Something had gone wrong.
White based 'The Conspirators' upon A. Bertram Chandler's 'Giant Killer' (Astounding, October 1945), about mutated rats attempting to take over a generation starship. He was no mere copycat, however, despite the presence of Felix (the ship's feline Mascot). For some unexplained/inexplicable reason, all Shipboard animals have not only become super-intelligent but conveniently telepathic. Felix "felt awed as he thought of Whitey in Bio-lab Three . . . surrounded by Big Ones, and the Small Ones who weren't on relay duties, and all of them working on Escape." (Whitey is a laboratory mouse endowed with leadership skills.) It reads a bit like Animal (Hydroponics) Farm, but the conclusion is light-years removed from both Orwellian cynicism and Campbell's increasingly hawkish Astounding
In magazines
| Title | Published as | Language | Editor | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New Worlds 24, June 1954 | English | John Carnell | June 1954 | |
|
Fiction 213, September 1971 | Les conspirateurs | French | Alain Dorémieux | September 1971 |
In anthologies
In James White's books
| Title | Type | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Aliens Among Us | Collection | 1969 |
NEW WORLDS No 24, June 1954
Publication History: S-F ADVENTURES IN MUTATION, Ed Groff Conklin, Vanguard, New York, January 1956 MIND TO MIND, Ed Robert Silverberg, Thomas Nelson, New York, 1971 SUPERNATURAL CATS, Ed Claire Necker, Doubleday, March 1973 STRANGE UNIVERSE, Blackie, 1975 MIND TO MIND, Ed Robert Silverberg, paperback, February 1974
Foreign Publication: .FICTION No 213, September 1971 as Les Conspirateurs HISTOIRES DE CREATURES, Livre des Poche, No 3787, 1984
ISFDB title record (CC BY 4.0).