# Can anyone identify this sci-fi short story?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-sci-fi-short-story/372793
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 15, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-sci-fi-short-story/372793 "2006-09-15T03:00:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-sci-fi-short-story/372793/1 "2006-09-15T03:00:49Z")

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It was set in Alaska I think, or perhaps north-west Canada. It involved several hunters who stumbled into a “lost” valley where they discovered preserved specimens of all sorts of animals, ranging from current species right back to prehistoric animals. Apparently an alien life force had landed a probe in the valley thousands of years earlier. The probe had been programmed to collect and preserve a specimen of each species. It had been operating efficiently ever since. The rest of the story details the hunters’ attempts to outwit/outrun the probe and avoid becoming preserved specimens themselves.

It’s a long time since I read the story. Nearly 30 years.

Any thoughts?

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### Author: ![Ijit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/47e85d/32.png) [@Ijit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ijit)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2006, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-sci-fi-short-story/372793/2 "2006-09-15T11:55:19Z")

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The Ruum  
by Arthur Porges

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### Author: ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2006, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-sci-fi-short-story/372793/3 "2006-09-15T14:00:58Z")

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I remember this one - there’s a twist in the tail All the running away drops the hunter below the set sample size, IIRC, but it’s only 1 hunter, isn’t there?

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### Author: ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2006, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-identify-this-sci-fi-short-story/372793/4 "2006-09-17T07:59:13Z")

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> [@Ijit](#):
>
> The Ruum  
> by Arthur Porges

Thanks for that **Ijit**

> [@MrDibble](#):
>
> but it’s only 1 hunter, isn’t there?

Oh probably. It’s years since I read it.