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Strange Data Main Menu"The Man from the Atom""Ox-Cart""Rhythm""The Golden Elixir""Boomerang""Situation Thirty""Escape Felicity"CreditsJonathan Ewell and Anna Culbertson
Roger MacBride Allen, although most widely recognized for his Star Wars novels, offers in “Side Effect” an example of pharmaceutical science fiction with a wry comic twist. Published in the March 1990 issue of Analog, “Side Effect” is a story about a proposed miracle drug called Trimalicine-3. News of this cure-all has just been leaked and now everyone is anticipating its release, especially the stockholders and board of directors of the pharmaceutical company that developed it, who are eager to make billions of dollars. The story follows a conversation between the narrator, a company representative, and two researchers who reveal, unfortunately, that the drug is unviable for reasons revealed by story’s end.
Allen’s story shows elements typical of hard science fiction. Its concise plot focuses mainly on the scientific testing of Trimalicine-3. The researchers explain in detail their process of experimentation and the specific findings that doom this miracle drug. And yet, while Allen’s storytelling is science-driven and realistic, once the dooming side effect is finally revealed, it comes across with surprising comic vigor. In other words, the side effect is also a punch-line! The narrative also proves to be a rich source of critical interest, though, for its critique of the medical and pharmaceutical industries. The narrative clearly juxtaposes the ethics and morality of the researchers with the corporate greed of the industry, while commenting satirically, too, on the hopes and fears surrounding pharmaceutical research.
