Ships are crewed by "habermans", convicted criminals who have undergone a surgical procedure to sever almost all sensory nerves, rendering them unable to hear, smell or feel, although they can still see.

A haberman monitors and controls his bodily functions via a box of electronic instruments implanted in his chest, and communicates by writing on a tablet.

The failed murder plot is covered up by explaining that Parizianski died because he neglected to monitor his bodily functions due to his joy in learning of Stone's work.

Fantasy Book was a low circulation obscure semi-professional magazine, but it was noticed by science fiction writer and editor Frederik Pohl.

Even then, the true identity of "Cordwainer Smith" remained a mystery and a topic of speculation for science fiction writers and fans.

[3] John Clute, writing in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, judged the story to be "one of his [Smith's] finest works" which initially remained unpublished "perhaps because its foreboding intensity made the editors of the time uneasy".

Regarding the Scanners, Clute described the "functional loss of the sensory region of their brains" as having "an effect on their behaviour that resembles severe autism".

[4] Robert Silverberg called it "one of the classic stories of science fiction" and noted its "sheer originality of concept" and its "deceptive and eerie simplicity of narrative".