Friends and Enemies by Fritz Leiber
In "Friends and Enemies" by Fritz Leiber, physicist Ellenby and poet Madson are marched out of the town of Ozona in 1993 by its fat, gun-toting board of regents, who expel Ellenby for having once been a nuclear physicist and Madson for writing free-love-tinged fiction and encouraging Councilman Classen's daughter, Vera-Ellen, in her "poetic ability." As the two men trudge the hot road toward New Angeles, they bicker over Art versus Science: Madson praises dew and grass while Ellenby quotes catenaries and pulls out a spectroscope to study sun spectra, admitting he has never seen an atomic bomb's spectrum since the data was never declassified. Madson turns out to be the author of anti-science works "Enemies of Science" and "Murderers of Imagination"; Ellenby reveals he once wrote an anti-Santa-Claus piece and an unpublished anti-poetry essay, but has since come to like Keats — partly because Vera-Ellen read him passages from Madson's borrowed volume during math tutoring, hinting at an attachment between the older physicist and the girl. Cutting across a wheat field to shorten their trip, they're strafed by a crop-dusting helicopter spraying fungicide/nerve-gas-family chemical TTTR, and must strip and scrub off in an irrigation ditch. There, half-naked, Ellenby lectures Madson on soap-bubble physics (interference colors, the black film just before bursting) as a lesson in "observing Nature accurately." Vera-Ellen appears on the bridge above, having left Ozona for New Angeles to find city work, and joins them. They walk on and encounter a broken-down antique jet car (a Lunar '69) belonging to faded 3D-star Rickie Vickson, traveling with her drunk chauffeur George and her pet Widgie (a flying-fox-like creature). Rickie shares food and drink, tells Vera-Ellen she might find work in "handies" (broadcast entertainment), and explains she's fleeing what she believes is a coming attack — she says Russia has ignited the "Hot Truce" and the bombs will fall on Old Angeles rather than New. As George tries to speed off, armed men appear: Councilman Classen's men had blocked the road, then a gang led by the squat, ruthless Harvey (tipped off by the copter farmer) surrounds the group, robbing Madson of his Keats volume and Ellenby of his spectroscope, mocking science and books, and threatening to destroy them out of contempt for both. Madson impulsively objects, provoking Harvey to threaten harsher violence. At that moment a massive tremor strikes — initially mistaken by Madson for the bombs he's long warned about. Vera-Ellen (who had knocked George unconscious for trying to betray them to her father) drives the Lunar '69 through the chaos to rescue Ellenby and Madson as the ground splits, swallowing Harvey along with the confiscated book and spectroscope. Ellenby realizes it was an earthquake on the San Andreas Rift, not Technology or bombs, prompting a renewed Art-vs-Nature argument between the two men, now good-natured. Rickie explains Vera-Ellen had turned the car back only after her father's roadblock forced them off course, with rescuing the men an afterthought. Riding together toward New Angeles, Ellenby settles comfortably, exchanges a knowing look with Madson about continuing "all our argument" later, and the group heads toward the city as Rickie realizes Old Angeles may not be more radioactive than usual and Vera-Ellen cheers their arrival.
By Fritz Leiber · First published 1977 · Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Satire · 7,848 words
First lines
_In a world blasted by super-bombs and run by super-thugs, Art vs. Science can be a deadly debate! _
The sun hadn't quite risen, but now that the five men were out from under the trees it already felt hot. Far ahead, off to the left of the road, the spires of New Angeles gleamed dusky blue against the departing night. The two unarmed men gazed back wistfully at the little town, dark and asleep under its moist leafy umbrellas. The one who was thin and had hair flecked with gray looked all intellect; the other, young and with a curly mop, looked all feeling.
What this Textopian page supports
Friends and Enemies is listed on Textopian as a novel by Fritz Leiber, dated 1977 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Fritz Leiber
- Date: 1977 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Satire, Adventure, Political Fiction
- Length: 7,848 words
- Structure: 1 section, 203 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Friends and Enemies by Fritz Leiber
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Friends and Enemies?
- How does this novel by Fritz Leiber fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
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Genres
- Science Fiction — The narrative is set in a post-apocalyptic world with advanced technology and societal collapse, typical elements of science fiction.
- Dystopian — The story features a society controlled by oppressive forces, with themes of censorship and anti-intellectualism, common in dystopian literature.
- Satire — The work critiques societal norms and the conflict between art and science, using humor and exaggeration.
- Adventure — The plot involves a journey and encounters with various dangers, fitting the adventure genre.
Tags
friendship · betrayal · conflict · fantasy · adventure · sci-fi · relationships · loyalty · trust · deception · power · morality