"5,271,009" is a science fiction/fantasy short story by American writer Alfred Bester. First published in ''

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...

'', in 1954, it is also known as "The Starcomber".Author's Note
in ''Starcombing'', by David Langford, originally published by

Wildside Press Wildside Press is an independent publishing company in Cabin John, Maryland, United States. It was founded in 1989 by John Betancourt and Kim Betancourt. While the press was originally conceived as a publisher of speculative fiction in both trade ...

, 2009

Plot summary

To repair the mind of insane artist Jeffrey Halsyon, supernatural being Solon Aquila causes Halsyon to live out various wish fulfillment scenarios — all of which are terribly flawed.

History

The story was commissioned to fit a pre-existing piece of

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...

, wherein a man in a prison uniform (with the serial number 5271009) is shackled to an

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

.Age of Wonders: Exploring the World of Science Fiction
by

David G. Hartwell David Geddes Hartwell (July 10, 1941 – January 20, 2016) was an American critic, publisher, and editor of thousands of science fiction and fantasy novels. He was best known for work with Signet, Pocket, and Tor Books publishers. He was also no ...

; published January 24, 2017, by

Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publi ...

Bester subsequently explained "5,271,009" as being the number of decisions a man must make in his life;Alfred Bester (1913-87)
by Sherryl Vint, in ''Fifty Key Figures in Science Fiction'' (edited by Mark Bould,

Andrew Butler Andrew Pickens Butler (November 18, 1796May 25, 1857) was a United States senator from South Carolina who authored the Kansas-Nebraska Act with Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois. Biography Butler was a son of William Butler and Behethland ...

, Adam Roberts, and Sherryl Vint; published September 10, 2009, by

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...

as well, the number features in each scenario in some way.

Reception

David Langford has described it as "one of isfavourite shorts (by Bester)", and Tim Sullivan called it "an extraordinary exploration of solipsism." SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
by Tim Sullivan, in ''

the Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''; published November 30, 1997; retrieved October 18, 2018 Critic and editor Sherryl Vint has posited that the story might be read as "an analogy for ester'srelationship to sf", while

Fiona Kelleghan Fiona Kelleghan (born April 21, 1965, in West Palm Beach, Florida) is an American academic and critic specializing in science fiction and fantasy. She was a metadata librarian and a cataloguer at the University of Miami's Otto G. Richter Library. ...

has described Aquila as "a sort of fallen angel".Hell's My Destination: Imprisonment in the Works of Alfred Bester
by

, in '' Science Fiction Studies'', #64 = Volume 21, Part 3 = November 1994; archived at

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...

References

External links

5,271,009
at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database Works originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Short stories by Alfred Bester Science fiction short stories 1954 short stories {{1950s-sf-story-stub