Microcosmic God
| "Microcosmic God" | |
|---|---|
| Author | Theodore Sturgeon |
| Country |
 USA
|
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction |
| Published in | Astounding Science Fiction |
| Publication type | Periodical |
| Media type | Magazine |
| Publication date | 1941 |
"Microcosmic God" is a science fiction novelette by American writer Theodore Sturgeon. Originally published in April 1941 in the magazine Astounding Science Fiction, it was recognized as one of the best science fiction stories of all time by the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1970, and was named as one of the best science fiction stories in polls by Analog Science Fiction and Fact (the renamed Astounding) in 1971 and Locus in 1999. In 1976, it was also published as a comic book version (drawn by Adolfo Buylla) in issue 3 of Starstream: Adventures in Science Fiction, a comic anthology in four issues by Gold Key Comics.
A highly secretive and reclusive biochemist named Kidder produces inventions that transform human life, spanning every aspect of science and engineering. Kidder is a brilliant scientist, but can only take others' ideas and turn them into usable products - he cannot innovate. Consequently he gets impatient with the slow progress of innovation by humans, and develops a synthetic life form, which he calls "Neoterics." These creatures live at a greatly accelerated rate, and therefore have a very short lifespan and produce many generations over a short period of time. Kidder asserts his authority over the Neoterics by killing off half the population of Neoterics whenever they disobey his orders. Kidder communicates with the colony via 'teletype' and this device is considered divine by the Neoterics.
Kidder's banker, Conant, who has grown immensely rich on the inventions passed on by Kidder, takes over the island on which Kidder has built his laboratory, hoping to use a Neoteric design for a new source of power to take over the world. When the banker strikes to kill Kidder and the workers who had assisted in building the power plant, Kidder asks the Neoterics to throw up an impenetrable force field.
The story ends years later. It is unknown whether or not Kidder is still alive under the shield, and certain that the Neoterics have continued to develop technology far in excess of anything controlled by humans. Kidder has ensured that the creatures cannot survive in Earth's atmosphere by denying them the ability to breathe oxygen, hence they are trapped forever.
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