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The Time Mercenaries
Essef - A story of a sea voyage which ended further away in time and space than any of the crew could have imagined when they set out, and of how a group of 20th century sailors saved a future human race which had become almost unrecognisable... This story starts with a 20th century submarine returning to base and being involved in an incident - at first it appears that they have narrowly avoided a serious collision. The submarine sails back to her home port - but something is not quite right. The first sign that something very strange has happened is that one or two of the older people on board look younger than other crew members remembered them. And the sub's berth at the familiar naval base where they dock seems familiar but the base is strangely quiet, with the minimum of people there to meet them. Not in their wildest dreams could any of them have imagined how far away from home in time or space they really are - or that they will be the only means of defence which mankind has against a ruthless alien invader...
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 4, 2023
3.8⭐ 2023 Nostalgia Read.
First read this in the late 60's/early '70s as part of an Ace double.
British submarine crew gets preserved for a thousand years then gets shipped to a human colonized planet being invaded by aliens, because they're the closest thing to a military the earthmen have left.
My teenaged self loved it and it's still fun; a tad dated ( especially regarding women- feminism never made it to the stars in this timeline). Reminds me a bit of Arthur C Clarke, minus the hard science.
The submarine stuff is fairly convincing. High served in the Royal Navy in WW2, so there's that. I've never found another of his works anywhere. I might start looking again. The author was never one of the greats but judging by this book, he was a journeyman writer who could spin an honest tale. -30-
First read this in the late 60's/early '70s as part of an Ace double.
British submarine crew gets preserved for a thousand years then gets shipped to a human colonized planet being invaded by aliens, because they're the closest thing to a military the earthmen have left.
My teenaged self loved it and it's still fun; a tad dated ( especially regarding women- feminism never made it to the stars in this timeline). Reminds me a bit of Arthur C Clarke, minus the hard science.
The submarine stuff is fairly convincing. High served in the Royal Navy in WW2, so there's that. I've never found another of his works anywhere. I might start looking again. The author was never one of the greats but judging by this book, he was a journeyman writer who could spin an honest tale. -30-
May 23, 2016
'WHAT PORT AWAITED THE END OF THEIR THOUSAND YEARS BENEATH THE SEA?
There had been one war scare too many and so the human race had used genetic sorcery to delete the aggressive tendencies from its heredity. But now mankind was faced with an alien enemy so superior, so ruthless, that it was fight or be wiped out . . . and the humans could not fight. They couldn’t even give orders to their robots to produce weapons.
The only possibility was to call up and bring back to life a museum exhibit, the submarine Euphrates and its battle-trained crew. The ship had been sunk a thousand years before and had been preserved to show the decadence of violence – violence which was the only hope against an enemy to whom living space was all-important and human life was entirely superfluous.'
Blurb from the 1968 H-59 Ace Doubles paperback edition
British writer Philip E High brings us a very enjoyable romp here. Captain Randall is is in control of a navy submarine which is hit by a warship and sinks to the bottom of the ocean to be forgotten for a thousand years.
Then, Randall, his sub and his crew are resurrected by a human civilisation that spans some twenty five worlds, and taken to a human colonised planet.
Humanity has genetically altered itself to be incapable of violent thought or action and now needs the captain and his crew to combat an alien invasion.
This, like Kenneth Bulmer's 'Behold The Stars' examines - not very deeply in either case to be honest - the theme of Humanity being altered to become pacifist.
High did not intend, I think, to make a political point about it, and it is explained to Randall that the cause of their action was the pointless wars and belligerence that would have destroyed the human race.
The aliens are somewhere between an insect and a frog and need habitable worlds to expand since they breed prodigiously producing thousands of frogspawn-like eggs which Randall observes floating in the alien sea.
We therefore will have little sympathy for the invaders when Randall goes about destroying their bases.
There's some decent characterisation, even with the robots that this future civilisation has given to Randall to aid in his mission.
The moral here, if there is one, is that sometimes you have to fight for your survival.
It is one of the better Ace Doubles, and although at heart is a simple story of man versus nasty beasties, is nonetheless highly enjoyable.
There had been one war scare too many and so the human race had used genetic sorcery to delete the aggressive tendencies from its heredity. But now mankind was faced with an alien enemy so superior, so ruthless, that it was fight or be wiped out . . . and the humans could not fight. They couldn’t even give orders to their robots to produce weapons.
The only possibility was to call up and bring back to life a museum exhibit, the submarine Euphrates and its battle-trained crew. The ship had been sunk a thousand years before and had been preserved to show the decadence of violence – violence which was the only hope against an enemy to whom living space was all-important and human life was entirely superfluous.'
Blurb from the 1968 H-59 Ace Doubles paperback edition
British writer Philip E High brings us a very enjoyable romp here. Captain Randall is is in control of a navy submarine which is hit by a warship and sinks to the bottom of the ocean to be forgotten for a thousand years.
Then, Randall, his sub and his crew are resurrected by a human civilisation that spans some twenty five worlds, and taken to a human colonised planet.
Humanity has genetically altered itself to be incapable of violent thought or action and now needs the captain and his crew to combat an alien invasion.
This, like Kenneth Bulmer's 'Behold The Stars' examines - not very deeply in either case to be honest - the theme of Humanity being altered to become pacifist.
High did not intend, I think, to make a political point about it, and it is explained to Randall that the cause of their action was the pointless wars and belligerence that would have destroyed the human race.
The aliens are somewhere between an insect and a frog and need habitable worlds to expand since they breed prodigiously producing thousands of frogspawn-like eggs which Randall observes floating in the alien sea.
We therefore will have little sympathy for the invaders when Randall goes about destroying their bases.
There's some decent characterisation, even with the robots that this future civilisation has given to Randall to aid in his mission.
The moral here, if there is one, is that sometimes you have to fight for your survival.
It is one of the better Ace Doubles, and although at heart is a simple story of man versus nasty beasties, is nonetheless highly enjoyable.
July 22, 2018
42 WORD REVIEW:
The anachronistic juxtaposition promises much—a submarine crew, fighting instincts still intact, is resurrected to defend a future civilisation of genetically ordained pacifists from alien invasion—but the premise is too quickly cast aside; the captain and his men become largely superfluous.
The anachronistic juxtaposition promises much—a submarine crew, fighting instincts still intact, is resurrected to defend a future civilisation of genetically ordained pacifists from alien invasion—but the premise is too quickly cast aside; the captain and his men become largely superfluous.
April 16, 2021
This book is one my guilty pleasures - one of my comfort books when I want something light and familiar to read which doesn't stretch my mind a lot.
Let me first say, Philip E High is not a particularly good writer. I've read a half dozen or so of his books, and while many of them have a lot of good content the finished product is never quite as well finished as it might be. This one is no exception.
I first came across this book many years ago when I was in primary school. At that time I was avidly reading any science fiction I could get my hands on, and this book, with it's intriguing cover and interesting premise, definitely fit the bill.
The story (written in 1968) concerns the captain and crew of the RN submarine Euphrates, which is accidentally sunk during a training exercise. Their vessel is salvaged much later, perfectly preserved, and the crew find themselves revived in the far future, when the human race (which has suppressed all violent instincts) finds itself under attack by a savage alien foe and must draw on any help it can - even help a thousand years out of date. How the crew of the Euphrates does this, turning the desperate battle for survival into victory, forms the meat of the story.
As mentioned, the story is a little uneven. The central premise of the story is a very clever one, and the fish-out-of-water experiences of Captain Randall and his crew are for the most part well imagined. There are some very well written combat sequences, and interesting future technologies also. The first time I reread this book as an adult (many years after reading it in school) I enjoyed revisiting a childhood favourite, an enjoyment I have revisited many times since. I found that much of the book had stuck in my mind, though one part - the ending - had not. On reread, I discovered why; the ending, though satisfactory enough, is a little boring - once the humans get their act together the aliens are quickly defeated, so that the final victory is something of an anticlimax.
However - this book has, and will retain, a special place in my library, and I fully expect to enjoy it again many times in the future.
Let me first say, Philip E High is not a particularly good writer. I've read a half dozen or so of his books, and while many of them have a lot of good content the finished product is never quite as well finished as it might be. This one is no exception.
I first came across this book many years ago when I was in primary school. At that time I was avidly reading any science fiction I could get my hands on, and this book, with it's intriguing cover and interesting premise, definitely fit the bill.
The story (written in 1968) concerns the captain and crew of the RN submarine Euphrates, which is accidentally sunk during a training exercise. Their vessel is salvaged much later, perfectly preserved, and the crew find themselves revived in the far future, when the human race (which has suppressed all violent instincts) finds itself under attack by a savage alien foe and must draw on any help it can - even help a thousand years out of date. How the crew of the Euphrates does this, turning the desperate battle for survival into victory, forms the meat of the story.
As mentioned, the story is a little uneven. The central premise of the story is a very clever one, and the fish-out-of-water experiences of Captain Randall and his crew are for the most part well imagined. There are some very well written combat sequences, and interesting future technologies also. The first time I reread this book as an adult (many years after reading it in school) I enjoyed revisiting a childhood favourite, an enjoyment I have revisited many times since. I found that much of the book had stuck in my mind, though one part - the ending - had not. On reread, I discovered why; the ending, though satisfactory enough, is a little boring - once the humans get their act together the aliens are quickly defeated, so that the final victory is something of an anticlimax.
However - this book has, and will retain, a special place in my library, and I fully expect to enjoy it again many times in the future.
January 14, 2019
Very old fashioned sci fi, so if you like that genre, you'll enjoy the book!
October 20, 2024
I'll admit it - part of the reason I picked up this book is because it was an Ace Double from 1968. These books are two complete novels tied together in one binding, in this case with some very cool-looking cover art on each side. When I read the brief teasers inside each cover, I was even more intrigued. This book was fast-paced and extremely well framed. The main characters and dialogue are both a little cheesy in a way that is unique to sci-fi of this era, and this somehow manages to detract from the reader's enjoyment of the book not at all. This sort of high-octane sci-fi novel reminds me a little bit of an even older set of similar futuristic warfare storied by C.S. Lewis and E.E. "Doc" Smith. The tone, pacing, and character development all seems to have taken pages from Lewis' and Smith's prior work. As building blocks go, these are a firm foundation on which to build and expand the genre, which Philip E. High does wonderfully here. You won't find any particularly ground-breaking depth to this one, but you will have some adrenaline-fueled fun with some likeable characters, and I think quite a few readers will resonate with this.
August 23, 2025
With a name like that, how could I not pick it up?
I've enjoyed a fair few war movies for the first time recently, and this feels on theme. I enjoyed the comradery and confidence of the seamen, the bravado of their attacks. My grandad worked on a submarine, it made me think of him.
Great fun to see the 1969 sci-fi, bug aliens, humans that have gone soft (post war generations viewed from the perspective of an army man), matter transporters and robots with personality.
Maybe it seemed a bit of self - propaganda, it's clear what views the author held. But it was nice to see his perspective, yes, we shouldn't systematically enforce morality, we need to fight for it with individual struggle, earn it, not flick a switch to magically make peace (something about technology and culture here).
Not the easiest read, but something new for me with ideas I've not chewed on before (the theatre of war is not a concept I work with often)
I've enjoyed a fair few war movies for the first time recently, and this feels on theme. I enjoyed the comradery and confidence of the seamen, the bravado of their attacks. My grandad worked on a submarine, it made me think of him.
Great fun to see the 1969 sci-fi, bug aliens, humans that have gone soft (post war generations viewed from the perspective of an army man), matter transporters and robots with personality.
Maybe it seemed a bit of self - propaganda, it's clear what views the author held. But it was nice to see his perspective, yes, we shouldn't systematically enforce morality, we need to fight for it with individual struggle, earn it, not flick a switch to magically make peace (something about technology and culture here).
Not the easiest read, but something new for me with ideas I've not chewed on before (the theatre of war is not a concept I work with often)
June 2, 2022
I read a lot of Philip E High novels when I was younger and very much enjoyed them. Having said that, this isn't his best. It's still an entertaining read though not particularly challenging. High was always one for an optimistic world view, never more than here where a Royal Navy WW2 era submarine is transported a thousand years into the future and can still kick alien bottoms. It's one of those books that I feel is overedited (I don't know if that's objectively true) because description, setting etc are very slight and within a half dozen pages suddenly the sub is waging interstellar war. I don't know about you, but a dodgy alien with a dodgy story probably wouldn't convince me within a few paragraphs to commit my boat, crew and future to his cause.
It's still eminently readable but don't expect 'Dune'.
It's still eminently readable but don't expect 'Dune'.
October 12, 2025
My copy is part of an Ace double from 1968. A submarine and its crew has been sunk and never recovered. Fast forward more than a thousand years, to a vastly changed Earth where man's aggressive tendencies has been successfully bred out of the population. However now the Earth is faced with an alien attack and Mankind suddenly needs to recover their aggressive tendencies if they are to stand any chance from this new Alien attack. Now this ancient relic of the past has become Earth's last hope. The submarine and crew are retrieved and resuscitated. Can this relic of Man's ancient war like past teach the passivist descendants to stand their ground and put up a resistance to this new threat? I'll give this a 3.5 rating. Philip E. High was a writer in the 50's and 60's and his stories, at least the four that I've read so far have aged fairly well.
April 9, 2019
One of my favorite early in my life scifi works read.
People transported to the future to fight in a future conflict genere/trope.
In this case a submarine crew and the far future tech allows the submarine to move in the ground also.
And they fight aliens out to genocide against mankind in a future where mankind has mostly eliminated his ability to commit violence. "Mostly" comes into play.
Good, fun read. Except in light of the book on the other side - "Antropol" - I'd hope this would be made into a movie to make the Femi-NOTs and SJWs scream.
People transported to the future to fight in a future conflict genere/trope.
In this case a submarine crew and the far future tech allows the submarine to move in the ground also.
And they fight aliens out to genocide against mankind in a future where mankind has mostly eliminated his ability to commit violence. "Mostly" comes into play.
Good, fun read. Except in light of the book on the other side - "Antropol" - I'd hope this would be made into a movie to make the Femi-NOTs and SJWs scream.
August 5, 2013
Old-fashioned space opera involving a time-shifted submarine crew.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews