Subjectivity

"Subjectivity" by Norman Spinrad is a science fiction novella written in the early 1960s. The story explores the psychological consequences of a long-duration spaceflight and the desperate measures taken by a unified Solar Government to ensure humanity's venture to the stars. The narrative revolves around a group of ten uniquely flawed individuals who are tasked with crew duties aboard a spaceship designed for interstellar travel, specifically experimenting with a powerful hallucinogenic drug to cope with the psychological strains of the journey. As the crew of starship Number Thirteen embarks on their sixteen-year mission to Centaurus, they ingest the hallucinogenic substance called Omnidrene, which becomes a crutch that fuels both their creativity and descent into madness. The crew's shared hallucinations begin to evolve, leading to a breakdown of control as their imagined creatures manifest in increasingly alarming forms. While they initially enjoy a beautiful garden within the spaceship's confines, the line between reality and fantasy blurs as their creations spiral out of control, culminating in a chaotic confrontation with their own minds. Ultimately, the crew miraculously returns to Earth not in traditional form but accompanied by the monstrous manifestations of their collective consciousness, leaving behind a profound commentary on the nature of reality and human psyche in the face of isolation. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Information on this author is scarce, but their work continues to inspire readers.