"A Matter of Traces" is a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by American writer

Frank Herbert Franklin Patrick Herbert Jr. (October 8, 1920February 11, 1986) was an American science fiction author best known for the 1965 novel '' Dune'' and its five sequels. Though he became famous for his novels, he also wrote short stories and worked a ...

, first appeared in ''

Fantastic Universe ''Fantastic Universe'' was a U.S. science fiction magazine which began publishing in the 1950s. It ran for 69 issues, from June 1953 to March 1960, under two different publishers. It was part of the explosion of science fiction magazine publishin ...

'' magazine in November 1958 and later in Herbert's 1985 short story collection ''

Eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

''. It is the first story in Herbert's ConSentiency universe, one of his three elaborate

fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...

s spanning multiple volumes (the others being the ''Duniverse'', and the ''Pandora Sequence'' developed with co-author Bill Ransom).

Plot

This story takes place in the distant future on the planet Aspidiske VII. A meeting of the "Special Subcommittee on Intergalactic Culture" is called to investigate the possibility of excessive wastefulness on the part of the "Historical Preservation Teams of the Bureau of Cultural Affairs". Secretary Hablar comes to present a sample of the work being done by the Historical Preservation Team. The sample he submits is an interview with one of the few surviving pioneers of the planet Gomeisa III. He is an old man named Hilmot Gustin. During the course of the interview it is learned that Hilmot was the inventor of the , a plow harness for an alien life form native to the planet, and also the man who discovered what swamp cream does for the complexion. When the interview is finished the meeting is adjourned until the following day.

Characters

*Senator Jorj C. Zolam – chairman of the subcommittee *Senator Arden B Pingle – from Proxistu I *Mergis Wl Ledder – counsel to the subcommittee *Jorj X. McKie – saboteur extraordinary *Glibbis Hablar – Secretary of Fusion *Interviewer Simsu Yaggata *Mr. Presby Kilkau *Mrs. Kilkau – Gustin's niece *Hilmot Gustin – pioneer

Jorj X. McKie

Although there is not explicit reference to the Bureau of Sabotage in this story, Jorj X. McKie appears for the first time in his capacity as ''saboteur extraordinary''. In an effort to keep the meeting from going on too long McKie sabotaged Secretary Hablar's projector and arranged to have the Assistant Secretary for Cultural Affairs sent to another meeting so that he would be unable to

testify In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. Etymology The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness. La ...

Related works

"A Matter of Traces" was followed in 1964 by Herbert's short story "

The Tactful Saboteur "The Tactful Saboteur" is a science fiction novelette by American writer Frank Herbert, which first appeared in ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' magazine in October 1964. It is the second story in Herbert's ConSentiency universe (after “A Matter ...

", in 1970 by his short novel '' Whipping Star'' and in 1977 by his full-length novel ''

The Dosadi Experiment ''The Dosadi Experiment'' is a 1977 science fiction novel by American writer Frank Herbert. It is the second full-length novel set in the ConSentiency universe established by Herbert in his short stories "A Matter of Traces" and "The Tactful Sab ...

''. While none of these works are exactly sequels they take place in the same imaginary universe and share the character, Jorj X. McKie.

Sources

* Herbert, Frank. "A Matter of Traces" (short story) ''

'', 1958 * Herbert, Frank. "The Tactful Saboteur" (short story) ''

Galaxy Science Fiction ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...

'', 1964 * Herbert, Frank. ''Whipping Star'' (novel)

G. P. Putnam's Sons G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group. History The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam and J ...

, 1970 * Herbert, Frank. ''The Dosadi Experiment'' (novel) G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1977

External links

*
"A Matter of Traces"
at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matter Of Traces, A 1958 short stories Short stories by Frank Herbert ConSentiency universe Works originally published in Fantastic Universe Extraterrestrial life in popular culture