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The Changeling
Manor Books, 1976. Paperback. It has been said that Van Vogt paved the way for Philip K. Dick, and this 1944 story provides the evidence. A man battles through a layer of false memories to discover that he and his wife are actually members of a group of unaging, telepathic super-humans.
128 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1944
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About the author
A.E. van Vogt
646 books459 followersAlfred Elton van Vogt was a Canadian-born science fiction author regarded by some as one of the most popular and complex science fiction writers of the mid-twentieth century—the "Golden Age" of the genre.
van Vogt was born to Russian Mennonite family. Until he was four years old, van Vogt and his family spoke only a dialect of Low German in the home.
He began his writing career with 'true story' romances, but then moved to writing science fiction, a field he identified with. His first story was Black Destroyer, that appeared as the front cover story for the July 1939 edtion of the popular "Astounding Science Fiction" magazine.
van Vogt was born to Russian Mennonite family. Until he was four years old, van Vogt and his family spoke only a dialect of Low German in the home.
He began his writing career with 'true story' romances, but then moved to writing science fiction, a field he identified with. His first story was Black Destroyer, that appeared as the front cover story for the July 1939 edtion of the popular "Astounding Science Fiction" magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 14, 2020
One more Retro Hugo nominee! The Changeling is a 1944 novella by A.E. van Vogt, a well-regarded Golden Age SF author, which is currently a nominee for the 2020 Retro Hugo award. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature (along with a link to Internet Archive, if you're interested in checking this out):
The Changeling begins in a fairly promising way: The comfortable life of Lesley Craig, a well-to-do business executive, is upended when his boss comments on how well the firm has done since Craig joined it four years ago. Craig is confused: he knows he’s been with the Nesbitt Co. for (pause while he counts) thirty-four years. Which makes Craig fifty years old and — now he’s getting concerned — he looks and feels like he’s in his mid-thirties, and his memory of most of these years is pretty hazy.
When Craig sets off to confront his wife, he’s taken prisoner by (cue wincing here) a group of tough women who have taken an “equalizing” drug that makes them physically … and presumably mentally and emotionally … as strong and capable as men. Equality of the sexes, 1940’s-style! These “equalized” women haul Craig before the president of the U.S., Jefferson Dayles. President Dayles favors Craig with some “As you know, Bob” info-dumping about their troubled times in 1973, threatens him, takes a sample of Craig’s blood, and then sends him on his way.
Everyone around Craig — his wife Anrella, his boss, the president and others — seems to have competing ideas about what Craig should do, but none of their ideas involve informing Craig about what is really going on with his entire life. Craig is a confused man, and as he stumbles from one crisis and plot complication to the next, the reader is equally confused. Far-fetched explanations are eventually forthcoming, but the plot is a severely disjointed one, with a few odd jumps in time, and a murky ending that did nothing to redeem the story. Add to that the really cringe-worthy treatment of gender issues; even for the 40s, this seems like awful stuff. The Changeling is pretty much a hot mess, with a lot of wasted potential.
The Changeling begins in a fairly promising way: The comfortable life of Lesley Craig, a well-to-do business executive, is upended when his boss comments on how well the firm has done since Craig joined it four years ago. Craig is confused: he knows he’s been with the Nesbitt Co. for (pause while he counts) thirty-four years. Which makes Craig fifty years old and — now he’s getting concerned — he looks and feels like he’s in his mid-thirties, and his memory of most of these years is pretty hazy.
When Craig sets off to confront his wife, he’s taken prisoner by (cue wincing here) a group of tough women who have taken an “equalizing” drug that makes them physically … and presumably mentally and emotionally … as strong and capable as men. Equality of the sexes, 1940’s-style! These “equalized” women haul Craig before the president of the U.S., Jefferson Dayles. President Dayles favors Craig with some “As you know, Bob” info-dumping about their troubled times in 1973, threatens him, takes a sample of Craig’s blood, and then sends him on his way.
Everyone around Craig — his wife Anrella, his boss, the president and others — seems to have competing ideas about what Craig should do, but none of their ideas involve informing Craig about what is really going on with his entire life. Craig is a confused man, and as he stumbles from one crisis and plot complication to the next, the reader is equally confused. Far-fetched explanations are eventually forthcoming, but the plot is a severely disjointed one, with a few odd jumps in time, and a murky ending that did nothing to redeem the story. Add to that the really cringe-worthy treatment of gender issues; even for the 40s, this seems like awful stuff. The Changeling is pretty much a hot mess, with a lot of wasted potential.
June 19, 2020
This is a very, very odd short novel fixed-up from short pieces originally published during the Second World War in John Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction Magazine. I've found that I usually like van Vogt's work quite a lot but this one leaves me puzzled, like my edition was missing every other chapter or the whole thing just went over my head. Leslie Craig learns he can't be as old as he remembers being and he's captured by Amazons who take him to see the president and maybe there's an alien invasion and he escapes but his arm is amputated and grows back and he has a toti-potent mutation and there's only a few and his wife is on the conspiracy so they need his blood and then it starts getting all weird and confusing and then the book ended before it wasn't and women can't be the equals of men unless they take special drugs and that causes more confusion and hard feelings. Meanwhile... I dunno... I loved the Weapon Shops and some of my best friends lived in Slan Shacks, but this one just lost me.
January 21, 2015
'THE WORLD WAS COMING TO AN END.... but only the toti-potents knew it. They were the instruments of the alien invaders.
Once they had been ordinary men. But when the invaders from space took possession of their bodies, they became immortal and perpetually young; able to read minds and predict and change the future; possessors of weapons infinitely more powerful than any Earth had known. And they began to hate men.
But because, outwardly, they still looked and acted like everybody else, there was no way to tell who they were - until they attacked!'
Blurb from the 1969 Macfadden books paperback edition.
This is a piece originally published in Astounding in 1944, which features a future world in which, for one thing, the sexual divide has become polarised. Many women have a drug that makes them the equal of men (although what exactly that entails, apart from increased strength is kept a little vague). The consequence of this is that no one will employ them and no man will marry them. To solve the problem President Jefferson Dayles has recruited them all as a personal Amazon Army.
The novel begins however with Lesley Craig, a man who is questioning his own memory. He has the conviction that that he has been working at his current job for longer than seems to be the case, and when he decides to go home to question his wife on the matter he eavesdrops on her discussing him with a group of men.
He has also been kidnapped by a team of Amazons and taken to see Jefferson Dayles who questions him obliquely before Craig is returned home.
This would appear to be typical 'stream of consciousness' work from van Vogt, who presumably had no idea where the story was going when he started out. It would appear, however, that the story - then called 'The Wonderful Man' - was rejected by JW Campbell twice. Campbell noted '"I think you've been straining for something new and strange and different in this 'Wonderful Man' yarn. But my gut reaction is that while you've achieved that in part, you'll do better without these particular strangeness." [The John W. Campbell Letters, Vol. 2]
The basic premise is a little odd; that humans under extreme stress become 'toti-potents', gaining initially extended longevity and the ability to regrow limbs. When they enter the final toti-potent phase however, the brain begins regenerating all its cells, which means that all previous memory is lost. They gain however powerful mental prowess and the ability to absorb the contents of others' minds.
It's a minor van Vogt piece but nonetheless interesting for its sheer oddness and van Vogt's singular and long-maintained attitude to the difference between the sexes. His depictions of women have always been somewhat disappointing. Indeed, more than most authors of his generation, van Vogt seems to go out of his way to emphasise how inferior women are in both intelligence and physical strength. Women here, with the possible exception of Craig's wife, can not take on roles traditionally carried out by men unless they have been treated with drugs. Perversely, van Vogt seems quite fond of the dominant female here and elsewhere. Here, Craig is kidnapped by the Amazons and held hostage by them for a while, until Craig's superior logical male mind manages to outwit them and escape.
Having said that, it has the usual surreal charm and 'particular strangeness' that marks van Vogt's work, along with the recurring theme of the pacifist logical hero.
Once they had been ordinary men. But when the invaders from space took possession of their bodies, they became immortal and perpetually young; able to read minds and predict and change the future; possessors of weapons infinitely more powerful than any Earth had known. And they began to hate men.
But because, outwardly, they still looked and acted like everybody else, there was no way to tell who they were - until they attacked!'
Blurb from the 1969 Macfadden books paperback edition.
This is a piece originally published in Astounding in 1944, which features a future world in which, for one thing, the sexual divide has become polarised. Many women have a drug that makes them the equal of men (although what exactly that entails, apart from increased strength is kept a little vague). The consequence of this is that no one will employ them and no man will marry them. To solve the problem President Jefferson Dayles has recruited them all as a personal Amazon Army.
The novel begins however with Lesley Craig, a man who is questioning his own memory. He has the conviction that that he has been working at his current job for longer than seems to be the case, and when he decides to go home to question his wife on the matter he eavesdrops on her discussing him with a group of men.
He has also been kidnapped by a team of Amazons and taken to see Jefferson Dayles who questions him obliquely before Craig is returned home.
This would appear to be typical 'stream of consciousness' work from van Vogt, who presumably had no idea where the story was going when he started out. It would appear, however, that the story - then called 'The Wonderful Man' - was rejected by JW Campbell twice. Campbell noted '"I think you've been straining for something new and strange and different in this 'Wonderful Man' yarn. But my gut reaction is that while you've achieved that in part, you'll do better without these particular strangeness." [The John W. Campbell Letters, Vol. 2]
The basic premise is a little odd; that humans under extreme stress become 'toti-potents', gaining initially extended longevity and the ability to regrow limbs. When they enter the final toti-potent phase however, the brain begins regenerating all its cells, which means that all previous memory is lost. They gain however powerful mental prowess and the ability to absorb the contents of others' minds.
It's a minor van Vogt piece but nonetheless interesting for its sheer oddness and van Vogt's singular and long-maintained attitude to the difference between the sexes. His depictions of women have always been somewhat disappointing. Indeed, more than most authors of his generation, van Vogt seems to go out of his way to emphasise how inferior women are in both intelligence and physical strength. Women here, with the possible exception of Craig's wife, can not take on roles traditionally carried out by men unless they have been treated with drugs. Perversely, van Vogt seems quite fond of the dominant female here and elsewhere. Here, Craig is kidnapped by the Amazons and held hostage by them for a while, until Craig's superior logical male mind manages to outwit them and escape.
Having said that, it has the usual surreal charm and 'particular strangeness' that marks van Vogt's work, along with the recurring theme of the pacifist logical hero.
May 18, 2020
Many years since I last read this. As a young man I was a huge fan of AE Van Vogt but this is not one of his better books. Mind you it is probably at least twenty years since I read his books so I wonder whether I would still like them now.
December 4, 2020
I think the version I read of this must have had some chapters missing. The result was bizarre, to say the least.
December 30, 2021
To quote Craig: "This whole business is too silly for words" 10/10 for suplexing me straight into 1940s ideas about feminism, 4/10 for only vaguely knowing half of what's going on.
April 15, 2020
This novella was originally published in Astounding Science Fiction, April 1944. Read from a scanned copy on Internet Archive.
In 1972, a man experiences a gap in his memory and then realizes he is physically not the same age as he thinks he is. This starts his journey to discover an amazing truth about himself, that he is a superman who can regenerate body parts, as well as having telepathy. The U.S. President, who is running for reelection, wants the man for a sinister purpose. Meanwhile, an army of women try to take control of America. All of this plays into van Vogt's apparent misogyny; certainly the characters, and society at large, in the story are terrible misogynists. This is not the first story by van Vogt that features a superman who can fix all the ills of society. The story does have some interesting predictions, such as the widespread use of electric cars and that the first trip to the moon was in 1968, off by only a few months. Overall, though, a disjointed story that does not hold up.
In 1972, a man experiences a gap in his memory and then realizes he is physically not the same age as he thinks he is. This starts his journey to discover an amazing truth about himself, that he is a superman who can regenerate body parts, as well as having telepathy. The U.S. President, who is running for reelection, wants the man for a sinister purpose. Meanwhile, an army of women try to take control of America. All of this plays into van Vogt's apparent misogyny; certainly the characters, and society at large, in the story are terrible misogynists. This is not the first story by van Vogt that features a superman who can fix all the ills of society. The story does have some interesting predictions, such as the widespread use of electric cars and that the first trip to the moon was in 1968, off by only a few months. Overall, though, a disjointed story that does not hold up.
April 9, 2022
I picked this up recently in a used book store. I remember Harlan Ellison passionately campaigning for AE van Vogt to be awarded the SFWA Grand Master Award in the 1990's, and he wasn't being given his due, he's a master of the craft and so on. So when I saw this book, I thought this was quite a find. When I sat down to read it, I found this was not the work of any grand master. I'm surprised an editor even thought this was publication worthy. There's some good ideas in it, but it feels like an all over the place manuscript that should have been sent back to the author with a long list of desired corrections and critique. The first chapter is readable and I could follow, middle management guy with memory/identity issues is abducted by women with ray guns and taken to see the President of the United States. It gets a bit hard to follow after that. If I were to be generous, I would say this could be a puzzle box exploration of memory, PTSD from ww2, repressed shame, guilt. But if even that were the case, it could be more compelling. There are books which explore those themes and are still page turners. Most of the chapters are hard to figure out what's happening, like why is Lesley Craig's arm falling off and re growing, and is he even Craig, or is he this guy Bill Smith ? Why is he now part of this criminal gang ? Why exactly is the President interested in him ? There is a conclusion that seems to settle it. But I'm still kind of lost as to whether the President is a part of this super human (or is it alien ?) tribe that is 80 years old ? There's two prescient things, the man reaching the moon in 1968, pretty close considering this was originally published in 1950 I think, and the public rejecting the first woman nominated for President.
April 6, 2021
— În cei patru ani de când te afli aici, firmei i-a mers foarte bine, spuse Nypers.
Craig râse.
— Îţi arde de glume, Nypers. Cum adică în cei patru ani de când sunt aici? Păi sunt de atâta timp, încât simt că am încărunţit aici.
Nypers înclină aprobator capul său mic şi înţelept.
— Ştiu cum e, domnule. Totul devine vag şi ireal. Ai senzaţia că parcă altcineva ţi-a trăit în trecut viaţa. Se întoarse şi adăugă: Ei bine, voi lăsa pe seama dumneavoastră contractul cu Winthrop.
Craig îşi mută în cele din urmă privirea care îi încremenise asupra uşii de stejar închise, în spatele căreia dispăruse bătrânul funcţionar. Dădu din cap cu îndoială şi jenă, însă zâmbi când se aşeză la birou.
Nypers trebuia să fie bine dispus în dimineaţa aceasta. Pentru prima dată, bătrânul încercase să glumească.
În cei patru ani de când – hai să vedem, de când era director al firmei Nesbitt? Curier la şaisprezece ani, asta era în 1938; funcţionar mărunt la nouăsprezece ani, apoi venise războiul. Se înrolase în aprilie 1942, fusese rănit, spitalizat şi apoi trimis acasă la începutul lui '44. Înapoi la Nesbitt Company, pentru a ajunge succesiv funcţionar principal în 1949, şef de compartiment în '53 şi director general în '60. De atunci zilele de serviciu semănau foarte mult una cu alta. Timpul trecea molcom, ca suflul unui vânt constant dinspre nord.
Iată, acum e 1972, hm, treizeci şi patru de ani la firmă, fără a socoti războiul; doisprezece ca director general. Astfel ajungea la cincizeci, anul acesta.
Craig râse.
— Îţi arde de glume, Nypers. Cum adică în cei patru ani de când sunt aici? Păi sunt de atâta timp, încât simt că am încărunţit aici.
Nypers înclină aprobator capul său mic şi înţelept.
— Ştiu cum e, domnule. Totul devine vag şi ireal. Ai senzaţia că parcă altcineva ţi-a trăit în trecut viaţa. Se întoarse şi adăugă: Ei bine, voi lăsa pe seama dumneavoastră contractul cu Winthrop.
Craig îşi mută în cele din urmă privirea care îi încremenise asupra uşii de stejar închise, în spatele căreia dispăruse bătrânul funcţionar. Dădu din cap cu îndoială şi jenă, însă zâmbi când se aşeză la birou.
Nypers trebuia să fie bine dispus în dimineaţa aceasta. Pentru prima dată, bătrânul încercase să glumească.
În cei patru ani de când – hai să vedem, de când era director al firmei Nesbitt? Curier la şaisprezece ani, asta era în 1938; funcţionar mărunt la nouăsprezece ani, apoi venise războiul. Se înrolase în aprilie 1942, fusese rănit, spitalizat şi apoi trimis acasă la începutul lui '44. Înapoi la Nesbitt Company, pentru a ajunge succesiv funcţionar principal în 1949, şef de compartiment în '53 şi director general în '60. De atunci zilele de serviciu semănau foarte mult una cu alta. Timpul trecea molcom, ca suflul unui vânt constant dinspre nord.
Iată, acum e 1972, hm, treizeci şi patru de ani la firmă, fără a socoti războiul; doisprezece ca director general. Astfel ajungea la cincizeci, anul acesta.
April 1, 2024
I really like Van Vogt's books. They're strange sci-fi (written in the 1940s and taking place in the far future of the 1970s) where you hang on tight because it's going to be a wild ride. I've only read a few others but this one is the wildest yet, but maybe not so much in a good way. First, we get a situation where a man thinks he's 50 but does not remember two decades of his life and looking in the mirror, he sure looks like 30. Then in the middle of investigating this, he gets kidnapped for the president by a by a bunch of women who are now the equal of men because they took a formula (and yes, this just as sexist as it sounds) and the president just takes a blood sample and sends him on his way. Then it gets weirder and weirder and weirder. So weird I wasn't sure what exactly was happening or who was who. It's fun but I wish I had a better handle on this ride. But definitely check out Van Vogt.
June 10, 2020
1.5-2 stars because I'm trying to be generous. Honestly I have no real idea what is really going on here and that's after reading several synopses. This seems to be some kind of stream of consciousness. A man, Lesley Craig, gradually realizes that he's lived longer without aging than he should; he's a toti-potent - an immortal but one who's memory is erased and then can be written any which way. And that's both why I'm giving that any stars. The concept is brilliant (4+ stars) but the execution is miserable. Also I'm really not keen on the author's misogyny; he's contemptuous of women of in any position of power. I read this for my 2020 Reading Challenge (Swords/Stars "SF/F novella") and the 2020 Hugo nominations (Retro Hugo Best Novella).
September 11, 2020
Read this because it was nominated for a retro Hugo award, so I was reading quite a few works from the same year in a short period of time.
I've read a lot of van Vogt, but I didn’t recognise this one by name. Interestingly, partway through, it has started to have thematic similarities with works by other writers, rather than their other story that I'd just read. The bit about ‘equalized' women was decidedly creepy. Some of the initial gender politics looked quite nuanced, but it got decidedly more dodgy as the story went on. Sadly, not entirely unbelievable. I’ll note that I got bored enough part way through this to go and read something else, and then gritted my teeth to Just Keep Reading.
I've read a lot of van Vogt, but I didn’t recognise this one by name. Interestingly, partway through, it has started to have thematic similarities with works by other writers, rather than their other story that I'd just read. The bit about ‘equalized' women was decidedly creepy. Some of the initial gender politics looked quite nuanced, but it got decidedly more dodgy as the story went on. Sadly, not entirely unbelievable. I’ll note that I got bored enough part way through this to go and read something else, and then gritted my teeth to Just Keep Reading.
December 16, 2021
I picked this book up from my local used book store for 65 cents and boi... the whole plot was SUPER sexist with armies of 'equalized women' and women taking over the government and forcing men into submissive roles. like yikes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2017
Started really well and then seemed to pull in to a conclusion quickly - I assume because of the original 40's street and smith publishing schedule. Still enjoyable to read though.
February 3, 2018
Some great ideas. A fascinating early example of weird SF
April 4, 2020
Tolerable idea poorly executed. That's ignoring his obvious issues w/ women. This thing was just all over the place.
March 10, 2022
Read this book several times as a teenager.
July 26, 2023
Starts out intriguing, but the eventual revelations are rather dull, at it all ends anticlimactically. Fortunately, it's a quick read.
October 21, 2023
I expected more, definitely not one of his better works
August 3, 2025
Short book that most readers will complete in a single night without much effort. If you think the story is a bit bonkers.... well, it is.
Read
June 1, 20151979 no grade
July 4, 2021
Starts off quite dated but cool, and mysterious. Then halfway through, nothing makes sense. Felt like I was honestly reading random words put together. Yikes. Not good.
June 1, 2025
The worst book I’ve ever read. (Update: this is no longer the worst book I’ve ever read).
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews