Course of Empire

In a future shaped by World Government, humanity has begun colonizing the planets—but preparation has been guided by guesswork, political pressure, and an alarming tendency to match each world with the nearest national stereotype. Roger Boynton, a former commissioner of colonies, recalls how Mars received a Bedouin and a thousand camels, Venus got an Englishman and a crate of raincoats, and Jupiter became an American project despite its extraordinary challenges.

As Earth races to establish outposts across the solar system, good intentions collide with poor information. Wild Martian camels refuse to cooperate, Venus turns out not to need rain gear, and an improvised interplanetary language struggles to bridge four very different civilizations. Through Boynton’s amused but uneasy recollections, this sharp, playful science-fiction tale examines bureaucracy, cultural assumptions, and the hazards of trying to manage the unknown with familiar solutions.