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with earthly fauna, the alien eventually learns the horrifying secret of man: Humans are individuals, "thinking cancers" who do not want to be assimilated and therefore seek to repel and even destroy it, unlike all other lifeforms it has encountered across the universe. The alien realizes that humans won't ever be able to understand its offerings and concludes that violent integration is the only way to save humanity from its isolation as individuals.
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that can absorb and imitate other lifeforms. The alien thinks of itself as an "explorer, an ambassador, a missionary" of the biomass it consists of, the primary instinct of which is to "commune", i.e. absorb and matriculate on a cellular level with other biologies. Confused, damaged, and unfamiliar
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was considerably more negative, calling it "far from impressive", with "two main weaknesses forced on the story by the basic concept": the extent to which it requires familiarity with the 1982 film, and Watts' effort to "basically
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similarly lauded Watts for his "excellent job of showing a totally alien way of looking at life", but noted that people who (like him) were more familiar with
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called it "not only a startlingly effective portrayal of alien psychology, but also a thoughtful exploration of religion and the missionary impulse."
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the goofy biology of the movie alien, which was based on the goofy biology of a John
Campbell short story from the
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praised it for "successfully represent(ing) a truly alien point of view", and called it "mind-bending".
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at the J. Wayne and Elsie M. Gunn Center for the Study of
Science Fiction; retrieved April 3, 2021
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as well as other happenings are told from the perspective of the alien, a shape-shifting sentient
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An incredible short story told from the perspective of the alien in John
Carpenter's The Thing
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240:, at ShirleyJacksonAwards.org; published July 17, 2011; retrieved April 3, 2021
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that many members of the 1982 film's cast and crew enjoyed the story.
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for Best Short
Fiction. The audio version was a finalist for the 2010
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than with the 1982 remake "may be a little confused".
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for Best Short Story, and was a finalist for the 2011
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Winners
Announced for the 2010 Shirley Jackson Awards
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313:; published June 30, 2018; retrieved April 3, 2021
305:If You Like āThe Thingā Youāll Love āThe Thingsā
252:; at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved April 3, 2021
176:called it a depiction of "blindly expansionist
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388:Short Story Club: āThe Thingsā by Peter Watts
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292:at ParsecAwards.com; retrieved April 3, 2021
364:Short Story Club: The Things by Peter Watts
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290:2010 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists
16:Science fiction short story by Peter Watts
108:Learn how and when to remove this message
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262:The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award
278:British Science Fiction Association
408:Digital edition of the short story
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506:Who Goes There? and Other Stories
183:Watts has reported being told by
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372:, March 2010 issue; archived at
152:Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award
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148:Hugo Award for Best Short Story
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667:Science fiction short stories
48:") from the viewpoint of the
30:, revisiting the universe of
534:The Thing from Another World
52:. It was first published on
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274:2010 BSFA Awards Shortlists
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418:Geek's Guide to the Galaxy
413:Watts discussing the story
366:; originally published in
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90:improve the plot summary
81:needs an improved
682:The Thing (franchise)
144:Shirley Jackson Award
40:(derived itself from
662:Parallel literature
162:for short fiction.
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677:2010 short stories
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160:Parsec Award
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88:Please help
83:plot summary
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55:Clarkesworld
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20:"The Things"
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577:Video games
178:colonialism
150:, the 2011
28:Peter Watts
651:Categories
604:Characters
514:The Things
481:Literature
392:Chad Orzel
225:References
210:Chad Orzel
185:Simon Pegg
156:BSFA Award
140:The Things
44:'s story "
611:The Thing
585:The Thing
558:The Thing
550:The Thing
455:The Thing
276:, at the
135:Reception
123:The Thing
98:July 2021
37:The Thing
635:Category
62:Synopsis
128:biomass
596:(2024)
588:(2002)
569:(2015)
561:(2011)
553:(1982)
545:(1972)
537:(1951)
518:(2010)
509:(1955)
501:(1948)
492:(1938)
221:era."
215:retcon
526:Films
390:, by
369:Locus
350:, at
346:, by
310:Wired
307:, at
167:Wired
22:is a
470:by
415:on
352:Io9
192:Io9
190:At
180:".
653::
297:^
194:,
447:e
440:t
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105:(
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