Flash Crowd (#59)


DateSettingTypePublished
1973-09Flash Crowd/Teleportation Short StoryThree Trips in Time and Space, anthology, edited by Robert Silverberg (cloth and paper, Dell)


ReprintsCharactersNotes
Baker's Dozen: 13 Short Science Fiction Novels, ed. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Charles G. Waugh, Bonanza 1985;
The Mammoth Book of Short Science Fiction Novels, ed. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg, Charles G. Waugh;
Flight of the Horse, The
Best of Larry Niven, The
 Barry Jerome "Jerryberry" Jansen;
George Bailey;
Janice Wolfe;
Robin Whyte		 This story introduced "flash crowds," instant mobs that are a by-product of cheap, worldwide teleportation technology. Niven wrote several sequels to this story, further addressing the various issues posed by instantaneous travel (and suggesting interesting solutions).
Jansen is spelled "Jensen" in the Flight of the Horse printing.
This story was recently expanded and re-published as Red Tide


Summary
When instantaneous communication collides with instantaneous travel, society is forced to cope with a whole new set of issues. A scuffle at a shopping mall is reported nationwide by a roving "newstaper," and curious onlookers begin appearing on the scene via their brand-new teleportation booths, turning a minor fracas into a major riot.