Petting Zoo

Publication(s)

• First publication
  • Dinosaur Fantastic II, 1997
• Wolfe collection(s)
  • Starwater Strains (2005)
  • The Best of Gene Wolfe (2009)
• Other anthologies
  • Return of the Dinosaurs, 1997
  • Year's Best SF 3, 1998

Wolfe's comments from the Introduction to Starwater Strains

"Petting Zoo is a favorite story of David Hartwell's, the master editor who edited this book and most of my others. Do you like dinosaurs? I loved them when I was a kid, and I've noticed that Hobbes' buddy Calvin loves them at least as much. Perhaps David feels the same way."

Summary

An man visits a talking purple dinosaur at the zoo, one he created as a boy. The man has been "reeducated" and the dinosaur tamed to give children rides around the zoo.

Analysis

• The final exchange: "Your kind used to rule the Earth." ... "Yeah," he mumbled, "You too." This indicates humans no longer rule the Earth either; robots do.
• The purple dinosaur is a reference to Barney.
• Some of the incidents with Roderick and Rex seem to refer to Danny and the Dinosaur, a popular children's book.
• Roderick is from Old German and means "famous power." Rex is from Latin and means "king."

Unresolved Questions

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