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"My feeling is that the chance of our surviving into the twenty-first century as working civilization is less than fifty percent but greater than zero."
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The dwelling spaces are actually hollow pods supported by branches, and connected by hollow boughs; the Iszic don't live inside tree-trunks. Ordinary workers live in three-pod or four-pod houses with minimal amenities; the wealthy live in enormous trees supporting dozens of pods with specialized functions, including food supply. The trees have limited motility and awareness, enough to require training and to allow Iszics to feel not merely pride of ownership, but actual emotional relationships with their homes.
To put it crudely, the Iszic see a dwelling tree not as an object that you furnish and use, but as a companion creature that happens to provide shelter.
Farr lowered himself upon one of the frail magenta bladders. The smooth skin stretched and fitted itself to his
body.
The House Trees were at the center of the novel's plot; it centers around attempts to steal the seeds for House Trees and take them off-planet to destroy the Iszic monopoly. This same theme of tree theft breaking a monopoly is found in Clifford Simak's 1944 story Ogre.
“Yes,” said Farr. “I believe you.”
Zhde Patasz continued, passionately waving his viewer. “And if you stole a female house, and if you managed to breed a five-pod house, that is only the beginning. It must be entered, mastered, trained. The webbings must be cut; the nerves of ejaculation must be located and paralyzed. The sphincters must open and close at a touch.
“The art of house-breaking is almost as important as house-breeding. Without correct breaking a house is an unmanageable nuisance—a menace.”
“K. Penche breaks none of the houses you send to Earth.”
“Pahl Penche’s houses are docile, spiritless. They are without interest. They lack beauty, grace.” He paused. “I cannot speak. Your language has no words to tell what an Iszic feels for his house. He grows it, grows into it. His ashes are given it when he dies. He drinks its ichor; it breathes his breath. It protects him; it takes on the color of his thoughts. A spirited house will repel a stranger. An injured house will kill. And a Mad House—that is where we take our criminals.”
Farr listened in fascination. “That’s all very well—for an Iszic. An Earther isn’t so particular—at least, a low income Earther. Or as you would put it, a low-caste Earther. He just wants a house to live in.”
A sly story that made use of the idea that a tree could produce everything you might need The Pork Chop Tree (1965), a very clever story by James Schmitz that describes a tree that gives you just what you want - and makes you want to stay around.
(Pork Chop Tree by James Schmitz)
"...almost every part of the tree has a high nutritional value for the human organism..." Thanks to writer and editor Dominic Brown for contributing the original quote for this item. (I've included another excellent quotation in the comments. The Iszic see themselves as part of a long line of house-breeders:
We are Iszic and house-breeding is in our blood, a basic instinct. The line of planters began two hundred thousand years ago when Diun, the primordial anthrophib, crawled out of the ocean. With salt-water still draining from his gills he took refuge in a pod. He is my ancestor. We have gained mastery over houses; we shall not dissipate this accumulated lore, or permit ourselves to be plundered.” Comment/Join this discussion ( 6 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This | Additional
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Science Fiction
Timeline
Brin's 1990 Novel Earth Still Full Of Predictions
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