Tronka (novel)

Tronka is a science fiction novel written by Robert Sheckley, first published in 1977. The story revolves around the protagonist, Earl Drum, an Earthman who works for the AAA Ace Interplanetary Decontamination Company. Drum's job is to rid planets of unwanted or dangerous flora and fauna to make them habitable for human colonists.

The core narrative follows Drum as he is dispatched to the planet Krone, where he is tasked with exterminating a seemingly harmless and docile creature called a Tronka. These Tronkas are large, slow-moving, and appear to be quite unintelligent. However, Drum soon discovers that the Tronkas possess a remarkable, reality-altering power. They can unconsciously reshape their environment and even create things from nothing.

As Drum spends more time on Krone, he struggles to reconcile his mission with his growing understanding of the Tronkas and their connection to the planet. He begins to question the ethics of his job and the justifications for human colonization. The novel explores themes of environmentalism, sentience, the impact of humanity on alien ecosystems, and the subjective nature of reality. It also incorporates Sheckley's characteristic blend of humor and satire, often lampooning bureaucratic inefficiency and the human tendency towards destructive behaviors. The narrative incorporates surreal and often bizarre elements as Drum grapples with the Tronkas' reality-warping abilities, blurring the line between what is real and what is a product of their influence. The novel culminates in Drum making a moral decision that challenges the assumptions upon which his work and the colonisation effort are based.