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| 2017 Change Challenge |
I first discovered and read a Jack Vance novel (Trullion) in 1978, and by then Vance had already published the first three Demon Princes novels in the 1960s (see Star King and The Palace of Love). The protagonist of the five Demon Princes novels is Kirth Gersen, a trained assassin who devoted his life to killing the five criminals who attacked and destroyed his boyhood home and murdered most of his family members.
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| Front cover for an issue of Cosmopolis magazine |
Mystery
How did Gersen, (who spent most of his life learning combat techniques and methods to kill, such as poisoning), come to own a "publishing empire"? I have to wonder if Vance's writing of several "Ellery Queen" mysteries from 1964 to 1966 might have played a role in Gersen's literary turn.
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| In the Buld Reality Original cover art by Edmund Emshwiller. |
The Madman Theory was published in 1966, shortly before The Palace of Love. Also set in Vance's home state of California, The Madman Theory was built around the murder of Earl Genneman, the head of a pharmaceutical company.
Earl Genneman is shot while hiking in "General Grant National Park". The General Grant tree is in Kings Canyon park, so it seems like Vance set his story in an alternate Reality. I also happen to have built Kings Canyon park into my Exode Saga.
Apparently, Genneman's company is called "Genneman Laboratories". I've never read any of Vance's mystery or fantasy stories, but it is fun to imagine that in an alternate Reality, during the 1960s Vance could have been paid to write additional science fiction stories rather than murder mysteries...
In the Buld Reality
By 1963, Thomas Iwedon had published 17 stories in Analog Science Fiction. When the magazine's editor came into some money and decided to launch a science fiction book publishing company, Thomas was selected to be the person in charge of the new enterprise.
Thomas was writing in his New York apartment when the phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. Thomas only briefly glanced at the phone. He continued creating his story and moved on to a new paragraph, barely noticing that the phone had stopped ringing. Five minutes later, Thomas reached a natural lull in his writing and leaned back in his chair. Again looking at the phone, he wondered: Who was that calling?
Thomas had inherited some telepathic ability from his mother, but he could not sense who had called. Something at the edge of his conscious mind whispered: Campbell. Thomas got up from his chair, emptied his bladder and then he sat on his stationary bike and began to peddle. It was possible that John Campbell had called. Campbell was still sitting on a story that Thomas had submitted almost two months previously. The story, called "The Lorenz Drive", was about an engineering application of a strange new type of mathematics that allows for spaceships to slip into a parallel universe where the speed of light can be exceeded. Soon after Thomas had submitted the story to Analog, Campbell had sent back a note saying that he needed to check with Edward Lorenz and ask for permission to publish a story that used his name and mathematical ideas.
The phone rang again and now Thomas got off the bike and picked up the handset. "Hello."
It was Campbell. "Hello, Thomas. This is your lucky day."
Thomas asked, "You are publishing 'The Lorenz Drive'?"
Campbell fell silent, then asked, "The Lorenz Drive?"
Campbell now remembered the story. "Oh, no. I've never heard back from Lorenz. I might have to drive up to Boston and get in his face. I know these M.I.T. guys... they never read letters from me. They all think I'm a nut case."
Thomas suggested, "Just publish the story. You gave Lorenz a chance and he failed to reply."
Campbell grunted, "It might come to that." Now Campbell coughed and hacked up some phlegm. Thomas waited for the noise at the other end of the line to end and he wondered why people who were supposedly well-educated smoked.
Finally Campbell continued, "Listen Thomas, here is why I called you: I'm starting a new science fiction publishing house, called "Ultimate". I want you to be in charge. What do you think?"
Thomas was taken by surprise. He wanted to ask where the money was coming from, but he said, "I'm surprised that you offer the job to me. There are more experienced candidates."
Campbell brushed off the issue of experience. "I want someone young. Ultimate is going to publish nothing but stories about space travel. That's right up your alley. Will you do it?"
Thomas replied, "It sounds like fun. What will my job title be?" He really wanted to know how much he would be paid and how many hours each week he'd have to devote to the job.
Campbell explained, "You can call yourself Editor and Chief or whatever you like. You'll earn a base salary of ten grand a year and five thousand more for each novel that you get through the pipeline to publication. At least at first you won't have any support staff, so this is all going to be on your shoulders, but once we get this up and running smoothly I expect you will find yourself managing a staff."
Thomas was skeptical. "Where will all this money come from?"
"I just signed a big money movie deal with a European director who wants to make his version of The Thing. A definitive version of The Thing, following my advice as an executive producer. So, that film is the cash cow. I've long wanted to start a book publishing company, now I will... with your help."
Thomas asked, "Who is the European with the deep pockets?"
"John Krish."
"Never heard of him."
Campbell laughed. "Take my advice, Thomas, don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
Thomas had one more question. "How big an effort do you envision? How many books do you expect to publish?"
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| cover by Leo Morey |
Thomas could not keep a hint of dismay from his voice. "I'll be in charge right? Except when you tell me to publish your work?"
Campbell laughed again. "Just this one story from me. And you'll be able to publish your own stuff too. But I want you to go after the really talented science fiction writers and convince them to publish their best space travel stories as Ultimate novels. You can offer them three thousand dollar advances, three thousand dollars more at publication and fifty percent of the profits from their books."
Thomas was satisfied... if the whole Ultimate Publishing idea was not some kind of drug-induced fantasy flowing out of Campbell's less than steady mind. "Fine, I'll drop by your office and we can sign my contract. Where will I work?"
"You can get started working out of your apartment. Call your favorite authors, the one's who know something about space travel. You should also be looking for an office location that is convenient for you. We'll buy an office suite to serve as the Ultimate editorial office as long as the price is under 20,000. Otherwise, start renting."
Thomas was impressed by the amounts of money that Campbell was willing to invest in Ultimate. "Thank you for thinking of me, Mr. Campbell."
"I've got your contract here on my desk. I'll expect you in my office in about an hour." Campbell added, "We're going to publish best sellers, boy. Science fiction is going to be the next big thing in book publishing. You can thank me after the big profits start rolling in." He broke the connection.
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| The Dueling Machine |
When he stepped outside, he discovered that it was a crisp spring day with a brilliant blue sky. A fresh wind was blowing most of the city's stink out to sea to the south. The contract signing took less than five minutes then Thomas was hurried out of the room before Campbell's next appointment. Thomas saw Ben Bova walk into the outer office, speak briefly to Campbell's secretary and then proceed into Campbell's office. Thomas and Ben wordlessly nodded to each other. Campbell's secretary picked up a thick envelop off of her desk and handed it to Thomas. She said, "Here's Ultimate number one. Give it a light edit and get it back to me. John wants it in the press by June."
Thomas nodded numbly and was still thinking about Bova. Thomas had been impressed by Bova's recently published virtual reality story, "The Next Logical Step", and Thomas had even briefly met Bova at the 20th World Science Fiction Convention. It was likely that Bova had entirely forgotten having spoken to Thomas in Chicago right after they had watched a talk by Isaac Asimov called "The Power of Positronics". Thomas seemed to recall that Bova had worked on one of the early efforts by the USA to get a satellite into orbit.
Thomas stepped out on the street and opened the big envelop. Inside were hundreds of pages of typed, double-spaced text. Thomas felt gloomy about the prospect of actual work. He groaned and began reading Ultimate Mind. About half an hour later, Gordon Dickson jumped out of a cab. Thomas thought about Dickson's novel The Genetic General and almost introduced himself to Dickson, but he decided that he did not really want to bring military science fiction to Ultimate Publishing. Thomas watched Dickson walk past and enter into the building on his way to the offices of Analog. Thomas looked at his watch then continued reading Ultimate Mind. The more he read, the more certain Thomas became that he would have to work hard to keep Ultimate Publishing from being swamped by war stories. Campbell's story was about Belinda Kendall's expedition to the Miran star system and it placed her onboard an Interplanetary Patrol cruiser which was more of a battle ship than a scientific exploration craft.
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| In search of water on Mars. |
Bova looked carefully at Thomas' face and replied, "Sorry, I don't..." Then his eyes widened, "Wait... are you the quack who said that your mother is an alien from the future?"
Thomas smiled sheepishly, "That was just a story idea, but I'm glad you remember me. I'd like to offer you a commission. I want to pay you a three thousand advance to write a sequel to your story 'Long Way Back'."
Bova laughed, "What's the catch?"
"No catch, except the sequel story needs to be longer."
"How long?"
"Around a hundred thousand words. There would be another 3,000 at publication of your novel and then you would get 50% of all profits from the book. We'll print a hardcover edition first then shift to paperback." Bova was interested but skeptical. Thomas took Ben to dinner and told him about Ultimate Publishing. Over dessert, they started talking about plot elements for the sequel to "Long Way Back".
Ben pocketed the money and said, "How much money do you have to throw around? There are plenty of people who can write a better space travel story than me. My stories tend to read like a tech manual."
"Your readers, like me, enjoy the sense of authenticity that your stories provide, but I am looking for additional writers to slip under the Ultimate imprint. To be perfectly honest, Ultimate Publishing only just launched. You are the first person who I've asked to write for Ultimate."
Bova rubbed his chin. "If you actually care about writing, you should go after the artists. Have you read The Languages of Pao by Vance?" Bova began trying to hail a cab.
"Yes, I have."
"Vance gracefully jumps from technical issues like anti-gravity to planet-wide social engineering projects. Vance can effortlessly create new planets that readers want to visit." A cab pulled up and Thomas and Ben quickly said goodnight.
All the writers that Thomas tried to call by phone were local, except for Vance. Two had agreed to meet with Thomas and learn more about Ultimate Publishing. Most of the calls had failed to be answered and so Thomas also wrote letters and sent them out in the mail to the the story writers he was interested in.
Somehow the idea of landing Vance as a writer for Ultimate Publishing had taken over Thomas' mind. He went to a book shelf and took down his copy of The Languages of Pao. After reading a few pages, Thomas decided to call Vance again. He picked up the phone and mentally calculated what time it was in California.
Immediately after Thomas was done calling Vance's home phone number for the second time (and still not getting any answer), a young woman came into the editorial office of Ultimate Publishing. She walked quickly towards him and said, "Hello, Thomas."
Thomas did not recognize her, but he felt an instant connection, as if they were telepathically linked. He asked, "Do I know you?"
She half leaned, half sat on his desk. "I'm pretending to be the daughter of John Krish... in that role, I'm here to investigate Ultimate Publishing. You might as well call me Wendy." She winked at Thomas.
Thomas had been warned by his mother that an Overseer named Wendy had removed Thomas' sister Gwyned from Earth. Thomas slowly rose to his feet and asked, "Did you know my sister-"
Wendy placed a hand on Thomas's shoulder. "Relax, Thomas. Gwyned would not stop developing dangerous technology, so I had to send her to a world in the Galactic Core where she won't be able to cause havoc."
For a moment, anger flared up inside Thomas, but then Wendy was smiling at him and he let his breath out. He smiled back at her and asked, "What do you want with me?"
"I'd like to report to daddy that there are some promising story ideas in development. As a fan of space travel, he wants to start making science fiction movies... lotsa films about adventures on other worlds."
Thomas began pacing around the room and talking about Ben Bova and the idea of a novel about humans on Mars. Wendy seemed bored and she interrupted. She took hold of Thomas' hand and pulled him towards the door. "Come with me, Thomas. I want you to meet someone."
Thomas pulled on his worn suit coat and followed Wendy out of the office and to the street and soon they were in a cab. Wendy gave a street address to the cabbie and then she and Thomas settled into the back seat. Thomas asked, "Where are we going?"
Wendy again took hold of Thomas' hand. "I know that you want to be the one to select the authors who will write Ultimate novels, but I want to influence your decision making process. I want you to meet John Vance."
"Jack Vance is in town?"
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New York Film Festival |
Thomas explained to Wendy that he had been trying to contact Vance and had not known that he was visiting New York. Wendy said, "I can help you in many ways, Thomas. At the very least you should recognize the fact that two heads are better than one. Since my 'father' is paying to get Ultimate Publishing up and running, it is only fair that he and I exercise some control over your decisions."
Thomas complained, "Campbell did not warn me to expect any such input from Europe."
Wendy squeezed Thomas' hand. "Go with the flow, Thomas. You might find that I'm useful to have around, for a whole lot of reasons."
Thomas said, "I don't mind talking to beautiful women who have useful connections, but I was imagining that I could make Ultimate Publishing into a reflection of my interests. I'm pleased that Vance is of interest to both of us."
"Oh, I'm sure we have similar tastes when it comes to story telling. We should make a great team." For a minute Wendy seemed to be carefully examining Thomas. Finally she touched the worn sleeve of his jacket and said, "Let's find out if we have similar ideas about fashion."
Thomas had absolutely no interest in the fashion industry. He moaned, "Fashion?"
Wendy nodded, "I want you to look like a reputable businessman when you meet Vance."
The cab stopped. Wendy paid the cabbie and Thomas looked across the street where a sign proclaimed, "Howard Clothes". Wendy told Thomas, "Before you can meet Vance we need to get you properly dressed. They crossed the street and went inside the clothing store where Wendy immediately told the salesman to throw away Thomas' old suit. She dressed Thomas in a stylish new suit and paid for it herself.
When they stepped out onto the street, Thomas commented, "You're the first woman besides my mother to buy me clothes."
Wendy shrugged and started hailing a cab. "It is time for you to grow up, Thomas. You have a job now and I have a mission to accomplish. I'm not going to let you derail my mission just because you refuse to participate in normal human social behaviors like dressing up and role playing."
Soon they were back in another cab and Wendy told the cabbie, "Lincoln Center."
For a time Thomas asked questions about Wendy's mission, which she mostly ignored and deflected. She did tell Thomas, "We both want the same thing, Thomas: a good future for the people of this planet." As they approached Lincoln Center, Wendy said, "Daddy could not be here tonight, but I'm his representative at the New York Film Festival. They are showing Unearthly Stranger, dad's first science fiction film."
Thomas asked, "And Vance will be here?" They got out of the cab and navigated through the crowd past a clot of news photographers.
When they were past the swarming newspaper reporters, Wendy replied to his question, "Vance is already here. We'll meet him after the show."
Thomas despised alien invasion movies. He quickly grew impatient with how Unearthly Stranger attempted to build suspense and create drama. Half way through, he gave up on the film and took hold of Wendy's hand. He then had a solid half hour of watching her pretty face in the flickering light the reflected off of the screen. Watching her, he told himself that she was a very strange girl, but for some reason nothing she said or did seemed to surprise Thomas. He asked himself: Why question her absurd talk about her 'mission' or doubt her motives and background? Far easier to gaze upon her lovely features and imagine what forms their collaborative efforts might take.
Before the film ended, Wendy took Thomas to the lobby. She told him, "You should have watched the film. I thought you liked science fiction."
He shrugged. "Sadly, film makers have not yet figured out how to make a good science fiction film."
Mary waved to a woman across the lobby and then she introduced Thomas to her. "Gabby, meet my friend Thomas. Thomas, this is Gabriella Licudi."
Looking back and forth between Wendy and Gabriella, Thomas asked, "How much fun is it playing an alien in disguise?"
Gabriella replied, "Sadly, I was not supposed to be having fun... as an alien invader I was remarkably incompetent. I would not mind being in a science fiction story that was more sympathetic to the aliens."
Wendy said, "Thomas is developing some new science fiction stories. Maybe my father will turn some of them into films and ask you to star in them."
Gabriella looked speculatively at Thomas. "What is your view of Aliens? Must a movie always depict space aliens as a danger to the people of Earth?"
Thomas replied, "Not at all. Anyone who can travel from a far star to Earth is not going to be looking for trouble. They will want to get to know us and engage in two-way cultural exchanges." He turned to Wendy, "I hope your father might be willing to make fun and interesting science fiction movies."
Wendy nodded. "He's old-fashioned. My job is to shift his thinking. Maybe the three of us working together can convince him to make a new kind of film that celebrates the adventure of space exploration and meeting new types of people.... if we ever do meet space aliens, we will have much to learn from them."
When the film ended, a long line of movie-goers formed in the lobby, many asking Gabriella to sign their Film Festival program. Finally, Wendy introduced Thomas and Gabriella to Mr. and Mrs. Vance. After exchanging some pleasantries, Thomas asked Jack, "How long are you in town?"
"We leave for Europe on Saturday."
Thomas slipped Vance a business card with the phone number for Ultimate Publishing. "Give me a call tomorrow. I'd like to discuss a book deal, 6,000 guaranteed and 50% of the profits for the author."
Later, in a cab and returning to Thomas' apartment, he asked Wendy, "How did you know that Vance would be there tonight?"
Wendy giggled and replied, "Well, I sent him two tickets."
Thomas was not satisfied by her flippant explanation. "How did you know that he would be in town for the first-ever viewing of Unearthly Stranger in America?"
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| image credits |
Thomas asked, "How do you know he will agree to do it?"
Wendy smiled. "Trust me, Thomas. In fact, Vance will end up writing a trilogy... the Genesaunt Trilogy."
"Genesaunt?"
"Forget I mentioned that. Genesaunt is a word that Vance will coin for a type of space alien."
Thomas complained, "If Vance is going to come up with the term 'Genesaunt' then how do you already know it?"
Wendy admitted, "I might just happen to mention it to Jack, but he will be the first to write about Genesaunts." Thomas could not stop asking questions and eventually Wendy had to erase his memories of their conversation and put him to sleep.
In the morning, Thomas awoke and found Wendy in his bed. She waited for his eyes to focus then said, "You were really tired. It is almost noon." She did not bother to describe all of the careful editing of his memories that she had accomplished during the night.
Thomas tried to sort through the jumble of his recent memories from his night of odd dreams and the exciting past few days of getting Ultimate Publishing off the ground. He still felt a powerful telepathic bond to Wendy and now he gazed into her eyes and he muttered, "You really do remind me of my mother."
She laughed, "That's not the sort of thing a young woman likes to hear!"
"I think you know what I mean."
"Listen, Thomas..." She leaned close and kissed the tip of his nose then seemed to only reluctantly pull back from him. She continued her thought, "Don't push at me. Do you want me slicing out more of your memories? It is not healthy for humans to be subjected to too much of that."
Thomas could not restrain himself. "But I need to know. You are behind all of this, aren't you? The entire Ultimate Publishing thing..."
Wendy got out of bed and started pulling on her clothes. "There are many things I could tell you that you really do not need to know. I'm actually related to your mother, in a way. I have as many Asterothrope genes as you do, so yes, we have a telepathic connection." She pulled the covers off of Thomas. "Get dressed... I'll take you to lunch." She sat down in a chair and watched him dress then they went out and had lunch together at a fancy restaurant. Thomas talked about his interests in science fiction and told Wendy, "Sometimes I wish I had proof that aliens constantly visit earth." He gazed speculatively upon Wendy.
She objected, "Don't expect me to provide physical evidence of aliens. I've carefully disguised my alien origins. What do you think of my British accent?"
He frowned, "You sound more like an Australian to my ear."
She laughed, "Ya, I'll have to keep working on that. Well, I still have a week before I'm in England." Again, Wendy happily paid the large bill.
That afternoon, Vance called Thomas by phone and asked his questions about Ultimate Publishing. Thomas provided details and explained, "Ultimate Publishing is going to be the number one fiction publisher of the Space Age. You will be an important part of it all. What I need is a Vance story about space travel."
Vance laughed, "That's not much guidance. In my experience, editors are more finicky than that!"
Wendy was standing close beside Thomas with an arm around his back and listening to Vance. She held up three fingers.
Thomas admitted, "What I'd really like from you is a gigantic saga, a trilogy. A story about space travel with far more interesting aliens than what we saw in Unearthly Stranger."
Vance complained, "Film makers have a problem. How can they depict truly alien beings with non-human appearance?"
Thomas was gazing at Wendy. He replied, "I suppose aliens could use their advanced technology to disguise themselves as human." He took hold of Wendy's wrist and felt her pulse. "Space aliens would not be so inept as to fail to give their secret agents on Earth small details like a pulse."
Vance said, "I'm almost done with a story about aliens who are nearly indistinguishable from humans. I call them the Star Kings."
Thomas said, "I love the idea of aliens who can secretly visit Earth. I hope you include interesting aliens in a new science fiction novel for Ultimate." He pulled Wendy's hand to his lips and kissed her fingers.
Vance told Thomas, "I don't really think of myself as a science fiction writer. At this point in time, with people blasting into orbit, science seems more interesting than science fiction. In the next few years, I think I'd prefer to be writing mystery stories. I'm starting a new one that is set at Berkeley, where I went to school and began writing. It is much less work to have a story set in this world rather than having to invent and build a new fictional planet."
Thomas suggested, "Why not combine your interest in writing a mystery with my request that you create a story set in the future of the Space Age? Maybe bring back your Jean Parlier character. I love the idea of human clones... there are so many opportunities for mistaken identities! And I don't mind if you set your story on the known planets of our star system."
Vance said, "You mentioned 6,000 dollars?"
Thomas confirmed the figure, "It would be 18,000 for a complete trilogy. Tell me the name of your hotel and I'll wire you a 3,000 dollar advance today for the first novel."
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| Bill Baird |
Thomas set down the receiver and flopped into a chair. "Well, he did not say no."
Wendy went and sat in Thomas' lap. "Don't worry about anything, Thomas. By the time we reach London, Vance will be writing his John Genesaunt novel."
"Who is John Genesaunt?"
Wendy whispered in his ear, "Forget I said anything. You'll get to read the entire story when Vance mails it to you."
Thomas asked, "Are you from the future or do you just View the future?" Growing up with a mother who could peer into the future had given Thomas a keen appreciation for the trickery of time travelers.
Wendy rested her head on Thomas' shoulder. "I'm sorry to tease you, but I really can't tell you too much about your future. If you behave yourself, I'll swing back here after my work is done in Europe and maybe I can bring you a copy of the first few chapters of Jack's new novel."
Thomas put his arms around Wendy. "I could get used to having you around. You are smart and fun and I feel like I've known you my whole life. Just to make sure, I think I would like to kiss you."
Wendy kissed his cheek. "That's sweet, but for now only I may kiss you. Otherwise we'd get carried away. We'd spend the next few days in bed together and I'd miss my ship for London."
Thomas said, "I suppose you've viewed that as a possible future." Wendy smiled and nodded. "Well, I'm willing to risk it. I'm fascinated by you and your alien genes, your fake British accent. I almost feel like I can see into your thoughts."
"Thomas, our minds are linked and our subconscious thoughts are mingling. We both like what we've found in each other... I know your thoughts are pure and true and devoted to the poor bumbling humans of Earth. However, you have to get your new career as a book publisher underway. Get Campbell's silly sequel into print and then I'll be back from Europe and you can start really getting to know me. I'll be able to stay in New York for nearly a month when I return."
Thomas gently stroked her hair. "I'm infatuated by you. I'll suffer without you here. Do you really have to go to London?"
Wendy explained, "I've put some nanites into you. They are in control of your brain and forcing you to be intrigued by my existence and my uniqueness. I've given you no choice but to like me, which is only fair because I was carefully designed to like you, too... and I've had to watch you for years. It has been very hard for me... having to wait so long to be with you." She added, "If you knew how heavy-handed I've been in shaping your thoughts, you'd probably hate me."
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| Image source |
"I doubt that. I'm sure you have good reasons for what you are doing. I am curious about your origins... who was it that designed you to be my soul mate?"
Wendy had a devious grin on her face. "I'd rather not say. I'd like us both to believe that I'm simply an enchanted goddess who you cannot resist."
Thomas laughed. "Very well, I'll allow you some secrets. However, I can't imagine why you are so concerned over a few silly science fiction stories."
"Well, if you must know, Vance's trilogy is going to go well beyond the usual Sci Fi silliness. He's going to reveal some secrets of alien technology and some details of how human history has been shaped and guided by alien visitors to Earth."
"I see." Thomas asked, "Isn't that dangerous? My mother warned me to avoid attracting the attention of Earth's Overseers."
"I've seen into the future, Thomas. The works of science fiction that get written by Jack Vance are going to become very important for making Earthlings aware of their past and how aliens have shaped the history of Earth. We are now all working under the terms of the Trysta-Grean Pact. The Overseers are pulling out and abandoning Observer Base."
Thomas suggested, "Maybe I can now tell the world about my mother and her origins in the far future."
Wendy slowly shook her head. "No. Time travel is a special problem, Thomas. Very soon now, all further time travel will become impossible."
Thomas asked, "How can that be?"
Wendy replied, "Don't ask me to explain the physics of it."
Thomas ran his hands over Wendy's lovely contours. "I believe in your existence because I can feel you and hear your sweet voice. I've never really been able to fully believe in time travel, even though my mother has always been convinced that she traveled here to this time from millions of years in the future."
Wendy pulled herself away from Thomas and went to the table where she had set her purse. She pulled out a small object and handed it to Thomas. He watched as it expanded and grew in his hands then lit up with neatly printed text. At the top of the first page was "Four Johns by Jack Vance" and below "Ultimate Publishing (1964)". Wendy told Thomas, "That's from the future, the first novel in the Genesaunt Trilogy."
Thomas was intrigued by both the device that was displaying the text and the story itself. "Who are the four Johns?"
"The trilogy is about a man named John Genesaunt, an astronaut. But there is also John's replicoid and a teleportation duplicate of John and, by the end, a clone of John... so there are four different copies of John."
Thomas asked, "What is a 'replicoid'?"
Wendy laughed. "That is not easy to explain. In this case, think of John's replicoid as an artificial life form that contains a copy of John's mind. Please be satisfied with this incomplete explanation and don't ask additional questions such as who it is that creates replicoids and for what purpose."
Thomas had discovered how to move page by page through the story using the electronic reading device. For a few minutes he read the early part of the story. John Genesaunt, experienced pilot, became the man in charge of getting cargo and passengers from Earth to the bases on the Moon. Thomas was reminded of the real world John Glenn. He skimmed to the end of the novel and read the last page. "John dies?"
Wendy giggled. "That's a cliff hanger. Look Thomas, I'm showing you this to convince you that time travel is real... at least for a little while longer." She grabbed back the reading device and collapsed it, then put it into her pocket. "The second book in the trilogy is called Room to Die. Everyone on Earth believes that John has died when a rocket malfunctions and zooms past the Moon, heading into deep space. John's wealthy father, Earl Genesaunt, learns that the U.S. Space Command created clones of all their astronauts."
Thomas shook his head. "Secretly cloning humans?"
Wendy nodded. "Earl runs a pharmaceuticals research company. He is contacted by John's replicoid and told to inject the young clone of John with experimental drugs. Eventually, that allows the clone to make telepathic contact with the teleportation duplicate of John."
Thomas nodded. "So there is space travel and teleportation in the story?"
"And space elevators, electromagnetic mass launchers, giant space stations... Vance goes all out with the future technology. The teleporter technology is controlled by aliens who are trying to guide the people of Earth into a safe future. The Earthlings don't understand telepathy or teleportation, but it is discovered that the teleportation duplicate of John is living at a secret alien base of operations called Observer Base."
Thomas asked, "So Vance writes about the Earth Overseers?"
"Yes, he does. The problem is, nobody on Earth understands the Hierion Domain. The clone of John can telepathically communicate with the copy of John at Observer Base, but even the teleportation duplicate of John does not understand where he is or how to return to Earth. However, he has been told by the Overseers that the original copy of John Genesaunt is not dead: he was sent to the Galactic Core. That's where the second novel in the trilogy ends."
"Ha! Another cliff hanger. Does John ever return to Earth?"
"That's the issue in the third and final novel. I don't want to spoil it by telling you the ending."
Thomas complained, "Wendy, don't be mean! You've told me so much already."
"I've told you too much. The last book is called Human Theory. It tries to explain the alien theory of human evolution... how humans were designed and what the future of Earthly civilization is intended be. But I can't risk you blurting any of this out to Vance before he invents the story."
Thomas put his arms around Wendy and asked, "You are going to erase all this from my memories?"
She shook her head. "I do not need to erase the details of the trilogy from your mind, only suppress them. Later, when you read what Vance writes you will remember this day." She gently brushed her lips against those of Thomas, then he slumped to the floor and Wendy began the work of storing away his recent memories so that he would not be able to consciously access them until a future time after the Genesaunt Trilogy had been written.
In just a few short days, Thomas had grown comfortable being with Wendy. Now, feeling lonely, he went to the Ultimate Publishing office to work. On his desk he found a postcard from the future, left there by Wendy.
Related Reading: another Wendy adventure
My 2019 Change Challenge blog post
Next: The Bicephalid Intervention
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