The Metal Man

Jack Williamson
“The Metal Man”, first published in 1928 in the magazine Amazing Stories, is a science
fiction story that concerns with the impact of technology and possibility of other life forms in
the universe. It portrays the effects of Science and technology in natural surrounding and the
human beings. It primarily focuses on the impact of radium and antigravity that changes
everything including humans, birds and animals into metal. In this horror story, Thomas Kelvin,
Professor of Geology Department, has been turned into a metal man at the end.

The Metal Man begins as a narration of the metal man by Russell, the best friend of the title
character. The story, is based on the manuscript left for Russel by the narrator geologist
Thomas Kelvin. For some years, he had been spending his summer vacations along the Pacific
Coast of Mexico prospecting for radium, radioactive chemical element. Even spending three
months in his last expedition, he did not come to Tyburn. Instead, he sold radium to institutions
employing radium treatment, and uses the fund to establish scholarship and endowment in an
expectation of his own death.
In one cold storm day, Russel noticed a small sailing schooner with five men mooring to the
shore nearby two hundred yard from his house, seaside cottage. Captain Mc Andrews met
Russel with a chest (coffin) carried by his crew, and told him that he had been instructed to
submit chest to him with payment some 3 days ago. To his surprise, in a chest Russel found the
metal man, his geologist friend, and a sheaf of manuscript under the body. Through this
manuscript, which Russell reads to us, the narration shifts to Professor Kelvin, and we discover
the fantastically frightening account of how a brilliant man turns to metal.
According to Kelvin, while prospecting for radium during his vacation along the Pacific coast of
Mexico, he discovered that the water of El Rio de la Sangre (The River of Blood) is highly
radioactive. The water there has the power to absorb radium emanations and emit them in
return. Initially he hired an Indian guide, and commenced his journey in mule to the steep cliff.
However, after purchasing a light weight plane, he flies over the mountain peaks, and discovers
a pool of green fire in middle of a large crater in his trial fight. He knew that it was a pool of
heavy gas looking like a lake. In an attempt to find radium, he circled the place, and became
strange with its peculiar grace.

To his surprise, he noticed a great metallic machine rising up from the green lake. It was almost
dark there. When the machine was in his level—when he consciously looking at the machine—
he got connected with it without any physical discomfort. The blue radiance of the machine
made his body feel heavier. At the moment, he felt dizzy and lost control over himself. When he
was recovered, he found himself almost upon the green because the machine was pulled
downward resulted by heavy gravitation. Finally, he plunged into the green pool.
Surprisingly, he faced no breathing difficulties there. After landing safely and slight observation
around, he could not resume his flight again. There was less gravity, and he lost in the strange
world. The absent of life, sound and motion in such strange world made him helplessly fearful.
The first thing that kicked him was a metal bird—an eagle formed with metal. The more he
acknowledged the transmutation elements of Science (how the radium was made), the more he
frightened for his own safety “Might I be changed into metal?”. He also noticed many metal
things there such as, a pterosant—a flying reptile.

He sensed terror and fright with fatigue when he perceived how his finger nails tip and hair had
already turned into light green metal. In desperation, he ran way not knowing where to go. He
indeed did not notice the passage of time when he came upon a bank of violet vegetation.
About a score of yards, he saw a sluggish red stream—EI Rio de la Sangre. There he found the
tips of metal in the finger nail had doubled in width. Before it is too late, he wanted to escape
the fearful action of the radioactive minerals. To his surprise, the purple berries, which he
tasted to kill his hunger, produced compounds counteracting the metal-forming emanations.
There he discovered a means of his safety; he even filled his canteen with its juice for it
neutralizes the radium burns.

After eating berries, he set off down-stream towards the west. However, again he lost in the
green gloom about two and half miles away. He again walked off north around the rim from
there. Encountering many metallic body such as of bear and birds, he continued his journey.
Afterwards, he came upon a slender cylinder of black metal that towered a hundred feet into
the greenish mist had a great mush-room shaped orange flame on its top. It looked light a great
jet of explosive gas. Its orange flame suddenly gone in the mist, and started to hunt him. When
the mist-veiled point of light came his overhead and descended to him, he saw its form—a
glittering blazing crystal (six-sided). It was alive with light.

Although this alien crystal light is devoid of feeling, it had intelligence. Profession Kelvin fired it
three times with his automatic. The bullets did not harm it; however its fire reached out over
his body. His weight grew less, and the object lifted him up. His body was floated free in the top
of one of the black cylinders. His gun shot and the recoil of each explosion drifted him towards
the edge. When he shot out in the green, his gravity had been restored. He fell down slowly and
struck the ground right before his aircraft. This time the gravitational wave of the green did not
pull his aircraft down. As a result, he could safely landed at Vaca Morena.
When the radium hunting was over, he sold his aircraft to a rancher and asked him to reserve a
seat for him on the next streamer for three days. Even in the inn, he noticed the good amount
of red sand in his shoes and pockets. This red sand contains a radium compound that worth
millions of dollars. Yet he could not stop turning himself into metal due to impact of radium
[Link] juice of berries which could eradicate the rim of metal was [Link] canteen where
he had filled that juice was empty.
The manuscript ends there, and the readers can see the metal man in Tyburn Museum.