My Love/Hate Relationship With “The Cold Equations”
The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin is an influential and controversial SF story published 69 years ago. Fans are still divided over it. I’m torn by it.
Note: This article includes huge spoilers!
In August 1954, Tom Godwin published The Cold Equations in the influential Astounding Magazine (now published as Analog Science Fiction and Fact Magazine). The cover art for this issue was by the great Frank Kelly Freas, who also did the interior illustrations for the story. The editor was the influential John W. Campbell. But like The Cold Equations, he is controversial.
Is The Cold Equations a story about a girl dying in outer space because of a stupid act? (Didn’t I warn you about the spoilers?) Is it a misogynistic tale using a girl’s death as a plot element? Or one using her death to manipulate readers? Is it a warning about the dangers of outer space? Or a story with bad engineering and a poorly constructed plot?
Decide for yourself. You can read the whole story online in the July 2011 issue of Lightspeed Magazine. There is also an old time radio adaptation.
The Cold Equations has inspired essays, adaptations, and new stories. New stories include The Coldest Equations Yet by James D. Macdonald; The Cold Calculations by Aimee Ogden; and The Cold Crowdfunding…
