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"It's hard to tell stories about critters that are not human. John W. Campbell tried it, in "Twilight," and everybody says it's a wonderful story, and nobody ever reads it twice."
- Jerry Pournelle
 |
| Go-Buggy | ||
| A ground-only vehicle. |
One characteristic of good writers is that they don't try to include details that don't move the story forward. In this case, the small vehicle is simple, but modernistic (at least from the standpoint of the 1970's, when this story was written).
| The go-buggy was a white basic two-seater teardrop with wraparound window, a turbine in the rear. Orne and Stetson got in, fastened their safety belts. Stetson started the turbine whining up to power level, engaged the clutch. The buggy bounced several times on the cobbles until the gyro-spring system took hold. It made a neat, flat turn past the vegetable stalls. |
| Technovelgy from The Godmakers,
by Frank Herbert. Published by Berkley Medallion in 1972 Additional resources -
|
Today, of course, we can point to at least a few production cars that have a "tear-drop" shape (because it improves the aerodynamics - and therefore the gas mileage - of the vehicle).
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'The observation vehicle was of that peculiar variety used in conveying a large number of people across rough terrain.'
'The real border was defended by... a swarm of quasi-independent aerostats.'
'I ... set my automatic astronomical instruments to searching for a habitable planet.'
'...haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?'
'... oblongs were all over the floor and surfaces.'
