Review of THE UNIVERSE MAKER — Or, That Same old Gnostic Hogwash Yet Again

The Universe Maker (aka the Shadow Men) by A.E. van Vogt (1953)

If you are a fan, as I am, of the disorienting and absurdly mind-expanding wonder-stories of A.E. van Vogt, then rereading this relatively obscure novelette from the middle of his career with either come as a nostalgic pleasure, or as something of a disappointment. For me, it was both.

The plot (to the degree that any van Vogt yarn can be said to have a plot) is this: Morton Cargill, a Korean War soldier on leave, picks...