Original illustration

SOURCE: "Arena" by Fredric Brown (Astounding Science Fiction, June 1944)

DESCRIPTION:"It seemed to have no legs or arms that he could see, no features. It rolled across the sand with the fluid quickness of a drop of mercury. And before it, in some manner he could not understand, came a wave of nauseating hatred.It seemed to be studying him although, for the life of him, Carson couldn't find external evidence of sense organs on the thing. Nothing that looked like eyes or ears, or even a mouth. There was though, he observed, a series of grooves, perhaps a dozen of them altogether, and he saw two tentacles push out from two of the grooves and dip into the sand as though testing its consistency. These were about an inch in diameter and perhaps a foot and a half long...The tentacles were retractable into the grooves and were kept there except when in use. They retracted when the thing rolled and seemed to have nothing to do with its method of locomotion; that, as far as Carson could judge, seemed to be accomplished by some shifting —just how he couldn't imagine —of its centre of gravity.He shuddered as he looked at the thing. It was alien, horribly different from anything on Earth or any of the life forms found on the other solar planets. Instinctively, he knew its mind was as alien as its body." ("Arena" by Fredric Brown)

NOTES: The roller is a foe that no Earthman can ever parlay with it. It wants nothinbg more than unstoppable destruction.

HISTORY: This story was adapted into one of my favorite Star Trek episodes. The roller became the Gorn in that story, taking on more strength than Captain Kirk. Kirk had to use his intellect rather than muscles to defeat it. The story was also adapted in a Marvel's Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction.