And the Gods Laughed

"And the Gods Laughed" by Fredric Brown is an engaging science fiction novella, set in a future filled with space travel, where themes of identity and invasion come crashing together through a group of parasitic beings from the moon Ganymede. It mirrors the inventive yet thoughtful spirit of mid-20th century science fiction, asking what it really means to be human when faced with strange and possibly dangerous life from another world. The story centers on a crew of space miners stuck on an asteroid. They share the story of their time on Ganymede; they first thought there a primitive intelligent race who had big, gold earrings. Then, as the crew gets to know the Ganymedeans, they learn that these earrings aren't for decoration; they're used by telepathic beings to take over the minds and bodies of others. Paranoia grows, and Hank faces a scary battle with these entities, and starts to wonder about his own identity and whether he's still really human as he fights being taken over himself. With humor, suspense, and deep thinking, this novella makes you think and keeps you reading.