The Fifth-Dimension Tube

by Murray Leinster

Settle in for a rollicking science-fiction adventure from golden-era star Murray Leinster. In The Fifth-Dimension Tube, a prominent scientist and his beloved daughter have become stranded in another dimension. In order to survive, they must cast their lot with rogue mathematician Tommy Reeves. To succeed in this life-or-death endeavor, Reeves has to overcome not only his own gadabout ways, but also the thugs who are pursuing him.

Genres: Science Fiction, Adventure

86 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

see also:
Will F. Jenkins
William Fitzgerald Jenkins

Murray Leinster was a nom de plume of William Fitzgerald Jenkins, an award-winning American writer of science fiction and alternate history. He wrote and published over 1,500 short stories and articles, 14 movie scripts, and hundreds of radio scripts and television plays.

An author whose career spanned the first six decades of the 20th Century. From mystery and adventure stories in the earliest years to science fiction in his later years, he worked steadily and at a highly professional level of craftsmanship longer than most writers of his generation. He won a Hugo Award in 1956 for his novelet “Exploration Team,” and in 1995 the Sidewise Award for Alternate History took its name from his classic story, “Sidewise in Time.” His last original work appeared in 1967.

Reviews

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 2 out of 5]

ENGLISH: This short novel, published in 1933, is a typical science-fiction pulp magazine story, written by Leinster as second part of a series. The story is just a pastiche of Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars novels, with a group of Earth people (two at first, then four, plus a few gangsters) who go to a strange planet, where they find mad savages in the jungle, civilized warring cities surrounded by jungle but provided with aircraft, and at the end the protagonist ends up as warlord of the planet (well, his title is different, but that is what it means). There is one big problem, however: Evelyn, the girl in the story cannot resist a comparison with Dejah Thoris!

ESPAÑOL: Esta novela corta, publicada en 1933, es típica de las revistas de ciencia-ficción de baja estofa y fue escrita por Leinster como segunda parte de una serie. Es un pastiche de las novelas marcianas de Edgar Rice Burroughs, con un grupo de terrestres (dos al principio, luego cuatro, más algunos gangsters) que llegan a un planeta extraño, donde encuentran salvajes locos en la selva, ciudades civilizadas en guerra rodeadas por la jungla, pero provistas de aviones, y al final el protagonista es nombrado caudillo del planeta (bueno, su título es diferente, pero eso es lo que significa). Sin embargo, la novela tiene un gran defecto: Evelyn, la chica, no puede compararse con Dejah Thoris.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very early kind of lost world book. Old-fashioned: helpless woman, superior Terrans to the rescue of a world that happens to be in mortal danger, moral superiority, protect Terra at all cost...
Exciting technology with an early explanation on how to reach another world (4th dimension, not time), which basically will later be known as wormholes.
Killing of natives is no problem, weapons of mass destruction are being used.
Alien technology (and language!).
A bit outdated but the story keeps the tension going and the attention of the reader focused.

[Allen McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventure in classic style

This novella and its predecessor The Fifth Dimension Catapult were written in 1930-31 and reflect the culture of that period in American history.

The two together make a story reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs Carsen of Venus or Carter of Mars (Barsoom) stories. A hero from America arrives, does heroic deeds and in the end is rewarded by the warlike natives with being declared leader for life. If you like the style of ERB you will like these as well.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasy listening 🎧
Due to eye issues and damage Alexa reads to me.
A will written space fantasy Sc-Fi adventure with interesting characters. The story line is with the use of a tubes adventures travel to the fifth-dimension. I would recommend to readers of fantasy. Enjoy the adventure of reading 2021🚀✨🎉

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was first published in 1933 and follows The Fifth-Dimension Catapult: A Short Science Fiction Novel story.

This is a swashbuckling tale of travel to different dimension by means of a tube, that which was designed by Professor Denham, Ph.D., M.A. The catapult is an interesting invention with four right angle turns that does not allow you to return where you began.

We find Professor Denham and his lovely daughter, Evelyn, stranded in another world in the fifth dimension. The Chicago gangster “Jacamo” (who has nefarious plans), the Ragged Men, and the curiously odd Von Holtz are still evil, the Golden City is filled with surprises, and with the help of Smithers, Tommy Reames work hard at fighting the evil doers and rescuing Denham and Evelyn, but not without heroic adventures.

🪐 🚀 Recommended to the curious reader for the imaginative fun and thrilling entertainment that it brought to readers of the 1930s.

[James Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

a nice story about travel to another dimension throigh a tube composed of four right angle turns without ending up back where you started. Science verses nature and gangsters. Story progresses at a good pace and stays very interesting.

[Steven · Rating 1 out of 5]

Typical sort of pulp fantasy colonial story from Leinster's early days, read in the audio version...and, man, Tom Weiss is a terrible reader. No attempts to voice the characters, no acting, just hours of unvarying monotony.