Primitive guy brought to advanced civilization learns quick

Scottyp

Scottyp

New Member
Joined
May 25, 2016
Messages
2
i read a book where a character is brought from a Primative world/culture and quickly learns to adapt to a new and modern world. His hunting skills, strength, and cunning are no match for the local "civilized" folk. I suspect I read it in either the 80's or 70's.

Thanks
 
What I recall is the guy is brought to a city and while in "captivity", more like house arrest, he watches and learns. Then one day he leaps from one moving sidewalk to another and quickly loses anybody following him. As he is considered Primative and therefore dim witted he isn't well guarded.....anyway I just can't remember much more. Not unlike Poul Anderson's The High Crusade.
 
Moving sidewalks/slidewalks hints of Isaac Asimov...
--Paul E Musselman
 
PaulMmn said:
Moving sidewalks/slidewalks hints of Isaac Asimov...
--Paul E Musselman
Click to expand...

In that case, perhaps it's The Ugly Little Boy? A short story from around 1960 which was later (90's?) expanded by Robert Silverberg. It's been sitting on my shelf a while as one of the few Silverberg novels I've not read so I can't be more certain. It's also known (UK publication?) as Child of Time.
 
Last edited:
Scottyp said:
What I recall is the guy is brought to a city and while in "captivity", more like house arrest, he watches and learns. Then one day he leaps from one moving sidewalk to another and quickly loses anybody following him. As he is considered Primative and therefore dim witted he isn't well guarded.....anyway I just can't remember much more. Not unlike Poul Anderson's The High Crusade.
Click to expand...
Moving sidewalks could also be Heinlein. He had a bunch of short stories and it does sound familiar to me.
 
Moving sidewalks do indeed feature in one of the early Heinlein Future History stories "Roads Must Roll."
 
Could this be Piers Anthony's Cluster (1977)? (Apparently also known as Vicinity Cluster.)

The story concerns the adventures of a blue-skinned, stone-age human named Flint from a distant part of Earth's interstellar "sphere," who is brought to Earth due to his high level of "aura". He is treated as a backwards primitive by the Earth representatives, and evades them for a while in a scene similar to what you describe.

There are many more distinctive aspects to the story that should trigger some memories if this is correct. (Have a look at the Wikipedia summary of the series for some details.) It's not much like The High Crusade, other than the presence of interstellar empires and weird aliens.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
D Woman preserved in ice brought back to life, turns out from an ancient yet technologically advanced race...read early-mid 70s, novel, paperback Book Search 2
Robert Zwilling Martian Insight should have brought some mini robotic vehicles along? Technology 4
Onyx Primitive spacecraft would benefit from being large SFF Lounge 28
M Looking for an old novel about mind-transfer with primitive aliens Book Search 1
Phoenixthewriter Primitive world and technology Writing Discussion 13

Similar threads


Back
Top