Thought Waves

Thought waves in the Ekcolir Reality

 In my previous blog post, I commented on a story called "The Element of Logic" by R. R. Winterbotham and I tried to imagine how such stories as that one might have influenced Isaac Asimov to invent his own imaginary chemical, thiotimoline. The titular "element" in Winterbotham's story is a newly discovered chemical element.

Figure 1. Timeline of discovery; new elements (source)

 Figure 1 illustrates the rate of discovery of the chemical elements. 

a Crookes tube

It would be fun to have a similar graph showing the years when a new imaginary chemical was included in a published science fiction story.

After the discovery of rhenium (the last of the stable elements to be found) in 1925, there was a pause of a dozen years before another chemical element was discovered (technecium). I wonder if some real-world element such as rhenium or protoactinium (originally called uranium-X) was the inspiration for E. E. Smith's imaginary substance "metal X" which made interstellar travel possible in his Skylark stories. Apparently, protactinium was isolated in 1900 by William Crookes, but he guessed it was an isotope of uranium. 

Winterbotham imagined a chemical element that could transform other substances, causing them to shrink. E. E. Smith imagined that "metal X" could trigger the release of energy from common substances like copper while simultaneously generating thrust that could push a spaceship through outer space.

interior art for "The Thought-Woman"

Crookes was trained as a chemist, but he was among early investigators of electrons in the form of cathode rays. The Crookes tube could produce a "beam" of electrons, but Crookes did not make the conceptual leap that was required to recognize electrons as a sub-atomic particle.

"The Thought-Woman", published in the July 1940 issue of Super Science Stories was a short story by Ray Cummings that mentions Crookes (see the image below 👇). The interior art on page 1 of "The Thought-Woman" (see the image to the right on this page) seems to show gigantic glass tubes. In the story, Stanley Durrant is a young inventor who is trying to invent... something. Ray Cummings never bothered to tell readers exactly what it is that Stanley is working on. The artist for Super Science Stories was free to draw whatever he wanted to illustrate the contents of the Realm of Unthought Things.

excerpt from "The Thought-Woman"

Stanley's friend, Dorothy, really likes Stanley 💕, but he is only concerned with his work. Then one day she tells Stanley about the Realm of Unthought Things. Stanley is amused by the concept of a "place" where all future inventions already exist, waiting for someone to think of them and bring them into the real world.

Thought Waves. But then Stanley "hears" a voice and soon he is off on an other-worldly adventure to visit the Realm of Unthought Things. Eventually, Stanley realizes that he should pay more attention to the cute Dorothy. One way of interpreting the story is that Dorothy has some telepathic powers and was able to put ideas into Stanley's head.

Crookes, 1898 (source)

In 1998 William Crookes was president of both the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Society for Psychical Research. In a speech given at a meeting of the former, Crookes suggested the possibility that telepathy might be a real phenomenon (see the image to the right). Crookes also admitted that evidence to support the existence of telepathy was lacking, but he suggested the possibility that scientific research might discover a mechanism for telepathic communication.

Crookes, 1898 (source)

Crookes suggested that within the brain there might be molecular processes that create "thought waves". He argued in analogy to the way that radioactive elements can emit "rays" which were still quite mysterious in 1898. Crookes proposed that a science of Experimental Psychology would reveal the unconscious workings of the human mind and I think he was suggesting that human telepathy might operate outside of our normal conscious awareness.

Dr. Lego, the great inventor, meets
a cute Star Trek Barbie in
the Realm of Unthought Things
the Ekcolir Reality

Previously, I've imagined that in the Ekcolir Reality, the analogue of Ray Cummings was a woman named Reynette. In one of my stories featuring the Rey analogue, I included the idea that:

The Reynette at the Writers Block even wrote an autobiographical book: An Unthought Thing: My Life in Science Fiction. 

Enchantment. "The Thought-Woman" is a kind of magical fantasy story about the magic that Dorothy works on Stanley.

I've previously mentioned some stories with "enchanted" in the title. Maybe in the Ekcolir Reality there was a science fiction story written by Reynette Cummings about an "Enchanted Inventor" and a device that allows humans to access the Sedron Time Stream.

Jocelyn, Clair and Gaynor

 On to Europa.  In the July 1940 issue of Super Science Stories was a very short story called "Europa Enchantment" by Henry Andrew Ackermann.

However, before getting to read "Europa Enchantment", I ran into "Before the Universe", apparently some sort of collaborative work by C. M. Kornbluth and Frederik Pohl. Jocelyn Earle, a reporter for Helio, must investigate the latest work-in-progress of two super-geniuses, Clair and Gaynor. She soon learns that they are working on a little spaceship (called Prototype) to be powered by the mysterious element 99. 

Figure 2. Interior art for "Nova Midplane".

 Element 99. Jocelyn goes along on the first element 99-powered journey and the three adventurers find themselves at the beginning of the universe. In the story, element 99 is greatly effected by a mysterious force: protomagnetism. Readers are told that Prototype is pulled by protomagnetism to the beginning of time where its mere presence triggers the formation of our universe. The story ends with Jocelyn, Clair and Gaynor struggling to return home. They reach a mysterious planet just as their supply of food is running out. According to the ISFDB, this was just the first of three "Clair and Gaynor" stories.

 LGBPDQT? Since these stories were written in the 1940s the clues are subtle and I can't tell if Kornbluth and Pohl tried, at the start of the saga, to depict Clair and Gaynor as bisexuals living together happily as a couple.  

Jocelyn in the Ekcolir Reality

 The not too alien Gaylen. The second story in the series, "Nova Midplane", begins on the planet that was discovered at the end of "Before the Universe". This exoplanet is populated by the alien Gaylen, who use "mechanical educators" to quickly teach the Earthlings their language. The Gaylen explain that their sun is soon to explode as a nova, so Jocelyn, Clair and Gaynor have to quickly move on. They take along one of the Gaylen, a woman named Ionic Intersection. Clair announces that in order to get back to Earth, all they have to do is think carefully about Earth and they will be transported back home. As the Prototype enters the Solar System, Captain Clair performs two quick marriage ceremonies, one for he and Ionic Intersection and then one for Jocelyn and Gaynor. Don't ask me to explain the interior art (Figure 2) for "Nova Midplane" or the title of the story. Maybe the editor cut out the racy part of the story depicting how Clair met and fell in love with the sexy alien, Ionic Intersection.

Figure 3. Zirconium Transformer.

 End of the World? Don't worry about the rest of the Gaylen. Knowing that their planet would be super-heated when their star went nova, they genetically engineered an artificial lifeform that would be able to survive on their world after it was toasted by the nova. They were all prepared to transfer their minds into these lizard-like creatures when their star went nova.

Also in the November 1940 issue of Super Science Stories was "Cepheid Planet" by Winterbotham. This story makes little sense, but by the end of the story, a plan is hatched to take oxygen from a distant oxygen-rich star system and use it to terraform Saturn. In case you are wondering, the secret of interstellar travel is to use a HiTek™  Zirconium Transformer (see Figure 3). Sadly, the interior artwork for the story makes the HiTek™ zirconium-powered spaceship look like a 20th century ocean liner with a steam boiler room.

Oxygen storm.

 Oxygen Storm. I've long been amazed by the various types of "space storms" imagined by pulp science fiction story tellers. In "Cepheid Planet", a spaceship from Earth travels to Alpha Seymo, a star which is rich in zirconium. However, Alpha Seymo is a Cepheid variable and it periodically creates a dangerous "oxygen storm" that sweeps through space and hits a nearby Earth-like planet. Each time that the oxygen level on the planet suddenly rises, that causes dry plant material to burst into flames. 

mercury-secreting animals

Cepheid Crisis. Being subjected to periodic oxygen storms, the animals of the planet have evolved in such a way that they all secrete a protective layer of mercury that shields them from dangerously high oxygen levels.

"Cepheid Planet" is set in a future time when their are human colonies on planets of the Solar System including Mercury, Mars and Saturn. Interstellar travel has only recently become possible, but zirconium is so rare in our Solar System that only one zirconium-powered spaceship can be built. The obvious priority is to visit an exoplanet where more zirconium can be obtained, so it is off to the Alpha Seymo star system, 500 light-years away.  🚀 Due to the wonders of zirconium, the trip only takes a month.

The green oxygen clouds of Alpha Seymo? (image source)

text from "Cepheid Planet"

 "Cepheid Planet" is a strangely contorted story which deals with the man who built the first Zirconium Transformer on Mercury (his name is Seymo). Mr. Seymo's invention was stolen from him and he was sent to prison on Saturn. 

After doing hard time on Saturn, Seymo has a chance to redeem himself. He is taken along on the trip to Alpha Seymo, a variable star that has been named after him. It is hard to tell if this story was originally longer and more coherent before being brutally edited by Pohl.

cover by Gabriel Mayorga

Apparently Super Science Stories had a tiny budget and many of the stories were either written by the editor (Pohl) or were stories previously rejected by other magazines. Asimov's first robot story was rejected by Astounding and published under the title "Strange Playfellow" in the September 1940 issue of Super Science Stories. That title, "Strange Playfellow", was provided by Pohl. Later, when the story was re-published as part of the collection I, Robot, Asimov returned to the original title, "Robbie".

Return to Europa. After being diverted to the November 1940 issue of Super Science Stories (see above) I was finally able to return to the July 1940 issue to read "Europa Enchantment". Henry Andrew Ackermann imagined that there are forests on Europa and also humanoids with feathers, beaks and four arms (see the image below). 

Athora the birdwoman 🐥 of Europa.

The story opens on Europa with Athora the birdwoman 🐥 planning to attack the dwelling of two settlers from Earth. Athora gathers her tribeswomen 🐥🐥 for the attack, but they chicken out when they hear many human voices coming from inside the dwelling. They don't realize that the multitude of voices are coming from a radio set. The birdwomen call off their attack and run away. 🐥

fanatics in the Ekcolir Reality

According to this page, Henry was the cousin of Forrest J Ackerman. I'm a sucker for self-referential fiction so I read Henry Ackermann's "Fanatics of Mercury" in the December 1942 issue of Future Fantasy and Science Fiction (you can get a copy here). In Henry's short story, Fanatics of Mercury is a novel written by Commander Monte Maurice Montross and it is the latest in his exciting Interplanetary Series which includes other novels such as Lunatics of Luna, Hellions of Ganymede and Horrors of Kobar Cunn.

Commander Montross has a problem. Readers are bored with his repetitive plots and he cooks up a publicity stunt to boost sales of his next novel 💰. The stunt relies on the help of a dedicated fan who calls himself Jack Teagarden. However, Jack's real name is actually Oliver Tolliver. The fact that Jack uses a fake name ends up foiling the Commander's publicity stunt 💸.

Mars in the Ekcolir Reality.

 Propontis. Henry Ackermann seems to have been a fan of the old planetary adventures. Henry's story "South to Propontis" was published in the Fall 1941 issue of Planet Stories. Readers of this tale are expected to accept the idea that the surface of Mars is a burning hot desert with plenty of air available for visiting Earthlings to breath. 

interior art for "South to Propontis"

"South to Propontis" features diamond mining on Mars. This is a Mars where the Martians have degenerated into savages, but there are still some ancient ruins of a former Martian civilization. Henry Ackermann also imagined native birds on Mars (see the image to the right).

In "South to Propontis", Don Moffat hopes to escape from Mars with his diamonds and go to Earth. He has to contend with a band of Martians who are trying to repair an ancient Martian machine. If he fails to get the machine working, Don will be fed to the birds.

Figure 4. Interior art for "Return from M-15"

 Donald A. Wollheim, editor. Another pulp science magazine that featured plenty of stories published under fake names was the short-lived Cosmic Stories magazine. Another story published under the name of "S. D. Gottesman" was "Return from M-15" (1941). M-15 is planetoid near Mercury with a secret prison that is used by corrupt officials at the Evil™ World Research Syndicate as a way to get rid of trouble-makers like inventor Dr. Barney Train.

Hypnotism. Dr. Train tries to sell an amazing new invention to the Syndicate, but his price is high. He is hustled off to the M-15 prison.  Arriving at M-15, Dr. Train is ordered to work. The M-15 base manufactures Thalenium, a narcotic drug. Dr. Train hypnotizes a guard and soon he escapes from M-15 and goes back to Earth. Dr. Train's invention is the device shown in Figure 4. 

Figure 5. The
portwem experience.

It might look like a blaster, but Dr. Train's device is a magic ray gun that can trigger the instant transmutation of elements. The Evil™ Director of the World Research Syndicate is turned into a golden statue. Dr. Train takes control of the World Research Syndicate, intent on ending its Evil™ practices.

Mind Sense. In that same March 1941 issue of Cosmic Stories was "The Secret Sense" by Isaac Asimov. In a 2019 blog post I briefly mentioned "The Secret Sense" and the fact that it was rejected by Astounding editor John Campbell. In 2019 I gave this one sentence summary of "The Secret Sense": "Asimov imagined that the human brain has a latent capacity to sense electric fields." Eventually, Asimov began writing stories about people and robots who could detect tiny (electrical?) signals emanating from brains, allowing them to have mind-reading abilities. Asimov's 1941 story features Martians who have a "secret sense". A nosy human learns about the Martian secret and insists on having the opportunity to experience the secret Martian sense for himself.

Figure 6. Excerpt from "The Secret Sense".

The Martians do not have very good sensory organs, but they have a sense modality that acts directly on brain cells. Asimov imagined Martians who lived in underground cities and their sense of vision did not include the ability to detect colors. However, Martians have the ability to sense electric currents flowing through wires. The martians make use of a device, the portwem, to create enjoyable electrical signals that stimulate their brains (see Figure 6).

the challenge of visually depicting telepathy

 The Wonders of Chemistry. Don't imagine that the portwem is irrelevant to humans. Asimov depicted humans as have a small number of brain cells that are sensitive to electric fields. When boosted by a special chemical substance, those human brain cells can allow a person to experience the wonders of the portwem. However, as depicted in Asimov's story, after five minutes, such stimulation destroys those electric field-detecting cells in the human brain. 

Nyrturians

 Telepathy? Asimov imagined that the Martians would keep their special sense secret from humans because they know that some humans will not be able to resist "listening" to portwem "music", but then, after an amazing 5 minute super-sensory experience, they will regret for the rest of their life never being able to "hear" the Martian music again. The artist for "The Secret Sense" faced the problem of illustrating this imaginary sensory experience (see Figure 5). Might an ability to sense electromagnetic fields allow for a form of telepathy?

The End of Eternity. I've long imagined that Asimov depicted Noÿs Lambent as having telepathic abilities. Maybe she put ideas into Harlan's mind by using some kind of technology-assisted telepathy that was developed millions of years in the future by Asterothropes.

image source

After many years of curiosity about the tale, I finally read Asimov's first-draft version of The End of Eternity. Did Asimov include telepathy in that first draft of the story?

Previously, I complained about Jack Vance's novels Big Planet and The Gray Prince which read like inferior first drafts of some of his later novels. Similarly, I did not expect too much from "The End of Eternity" as presented in The Alternate Asimovs.

Time Loop. The early version of "The End of Eternity" begins with Cooper, and it is through Cooper's eyes that we are introduced to the cigarette-smoking man: Computer Twissell. Twissell is part of a loop in time by which time travel must be used to allow the invention of time travel.

changing the shape of time

 When is Harlan? In the story, there is also a character called "Anders Horemm" who comes from the 95th century, but first we are introduced to Attrell, a Life Plotter, before Horemm walks on stage. Attrell is tasked with trying to find people in Time who can be given a life-saving anti-cancer medicine (that is obtained from their future) under conditions that will not disrupt Earth's timeline. In the final published version of The End of Eternity, the "Anders Horemm" character became Andrew Harlan.

Temporal Momentum. In the early draft version of "The End of Eternity", Asimov introduced the idea that the historical timeline of Earth is resistant to change. The course of historical events tends to remain fairly constant unless a way is found to trigger a "quantum change" and push the shape of time into a dramatically new form. A momentum of time can usually cancel-out the "butterfly effect", preventing "random" Reality Changes.

1971 - Cover art by Paul Lehr.
This was the edition of The End of Eternity
that I first owned during my SF golden age.

Horemm is depicted as investigating the "Mallom Mystery" and having located Cooper in Time. In this version of the story, Twissell takes Cooper on a trip to the far future in a time kettle so he can witness a Reality Change (Asimov originally used the term "quantum change").

A "retired" Computer, Manfield, is the expert in primitive history who prepares Cooper to travel into the far downwhen as part of the Eternity time loop. After Horemm loses Noÿs 💕 to a Reality Change, he cracks (he is literally depicted as going insane) and sends Cooper to the 20th century. In this version of the story, there is no hint of Noÿs being from the far future and having telepathic powers. 

Lost in Time. It is then up to Manfield to find Cooper. Manfield is successful and Eternity does NOT end. The only apparent change caused by Horemm is that in the new Reality, it is Manfield who smokes cigarettes, not Twissell.

Alternate Asimov

I'm glad I finally read the early version of "The End of Eternity". The world is very lucky that when Asimov tried to publish the first version, it was rejected. The full-length novel is a much more interesting story, although many core features are there to be seen in the "first draft". 

Apparently, Asimov tried to get The End of Eternity published in Astounding, but Campbell rejected the story. I can't say that I'm surprised. Asimov was very blunt in depicting cigarette smoking as a disgusting habit. I'm sure that Campbell was not amused to have his nicotine addiction mocked.

Related Reading: more commentary on The End of Eternity.

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