Despite the name, the genre of science fiction doesn't always deal that much with the lives of scientists or the culture of science. Fair Game, however, has almost all of its characters as scientists. Interestingly, they aren't portrayed with the hopeful or even self-congratulatory style one might expect of a semi-insider. The characters' portrayals range from neutral (the biologist) to negative (the protagonist and the psychologist), both of whom are depicted as somewhat arrogant.
To some extent, in this way the story reminds me a bit of some of Lovecraft's stuff: the antagonists are both incomprehensibly powerful and just plain incomprehensible (well, almost). Like in Lovecraft's works, one gets the sense that the story is scorning or pitying these characters for the egotistical idea that they can "figure out" the godly cosmic forces at work. The obvious retort to this is that the aliens in question have pretty simple motivations - capturing humans for fun and food - but the fact remains that their existence is bizarre and beyond full human comprehension. Also, like in pretty much any of Lovecraft's short stories, dealing with these semi-paranormal forces drives the protagonist into paranoia and despair, forcing him to question the nature of his reality. I am curious if Dick held Lovecraft as a conscious influence, or if they just happened to hit on similar themes.
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