The Rithian Terror

Written in 1965, The Rithian Terror (Double Meaning) seems to sit between the Golden Age style SF and something a bit more 'new wave'. The science fictional elements are very Golden Age: circuits, beams and force screens, glide walks and so on. But the emphasis of the story is on the inner life of the characters, their thoughts and emotions, and how those thoughts and emotions have been conditioned and determined by their upbringing and environment. On one level it's a simple chase story: aliens disguised as humans have infiltrated Earth and they must be found and destroyed. But the action is almost completely internal, focusing on the differences in thinking and emotional outlook and response of the Earth policeman Spangler and the colonial Pembun who, as a result of his upbringing in the outer worlds is seen as a second class citizen. Put like that, Double Meaning sounds deathly dull, but there is constant tension and excitement generated by just that opposition between the two characters. Spangler, a product of Earth has very linear thought processes, but again and again he is upstaged by the 'freer' non-linear thinking of Pembun. A parallel is also drawn between what that means for Earth - hidebound, lacking in spontaneity and facing a slow decay and death as a result - and the more vigorous outer colonies, who still believe the Earth Empire is necessary until they can stand up for themselves.