"Eyes of Amber" 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 by American writer

Joan D. Vinge Joan D. Vinge (; born April 2, 1948 as Joan Carol Dennison) is an American science fiction author. She is known for such works as her Hugo Award–winning novel ''The Snow Queen'' and its sequels, her series about the telepath named Cat, and ...

. It was first published as the cover story for the June 1977 issue of ''

Analog Science Fiction and Fact ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...

''.

Synopsis

When bandit queen T'uupieh — a native of Titan — discovers a human space probe, she thinks it is a supernatural entity, and brings it with her to serve as an advisor. The humans monitoring the probe must decide whether to interfere with her culture by dissuading her from committing atrocities, or sell videos of her atrocities in order to fund their continued research.

Reception

"Eyes of Amber" won the 1978

Hugo Award for Best Novelette The Hugo Award for Best Novelette is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The novelette award is available for works of fiction of ...

;1978 Hugo Awards
at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved October 15, 2018 Vinge subsequently reported learning that

bookies A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookma ...

had offered 40-to-1 odds against her winning.On The Radical Notion That Women Are People
by

, at

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...

; published October 5, 2015; retrieved October 15, 2018; "I found out that year that someone—in

Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

?—was making book on who was going to win the Hugos. The odds against “Eyes of Amber” were 40 to 1. I really wish I’d known that in time to put down a bet on it." A review in ''

Foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

'' drew attention to the contrast between the quasi-

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

society on Titan and the "advanced technology of the (probe's) control room",''Eyes of Amber and Other Stories''
reviewed by Ann Collier, in ''

''; October 1, 1980; archived at

ProQuest ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...

while at '' Black Gate'', Steven H. Silver noted that the story is predicated upon

cultural imperialism Cultural imperialism (sometimes referred to as cultural colonialism) comprises the cultural dimensions of imperialism. The word "imperialism" often describes practices in which a social entity engages culture (including language, traditions, ...

.Birthday Reviews: Joan D. Vinge’s “Eyes of Amber”
by Steven H. Silver, at '' Black Gate''; published April 2, 2018; retrieved October 15, 2018

James Nicoll James Davis Nicoll (born March 18, 1961) is a Canadian freelance game and speculative fiction reviewer, former security guard and role-playing game store owner, and also works as a first reader for the Science Fiction Book Club. As a Usene ...

has observed that T'uupieh's species is "not very alien",Eyes of Amber and Other Stories by Joan Vinge
reviewed by

, at Dreamwidth; published April 16, 2009; retrieved October 15, 2018 and "resemble(s) 1940s

Leigh Brackett Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 18, 1978) was an American science fiction writer known as "the Queen of Space Opera." She was also a screenwriter, known for ''The Big Sleep'' (1946), '' Rio Bravo'' (1959), and '' The Long Goo ...

aliens rather than anything scientifically plausible";Why is there no The Complete Collected Works of Joan D. Vinge?
at James Nicoll Reviews; published March 21, 2016; retrieved October 15, 2018 similarly, Mike Ashley has described it as a "rationalized

planetary romance Planetary romance is a subgenre of science fiction in which the bulk of the action consists of adventures on one or more exotic alien planets, characterized by distinctive physical and cultural backgrounds. Some planetary romances take place ag ...

".Gateways to Forever: The Story of the Science-fiction Magazines from 1970 to 1980
by Mike Ashley; published 2007 by

Liverpool University Press Liverpool University Press (LUP), founded in 1899, is the third oldest university press in England after Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. As the press of the University of Liverpool, it specialises in modern languages, li ...

References

External links

{{Hugo Award Best Novelette Hugo Award for Best Novelette winning works Works originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact