The Best Policy is a science fiction short story by Randall Garrett (under the pseudonym "David Gordon") about honesty. It was first published in Astounding Science Fiction, in 1957.
Plot
When the alien Dal kidnap scientist Edwin Magruder from the colony planet New Hawaii, they intend to interrogate him so that they may use the information he provides to conquer humanity. However, when Magruder realizes that the Dal "lie detector" instead detects objective truth, he uses obfuscation to convince his captors that humans possess supernatural abilities and are vastly more powerful than them.
Reception
Kirkus Reviews considered it "sprightly". The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction noted that Magruder could be considered an "homage to Eric Frank Russell and his glib heroes."
References
- EARTHMEN AND STRANGERS, reviewed at Kirkus Reviews, originally published September 1, 1966
- Themes: Parody, by David Langford and Peter Nicholls, at The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction; retrieved September 19, 2018
External links
- The Best Policy title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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