Half Past Human by T. J. Bass
"Half Past Human" is a science fiction novel by J. Bass that explores a dystopian future where humanity is subjugated under a controlling regime known as the Big Earth Society (Big ES), often referred to as the Hive. In this world, the descendants of humanity, called Nebishes, are physically weakened and forced to live in underground cities, away from the sun. The narrative follows a group of genetically closer humans who rise against the Big ES, seeking freedom and survival.
The plot centers on characters like Moon and his dog Dan, who discover a small robot named Toothpick in the mountains and later join a group of outcasts known as the buckeyes. Meanwhile, a Nebish mechanic named Tinker faces a personal crisis when his unauthorized child is condemned to death by the Hive, leading him and his partner Mu Ren to escape. As the buckeyes unite and form an army to fight back, their struggle culminates in a confrontation with the Hive's enforcers, the Hunters.
The climax involves a meteor shower sent by a mysterious entity, Olga, which facilitates the escape of the buckeyes to a new world where they can rebuild their lives. The companion novel, "The Godwhale," further delves into themes of rebellion and survival, chronicling characters who navigate the oppressive structures of the Big ES and ultimately confront its control over society. Through its narrative, "Half Past Human" raises questions about identity, resistance, and the potential for renewal in the face of systemic oppression.
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Half Past Human
First published:Half Past Human (1971; brief extracts published as “Half Past Human” in Galaxy, 1969, and “G. I. T. A. R.” in If, 1970) and The Godwhale (1974; brief extract published as “Rorqual Maru” in Galaxy, 1972)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Science fiction—future history
Time of work: 2349 and an unspecified amount of time before and after that date
Locale: The Hive, various locations on Earth, and a new world
The Plot
T. J. Bass’s Half Past Human and The Godwhale tell the story of humanitys struggle to survive in a world controlled by the regimented Big Earth Society, known as the Big ES or the Hive. The citizens of the Big ES are the weak descendants of humanity, known as Nebishes. Most of these beings cannot stand exposure to the sun and must live in underground cities. In both novels, a group of people who are genetically closer to humanity than the Nebishes rebel against the structured society of the Big ES. The rebels engage in a desperate struggle for survival and eventually succeed in gaining their independence. Half Past Human concludes with the humans who have rebelled being transported to a new world on a ship controlled by a computer known as Olga. In The Godwhale, the rebels succeed in taking control of the ocean and force the Hive to negotiate with them in order to ensure its continued survival.
Half Past Human begins with the discovery of Toothpick, a small robot known as a cyber, by Moon and Dan, an ancient man and dog, in the mountains. Moon agrees to take Toothpick with him when the cyber promises that it will help him and Dan find new teeth. Moon, Dan, and Toothpick eventually take shelter with a group of human outcasts, known as buckeyes, in the mountain village of Mount Tabulum.
Meanwhile, in the Hive, a Nebish who is a mechanical expert, Tinker, receives an order from the Big ES that he should mate. He meets a woman named Mu Ren, and they eventually have a child. Their son is declared to be an unauthorized child because of a prior miscarriage. Because the child is unauthorized, the Big ES eventually will put him to death. The threat to their child causes Tinker and Mu Ren to flee the Hive and take their chances in the hostile environment of the surface. Tinker and his family also find shelter in Mount Tabulum.
The Big ES begins a concentrated effort to eliminate the buckeyes and hunt down those who escaped the Hive. During the attempts to kill the buckeyes, one of the Nebishes, Moses Eppendorff, rebels against the Big ES and joins the buckeyes. The buckeyes eventually flee south in an effort to escape the reach of the Big ES. They hope to find salvation at the hands of a mysterious deity known as Olga. As the buckeyes travel south, they gain more members and eventually form an army. In response to this armed force, the Big ES gathers together an immense number of Hunters, Nebishes who go outside and kill buckeyes, to permanently eliminate those who rebel against it.
The buckeyes engage in a war that appears to be turning to the advantage of the Big ES until a meteor shower rains down on Earth. The meteors are actually sent by Olga in order to give it an opportunity to retrieve the buckeyes and other humans from Earth. Olga transports Moon, Dan, Mu Ren, Moses Eppendorff, and the other humans to a new world where they can start a new civilization and enjoy lives of freedom instead of regimentation. Olga also leaves a wandering robot, known as Gitar, to gather more Nebishes who possess human genes, in preparation for its return visit.
The story of The Godwhale starts before the events of Half Past Human with the account of an accident that cuts Larry Dever, a fully human male, in half. Rather than enduring life attached to a mannequin, a cyber that would act as his legs, Larry decides to be frozen until his lower half can be replaced. He wakes many years in the future and is given the opportunity to have his mind transferred to the body of a man who has been grown from his genes. He refuses to allow this to happen because he considers this man to be his son. He is frozen again rather than joining his descendants in their journey into space.
Larry wakes again in the time when the Big ES controls every aspect of society. He is rescued from death by Big Har, an unauthorized child who grew up in the sewers of the Hive with other unwanted citizens. They eventually escape from the Hive and make their way to an underwater civilization, known as the Benthics, who have fled from the Big Earth Society. They both fit into this new society, along with a cyber, known as Trilobite, who serves Rorqual Maru, an immense harvesting robot shaped like a whale. After centuries of inactivity, the whale wakes and falls into the service of the Hive. It breaks free along with its captain, ARNOLD, a genetically engineered human designed to serve the Hive. They eventually ally themselves with the Benthics against the Hive.
The Hive makes several attempts to destroy Rorqual Maru and the Benthics but ultimately fails. The Hive is forced to negotiate with the Benthics after the latter gain mastery over the oceans and devastate the Hive’s central mind. At the novels conclusion, Rorqual Maru undertakes the mission of helping humanity repopulate the Earth.