THE ZOROMES (1931)
Art by Gray Morrow SOURCES:
"The Jameson
Satellite" (Amazing Stories, July 1931)
DESCRIPTION: “Within the interior of the space traveler, queer creatures of metal labored at the controls of the space flyer which juggernauted on its way towards the far-off solar luminary. Rapidly it crossed the orbits of Neptune and Uranus and headed sunward. The bodies of these queer creatures were square blocks of a metal closely resembling steel, while for appendages, the metal cube was upheld by four jointed legs capable of movement. A set of six tentacles, all metal, like the rest of the body, curved outward from the upper half of the cubic body. Surmounting it was a queer-shaped head rising to a peak in the center and equipped with a circle of eyes all the way around the head. The creatures, with their mechanical eyes equipped with metal shutters, could see in all directions. A single eye pointed directly upward, being situated in the space of the peaked head, resting in a slight depression of the cranium.” (“The Jameson Satellite” by Neil R. Jones)
NOTES: The Zoromes of Zor are deathless as long as they do not damage their brains. They replace or augment their metal bodies as required with new tentacles or flying wings. They do not eat or sleep. They do not need air either so they can walk in space unprotected. One requirement they do have is heat but are able to withstand temperatures far above and below humans. Zoromes communicate by telepathy though they can hear sounds. This allows them to talk with new species they encounter without having to learn their language. They can sometimes use their telepathy as a mild form of mind-control. The Zoromes of Zor are susceptible to the brain-control of the Emkls of Trulfk, becoming homicidal or suicidal under their control. Professor Jameson becomes one of the Zoromes by having his brain transferred into a metal body after death. He is very much the same as the People of Zor but has some differences such as his resistance to the Emkls and his unique outlook.
The Zoromes transfer professor Jameson's brain from his corpse into a metal body. HISTORY: One of the longest series in SF history, the tales of the Zoromes and Professor Jameson were an early favorite of authors like Isaac Asimov. Asimov wrote in Before the Golden Age: "It is from the Zoromes, beginning with their first appearance in 'The Jameson Satellite', that i got my own feeling for benevolent robots who could serve man with decency, as these had served Professor jameson. It was the Zoromes, then, who were the spiritual ancestors of my own 'positronic robots', all of them, from Robbie to R. Daneel." Personally i wish someone would contact the heirs to Neil Jones and arrange to publish the entire canon sinc ethe old Ace Books were by no means complete.
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