# What's this Sci-Fi short story?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-sci-fi-short-story/701655>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 18, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-sci-fi-short-story/701655 "2014-10-18T03:48:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-sci-fi-short-story/701655/1 "2014-10-18T03:48:46Z")

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When the Earth is invaded by aliens, they are swiftly defeated by humans, because the invaders’ weapons are no more technological than gun powder, their communications are limited to shouting orders to one another, and their armor is iron plate. In other words, the level of the invaders’ technology did not seem to match their ability to travel to distant star systems.

It turns out that the secret of FTL was so simple that it was typically discovered about the same time as the invention of black powder. This technique was somehow never discovered by humans. Being stuck on Earth, humans continued to develop new technologies to conquer each other in a never-ending arms race that no alien species ever needed to do, because easy access to space travel did not require them to.

What is this story?

Thanks in advance!

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-sci-fi-short-story/701655/2 "2014-10-18T04:48:02Z")

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“The Road Not Taken” by Harry Turtledove

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**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-sci-fi-short-story/701655/3 "2014-10-18T08:59:29Z")

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There is a sequel where, after we have the FTL drive and we’re technolically superior to all the other races. we run into another race who did not get it and is technologically superior to us. What is that short story please?

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**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-sci-fi-short-story/701655/4 "2014-10-18T09:05:08Z")

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Turtledove’s _Herbig-Haro_.

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**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-sci-fi-short-story/701655/5 "2014-10-18T12:06:06Z")

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See, a thread like this is why I love the Dope. I’ve read tons of sci-fi, and Turtledove in particular, but never run into these stories. It give me something to look forward to.