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Emperor of the If
This describes two of the possible universes created by a disembodied brain in a laboratory: one is a world in which Britain never suffered from the Ice Age, and the second is a dystopia where humans are dominate by self-reproducing machines.
- GenresScience Fiction
333 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1926
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October 2, 2023
In this forgotten SF (or to use the terminology of its era…Scientific Romance) novel from 1926, a mad scientist creates a machine - linked to the brain of a dead grocer - that can, with the flick of a switch, alter reality. The idea here is that “Thought energy” can be harnessed by one individual, to re-shape the world as if key events had not happened. The mad scientist is of course the mind in charge of this frightening experiment, but he drags his friend/companion along for the ride…at first, a trip to an Earth that never had an Ice Age.
Dinosaurs, dinosaurs - we’re never too far from some dinosaurs, are we? It’s fine - the usual big-reptile thrills - but fortunately there’s so much more on offer here. Some superbly trippy descriptions of new warped realities - because the alterations to existence, and matter itself, don’t take place all at once; the quick flip of a switch, and reality morphs gradually. Factor in the lady named Jane, a rival in Thought power to our mad scientist. Also, the reader gets two major what-if scenarios to explore; late in the novel, the author seems to work five times as hard, with a lot less pages, to create the strangest of all swirling, hostile post-apocalyptic Earths, where mutated humans serve and fear two species of warring Machines…
This book reminded me of Kairos by Gwyneth Jones, and some aspects of Inverted World by Christopher Priest, as well as No Enemy But Time by Michael Bishop…all of which means Reality versus Perception - and Reality controlled by the Thought (aka the wishes) of one flawed dreamer - was alive and kicking in 1926 SF. At its most chilling, the book leads to thoughts of Thanos, and the loud decisive snapping of fingers. Some strange Christ imagery didn’t do anything for me - but I suppose it meant something I personally didn’t need from the book.
Recommended, to SF fans doing Radium Age deep dives. Or, just SF fans wanting a weird ride or two.
Dinosaurs, dinosaurs - we’re never too far from some dinosaurs, are we? It’s fine - the usual big-reptile thrills - but fortunately there’s so much more on offer here. Some superbly trippy descriptions of new warped realities - because the alterations to existence, and matter itself, don’t take place all at once; the quick flip of a switch, and reality morphs gradually. Factor in the lady named Jane, a rival in Thought power to our mad scientist. Also, the reader gets two major what-if scenarios to explore; late in the novel, the author seems to work five times as hard, with a lot less pages, to create the strangest of all swirling, hostile post-apocalyptic Earths, where mutated humans serve and fear two species of warring Machines…
This book reminded me of Kairos by Gwyneth Jones, and some aspects of Inverted World by Christopher Priest, as well as No Enemy But Time by Michael Bishop…all of which means Reality versus Perception - and Reality controlled by the Thought (aka the wishes) of one flawed dreamer - was alive and kicking in 1926 SF. At its most chilling, the book leads to thoughts of Thanos, and the loud decisive snapping of fingers. Some strange Christ imagery didn’t do anything for me - but I suppose it meant something I personally didn’t need from the book.
Recommended, to SF fans doing Radium Age deep dives. Or, just SF fans wanting a weird ride or two.
Displaying 1 of 1 review