Plot

Willis Davidge, a human

Human

Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...

 fighter pilot, is stranded along with Jeriba Shigan, a Drac, on a hostile planet

Planet

A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...

. The Drac are a race of aliens

Extraterrestrial life in popular culture

In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...

 which are reptilian in appearance and reproduce asexually

Asexual reproduction

Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single parent, and inherit the genes of that parent only, it is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which is reproduction without...

. Davidge and Jeriba Shigan, whom Davidge nicknames "Jerry," initially attempt to kill one another but quickly realize that cooperation will be the key to their survival.

Publication history

It first appeared in the September 1979

1979 in literature

The year 1979 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*V.C...

 issue of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine

Asimov's Science Fiction

Asimov's Science Fiction is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy and perpetuates the name of author and biochemist Isaac Asimov...

. Later, it was collected by Longyear in the 1980 book Manifest Destiny. A longer, novel form was published, based on the film. It also appears in The Enemy Papers

The Enemy Papers

The Enemy Papers is a short story collection by Barry B. Longyear containing the novella "Enemy Mine," later made into a feature-length film of the same name, along with two sequels: "The Last Enemy" and "The Tomorrow Testament." The volume also contains excerpts from the Drac holy book, a...

(Longyear anthology) in 1998. That version was labeled as "The Author's cut" and was significantly revised.

Awards and nominations

In 1980

1980 in literature

The year 1980 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Marguerite Yourcenar becomes the first woman to be elected to the Académie française....

 it won the 1980 Hugo Award for Best Novella

Hugo Award for Best Novella

The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...

 and the 1979 Nebula Award for Best Novella

Nebula Award for Best Novella

Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novella. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year.-Winners and other nominees:-External links:**...

.

Adaptations

In 1985

1985 in film

-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...

 it was produced as a science fiction film

Enemy Mine (film)

Enemy Mine is a 1985 science fiction film based on the story of the same title by Barry B. Longyear. It was produced by 20th Century Fox, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, and starred Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr...

 by Twentieth Century Fox.

See also

• None But the Brave
  None But the Brave
  None But the Brave, also known as in Japan, is a 1965 war film starring Frank Sinatra, Clint Walker, Tatsuya Mihashi, Tommy Sands and Brad Dexter. This is the only film directed by Frank Sinatra, and the first Japanese-American co-production, produced by Sinatra for Warner Bros...
  
  (1965) and Hell in the Pacific
  Hell in the Pacific
  Hell in the Pacific is a 1968 World War II film starring Lee Marvin and Toshirō Mifune, the only two actors in the entire film. It was directed by John Boorman....
  
  (1968) two earlier films with a similar premise

• In 1980, "The Return of Starbuck," an episode of Galactica 1980
  Galactica 1980
  Galactica 1980 is a science fiction television series, and a spin-off from the 1978–1979 series Battlestar Galactica. It was first broadcast on the ABC network in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980.-Development:...
  
  , the short-lived spin-off of the original Battlestar Galactica
  Battlestar Galactica
  Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
  
  TV series also has a similar premise.

External links