? The answer is on the planet and in the end is found. I would recommend this novel to readers of fantasy space novels 👍🔰. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or listening 🎶 to Alexa as I do because of eye damage and health issues. 2022 👒😊💑🏡
Another will written fantasy Sci-Fi space opera adventure thriller novel by Mark Clifton about a colony has gone missing on a planet. A spaceship is sent to investigate the disappearance and they disappear. What happened? The answer is on the planet and in the end is found. I would recommend this novel to readers of fantasy space novels 👍🔰. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or listening 🎶 to Alexa as I do because of eye damage and health issues. 2022 👒😊💑🏡
March 3, 2020
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"Mark Clifton’s readable and thought-provoking Eight Keys to Eden (1960) has been unfortunately overshadowed by his dismal failure, They’d Rather Be Right (1955) (co-written with Frank Riley), which is generally considered the worst novel ever to win the Hugo Award. Although I wouldn’t classify Eight Keys to Eden as a masterpiece, the novel [...]"
"Mark Clifton’s readable and thought-provoking Eight Keys to Eden (1960) has been unfortunately overshadowed by his dismal failure, They’d Rather Be Right (1955) (co-written with Frank Riley), which is generally considered the worst novel ever to win the Hugo Award. Although I wouldn’t classify Eight Keys to Eden as a masterpiece, the novel [...]"
March 10, 2017
I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. It is a novel of ideas which was packed into what at first seemed to be a sitcom. There were many comedic approaches and situations, but when it came time for the denouement the ideas took over and I, for one, love SF ideas. This one even brought up my pet theory that mankind once was telepathic, but when he learned the lazy ways of using tools he lost that capability.
The story line is about a colony on another planet in the Ceti constellation, that suddenly missed their call in date. The reason why they did was another of the comedic situations. Suddenly everything they had built, their homes and even the fields they cleared were all reverted back to the pristine condition before they had appeared. The people had lost their clothing, their emergency spaceship, everything. They weren't even able to use any tools. No way to make a fire.
When Earth sends an E (Extrapolators, are a special branch of scientist that questions the validity of science.) out to investigate, him and his ship also fall prey to this force, and their ship instantly disappears, stranding them naked also on this planet. It is left up to this E to solve the mystery, as there was also a force field put around the planet that barred anyone else from landing.
I found the story at first a bit far-fetched, but eventually I warmed up to it, and when the true cause was being discussed, I fell in love with it. As I said this has long been my "pet" theory and this was the first time I've seen it in a novel.
The story line is about a colony on another planet in the Ceti constellation, that suddenly missed their call in date. The reason why they did was another of the comedic situations. Suddenly everything they had built, their homes and even the fields they cleared were all reverted back to the pristine condition before they had appeared. The people had lost their clothing, their emergency spaceship, everything. They weren't even able to use any tools. No way to make a fire.
When Earth sends an E (Extrapolators, are a special branch of scientist that questions the validity of science.) out to investigate, him and his ship also fall prey to this force, and their ship instantly disappears, stranding them naked also on this planet. It is left up to this E to solve the mystery, as there was also a force field put around the planet that barred anyone else from landing.
I found the story at first a bit far-fetched, but eventually I warmed up to it, and when the true cause was being discussed, I fell in love with it. As I said this has long been my "pet" theory and this was the first time I've seen it in a novel.
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May 25, 2023Epitome of magic becomes science once understood
February 15, 2026
Thoughtful science fiction of the era that becomes mired in grandiose rhetoric in the final third, but enjoyable all the same.
January 27, 2017
The human colony on the planet Eden is well established. Many pictures are sent back to Earth of houses, plowed fields and a hangar for their ship. Eden has missed their regularly scheduled check-in with Earth. Is their equipment broken? Is there a space disturbance between Earth and Eden? Are the colonists being inconsiderate jerks and deciding not to call Earth? A ship, with Junior E Calvin Gray on board, is sent to investigate.
The Extrapolators (E for short) are Earth's intellectual supermen. After a rigorous process of being taught the "right" way to think, and much testing, when a person becomes an E, they cannot be charged with any crime. It is also illegal to interrupt an E when he is thinking or talking.
The ship reaches the planet, and finds the spot where the colony is supposed to be. There is no sign of a colony at all. The only thing the ship finds is a bunch of naked colonists aimlessly wandering around. The ship lands, and disappears. Gray and his three-man crew are sprawled on the ground, naked. The leader of the colonists reports that everything just vanished, including their clothes, a couple of days previously. What is worse is that the colonists are finding it increasingly hard to care about their plight, like they are reverting to the level of animals.
Several other ships are in orbit, wanting to see for themselves just what is happening. Among them is a ship from the Attorney General's office. They really do not like the E program, and would love to dish out some public humiliation. Worldwide photos of nudist colonist, and a naked E, doing heaven-knows-what, would certainly qualify. A transparent, but impenetrable, barrier has enclosed the planet, preventing any further landings.
Gray begins to get an inkling of an intelligence at work. Maybe this intelligence never evolved to the point of using tools, so it took away the human tools to level the playing field. Can Gray communicate with it? Can he restore the colony to the way it was?
This one is pretty good. It's a well-written, and pretty "quiet" book (remember when it was published) about a new kind of intelligence. If you can find a copy, then, yes, it is worth reading.
The Extrapolators (E for short) are Earth's intellectual supermen. After a rigorous process of being taught the "right" way to think, and much testing, when a person becomes an E, they cannot be charged with any crime. It is also illegal to interrupt an E when he is thinking or talking.
The ship reaches the planet, and finds the spot where the colony is supposed to be. There is no sign of a colony at all. The only thing the ship finds is a bunch of naked colonists aimlessly wandering around. The ship lands, and disappears. Gray and his three-man crew are sprawled on the ground, naked. The leader of the colonists reports that everything just vanished, including their clothes, a couple of days previously. What is worse is that the colonists are finding it increasingly hard to care about their plight, like they are reverting to the level of animals.
Several other ships are in orbit, wanting to see for themselves just what is happening. Among them is a ship from the Attorney General's office. They really do not like the E program, and would love to dish out some public humiliation. Worldwide photos of nudist colonist, and a naked E, doing heaven-knows-what, would certainly qualify. A transparent, but impenetrable, barrier has enclosed the planet, preventing any further landings.
Gray begins to get an inkling of an intelligence at work. Maybe this intelligence never evolved to the point of using tools, so it took away the human tools to level the playing field. Can Gray communicate with it? Can he restore the colony to the way it was?
This one is pretty good. It's a well-written, and pretty "quiet" book (remember when it was published) about a new kind of intelligence. If you can find a copy, then, yes, it is worth reading.
February 1, 2014
I Read this book in the 70's and it's thought provoking ideas have remained with me throughout the intervening 40 yrs. That's a long time, so I'm interested in re-reading this book, to see how well it stands today. I suspect the writing style may appear dated but I fully expect the ideas to be as refreshing and thought provoking as they were when I read it as a teenager. For me, as a young teen, this book represented possibly my first exposure to the concept of sceptical and critical thinking. IE - Take nothing for granted and question everything that doesn't appear to be supported by evidence. Not a bad approach to a world full of misinformation and pseudo science.
November 19, 2014
Quite a number of the better writers from the golden era of 1950s-1960s science fiction have been neglected and forgotten in the years since they wrote. One such author is Mark Clifton - yet "Eight Keys to Eden" is clear evidence that it is time his work was rediscovered. Intelligent, thought-provoking, and intriguing, this book is a page-turner... though, by reason of its ingenuity, it does sadly bog down in later chapters with ratiocination and exposition. If it were not for this, I'd have been sorely tempted to give this five stars, but the change in pace - necessitated by the subject matter - required a docking of one star. Still a fine read, though.
January 26, 2008
Intreguing story suggesting that consciousness may manifest in other ways that those found on Earth; the writing style is no more than ok, but the ideas are worth considering.
July 20, 2014
Recommended to me by a friend, but I had a really hard time getting into the characters. The end of the book was interesting philosophically, but by then I just wasn't really invested.
April 21, 2014
Good read. Some parts a bit poor written but overall very good read.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews