 The protagonist "invents" drawing and sculpture, only later realizing, from old books, that these things had existed in the past, and notes that all great artists had lived in especially violent times.In 2004, "Strange Horizons" described the story as "interesting enough", but "pallid".James Nicoll calls it "a fairly representative example of the alienated man", but commends the story for avoiding "Fans Are Slans"-style elitism.