The Cold Equations

The author of “The Cold Equations”, Tom Godwin was an American science fiction writer who was most prolific from 1950 to 1970. In his career, Godwin published three novels and around 30 short stories. Published in 1954, “The Cold Equations” was by far his most renowned work. In his Afterword to the Kindle edition, The Cold Equations and Other Stories, compiled and edited by Eric Flint, David Drake argues that Godwin’s other work is not “similar to ‘The Cold Equations’ in tone, nor is any of it even remotely comparable to ‘The Cold Equations’ in impact” (Location 9024).

Ever since its publication, “The Cold Equations” has been steeped in controversy, first of all, in relation to the originality of Godwin’s endeavor. Drake, along with many other science fiction fans, point out that Godwin’s story’s plot was adapted from “A Weighty Decision” by Al Feldstein, a story in the May-June 1952 issue of the Weird Science comic. In the earlier work, the jettisoned girl is not a sister in search of her brother but the pilot’s fiancée, who comes aboard to surprise him. In contrast to the Weird Science story, Godwin’s adaptation originally had a happy ending, as the girl was able to be saved.