FuschiaReads.

Raymond E. Jones
First Published 1954 This Ed:1991 Grafton Books SC 191pp

When I first started to read this groovy little book, I immediately had the thought that it reads like one of those 1950’s sci-fi stories – the sort in an anthology edited by Isaac Asimov. I looked at the dates – an there it was – 1954 – my keen literary detective nose justified. What I then had lots of problems with was exactly ‘WHY’ it read like a novel from that era – and this long before factory sabotage was blamed on “those red commies”. Maybe it’s a clear straightforward narrative that doesn’t actually read like a proposed screen play, there are no scenes that scream “CGI me now baby”, no cussin’, no sex, no sequel. I am too long away from my uni essay days to be able to pin it down.

Cal Meachem was a soldier in WW2 and now wants to use his engineering expertise to do only good, not evil. He is intrigued by some astoundingly advanced machinery that comes his way and is quickly recruited into the ‘Peace Engineers’. Well, from here it all goes to hell in a handbasket for poor old Cal – the factory he works in is a front for aliens – the Llanna – who are fighting a epic space war – for generations our people have fought the implacable evil enemy etc etc – and are using planets like Earth to manufacture vital equipment. Cal is forced to face the moral consequences of his decision to stay in this fight – arguments handled well by Mr Jones, you really get the sense of the dilemma Cal is in. There is danger, excitement, space travel, good aliens and gross slimy aliens – who are bad. The main plot really does creep up on you and there were a number of twists and turns that I did not expect.

I wish I could say that the treatment of Dr Ruth Adams – MD, PhD is what clued me in to the age of this book. She is the psychiatrist where Cal is working – and over the course of several months discreetly and no doubt in 2 single beds becomes his wife. Post grad degrees asides, she listens, she cooks, she waits, she puts up with Cal being a utter pig while he saves the universe, she puts up with Cal completely ignoring her when she warns him about a double agent. I guess if it was a modern day story, she would have been an exotic dancer. That’s progress for you.

A great story under 200 pages !! – Read it!