Length21m
About this audiobook
"The Crawlers" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick. Submitted under the title "Foundling Home", it was first published as "The Crawlers" in Imagination magazine, July 1954.
The story starts out from the point of view of a crawler constructing one of its curious hives. The crawler seems sentient and to genuinely enjoy building its odd dwelling.
The story is set in a small Midwestern town, with references later in the story to mysterious "pools" which seem to cause mutations. Certain families in the area have begun to give birth to abnormal children – "crawlers" – with long, soft, pale, elongated bodies. They have poisonous stings (one crawler stung a dog, who promptly turned black and hard, and died soon after) and pulpy exteriors, and seem to emit a kind of glue that allows them to build. The crawlers seem to love building, and a colony of survivors, crawlers who were not killed by disgusted parents, have set up a hive not far from the town. A government official proposes a plan to move the crawlers to an island, where they can be alone, unpersecuted and with the ability to build as much as they like.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★ 3.5 (120)
Includes Goodreads
GenreScience Fiction
Length21 mins
Narrated byMark Bowen
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateJan 19, 2024
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Crawlers - Opening credits
2The Crawlers
3The Crawlers - Closing credits
The GunPhilip K. Dick37m$1 · $0.00
Human IsPhilip K. Dick33m$1 · $0.00
SouvenirPhilip K. Dick31m3.7 (128)$1 · $0.00
Survey TeamPhilip K. Dick32m3.8 (98)$1 · $0.00
Beyond Lies the WubPhilip K. Dick20m4.1 (14.1K)$1 · $0.00
The Greatest Science Fiction Works of Philip K. DickPhilip K. Dick29h 46m4.3 (25)$0.99 · $0.00
The Amazing Sci-Fi Tales of Philip K. Dick - 34 Titles in One EditionPhilip K. Dick29h 50m4.4 (16)$1.49 · $0.00
The Rule of the Machines: 5 Sci-Fi Titles in One EditionPhilip K. Dick6h 52m3.8 (22)$0.99 · $0.00
Mr. Spaceship (Unabridged)Philip K. Dick1h 12m3.7 (2.5K)$10 · $0.00
Second VarietyPhilip K. Dick1h 54m4.1 (5.7K)$10 · $0.00
The DefendersPhilip K. Dick59m3.8 (2.3K)$10 · $0.00
The Rule of the Machines: 5 Sci-Fi Titles in One Edition (Annotated)Philip K. Dick6h 58m3.8 (11)$2 · $0.00
When Machines Take Over (Annotated)Philip K. Dick7h$2 · $0.00
The Amazing Sci-Fi Tales of Philip K. Dick - 34 Titles in One Edition (Annotated)Philip K. Dick29h 51m$2 · $0.00
Time Traveler TalesPhilip K. Dick5h 42m4.1 (17)$1 · $0.00
The Amazing Sci-Fi Tales of Philip K. Dick - 34 Titles in One EditionPhilip K. Dick29h 29m4.3 (24)$1 · $0.00
The Variable Man, The Skull & Meddler - 3 Time Travel SF Classics in One EditionPhilip K. Dick4h 29m$2 · $0.00
The Golden ManPhilip K. Dick2h 45m3.8 (1.6K)$1 · $0.00
Philip K. Dick: SF Boxed SetPhilip K. Dick29h 38m4.5 (608)$1 · $0.00
Before the Coffee Gets Cold: A Toshikazu Kawaguchi Book SetToshikazu Kawaguchi18h 55m4.5 (1.4K)$40 · $0.00
PRIMAL 2055 - EscapeJack Silkstone6h 47m4.4 (232)Free
Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen (Annotated)H. Beam Piper8h 23m4.5 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
Philip K. Dick: SF Boxed SetPhilip K. Dick29h 38m4.5 (608)$1 · $0.00
Magician's EndRaymond E. Feist17h 5m4.4 (21.7K)$40 · $0.00
Good OmensNeil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett12h 14m4.4 (1M)$29 · $0.00
The Emperor's FistJay Allan8h 37m4.5 (272)$26 · $0.00
The DispossessedUrsula K. Le Guin13h 26m4.4 (189.3K)$33 · $0.00
1984George Orwell11h 31m4.3 (6.2M)$1.20 · $0.00
Lost ValleyWalt Browning7h 47m4.3 (5.4K)$20 · $0.00
AgincourtBernard Cornwell16h 18m4.3 (41.4K)$40 · $0.00
Frankenstein (The Uncensored 1818 Edition) (Annotated)Mary Shelley9h 9m4.3 (1.7M)$3 · $0.00
The World Wasn't Ready for YouJustin C. Key11h 34m4.4 (812)$5 · $0.00
Godzilla vs. KongGreg Keyes10h 32m4.3 (1.4K)$20 · $0.00
Alas, Babylon (Annotated)Pat Frank12h 20m4.3 (11.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
Day of WrathWilliam R. Forstchen4h 36m4.3 (1.9K)$14 · $0.00
AbandonedJules Verne7h 42m4.3 (1.1K)$2.30 · $0.00
StargodsIan Douglas12h 15m4.4 (732)$5 · $0.00
Two Plays for VoicesNeil Gaiman2h 4m4.3 (1K)$16 · $0.00
March UpcountryDavid Weber, John Ringo17h 17m4.2 (17.1K)$28 · $0.00
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