"The Weapon Too Dreadful To Use" 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

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

. It was first published in the May 1939 issue of '' Amazing Stories'' and reprinted in the August 1965 issue of ''Amazing'' and the 1972 collection '' The Early Asimov''. "The Weapon Too Dreadful to Use" was the eleventh story written by Asimov, and the second to be published.

Plot summary

The people of Earth have colonised

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

, despite the intelligent species native to the planet, who are treated as inferiors with no rights (reminiscent of

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

and

Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...

on Earth). One of the Venusians shows his Earthman friend the ruins of an ancient city, where they discover details of an ancient

weapon A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

, apparently abandoned millennia before as being too dreadful to actually use. However, as the domination by the colonists increases, elements of the Venusian resistance obtain the weapon and use it on the colonial cities and their population. The weapon works by disconnecting the brain from the mind, and within a short time, the Venusians take back control of their planet from the defenseless colonists. Earth surrenders and signs a peace treaty with Venus. The Venusians then destroy the weapon.

Story notes

In ''The Early Asimov'', Asimov speculates that ''Amazing'' might have bought the story because the magazine needed a story quickly, since "The Weapon Too Dreadful to Use" was accepted in February 1939 and published in the May issue.

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satelli ...

pointed out to Asimov that after the Venusians destroyed the weapon Earth would be free to reconquer Venus. Pohl also pointed out that "the weapon too dreadful to use" had been used. According to Asimov, this caused him to avoid using long, elaborate titles.

References

External links

*
"The Weapon Too Dreadful to Use!"
on 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, ...

Short stories by Isaac Asimov 1939 short stories Short stories set on Venus Works originally published in Amazing Stories {{1930s-sf-story-stub