(Found) Classic Science Fiction novel where protagonist is evolved after spaceflight

[RRH3000]

Hi! I've been trying to find the title and author for a science fiction novel I once read so that I can seek it out to reread. It was probably published between 1950-1970 (I'm thinking the '60s) and the story starts with a human pilot and a primate going on a FTL spaceflight, which ends up evolving them.

I remember scenes near the end of the book where the man discovers that among his evolved abilities is the power to reverse his sensory processes. For example, he could generate sounds by thinking of one first in his head first, then making his auditory organs generate that sound so that his ear projected it outward so others could actually hear it. The same for his vision; he could imagine what he'd like to see, then his eyes would project the light image so that others would think it's real. It was a far-out concept but quite interesting. I remember him using this ability at the climax of the book in order to avoid being captured by a group of adversaries; he would use the power as a way of distracting them so he could escape. Anyway, I hope that any of this sparks a recollection among one of the forum's members so that I can rediscover this novel. Thanks in advance!

 

[RRH3000]

Oh, and for some reason, I recall the primate being a tarsier, but I'm not certain.

 

[BAYLOR]

Concept wise it sounds interesting , but I’ve not herd of this book before. I almost sounds like a story that could by writers such as Cordwainer Smith , R A Lafferty or maybe Phillip K Dick?

 

[RRH3000]

I was reading a ton of science fiction books from the library during this time in the late 1990s, and among my favorites were novels and short stories by authors such as Phillip K. Dick, Cordwainer Smith, Alfred Bester, Robert Sheckley, Bob Shaw, Leigh Brackett, Edmond Hamilton, Brian Aldiss, Poul Anderson, Theodore Sturgeon, Philip Wylie, Clifford D. Simak, Fredrick Pohl, Robert Silverberg, Jack Vance, and more. I know if I saw the title I'd recognize it, but even if it was one of these authors (and it might not be) that's an awful lot of bibliographical listings to search through!

It's funny, when I was looking just now for keywords on the net, I came across this four-year old question on Reddit that sounds like it might be the same book I'm looking for:

"Science fiction novel, futuristic, faster than light experiment resulting in a monkey possessed by all of Hell.​

"It focuses on a scientist for a research project into the first faster than light travel ship. Near future ish, like kinda minority report aesthetic I think. They send a monkey on the ship. He starts having dreams of that same monkey devouring the earth ‘with a giant claw that snatched the planet like a baboon grabbing fruit’ (or something very similar to that is about the only sentence I remember. He posits a theory to his AI about this, and the AI states the monkey is possibly possessed by unlimited demons, says infinity symbol. Feeds from the ship are cut after he hears the monkey chanting demonic sh*t, and the ship is set to return to earths armosphere automatically. There’s a cult trying to make this happen as the scientist tries to stop it, and I think he eventually sends the probe into the sun? And he might have had a son who gets kidnapped? There’s a car chase and he drives with a joystick too?"​

I don't remember the monkey being such a key figure in the plot, as I was more interested in the evolved powers of the protagonist, but it could be the same book.

 

[BAYLOR]

I was reading a ton of science fiction books from the library during this time in the late 1990s, and among my favorites were novels and short stories by authors such as Phillip K. Dick, Cordwainer Smith, Alfred Bester, Robert Sheckley, Bob Shaw, Leigh Brackett, Edmond Hamilton, Brian Aldiss, Poul Anderson, Theodore Sturgeon, Philip Wylie, Clifford D. Simak, Fredrick Pohl, Robert Silverberg, Jack Vance, and more. I know if I saw the title I'd recognize it, but even if it was one of these authors (and it might not be) that's an awful lot of bibliographical listings to search through!

It's funny, when I was looking just now for keywords on the net, I came across this four-year old question on Reddit that sounds like it might be the same book I'm looking for:

"Science fiction novel, futuristic, faster than light experiment resulting in a monkey possessed by all of Hell.​

"It focuses on a scientist for a research project into the first faster than light travel ship. Near future ish, like kinda minority report aesthetic I think. They send a monkey on the ship. He starts having dreams of that same monkey devouring the earth ‘with a giant claw that snatched the planet like a baboon grabbing fruit’ (or something very similar to that is about the only sentence I remember. He posits a theory to his AI about this, and the AI states the monkey is possibly possessed by unlimited demons, says infinity symbol. Feeds from the ship are cut after he hears the monkey chanting demonic sh*t, and the ship is set to return to earths armosphere automatically. There’s a cult trying to make this happen as the scientist tries to stop it, and I think he eventually sends the probe into the sun? And he might have had a son who gets kidnapped? There’s a car chase and he drives with a joystick too?"​

I don't remember the monkey being such a key figure in the plot, as I was more interested in the evolved powers of the protagonist, but it could be the same book.

The only one om that list ive not read Bod Shaw.

Off topic a bit , but a few more , I could suggest and I suspect probably know these writers. Henry Kuttner, C L Moore, Curt Siodmak , C M Kornbluth, Stanley Weinbaum , Abraham Merritt . Bernard Wolfe, Jack Williamson, Fred SaberHagen, Harlan Ellison , Abraham Merritt , William Hope Hodgson, Algis Budry , Frederic Hoyle, Rger Zelzany, Keith Laumer , A E van Vogt, James White , L Sprague De Camp , Stanton Coblentz, Jack Finney , George R Stewart , John Wyndham , Lester Del Rey,

In the category of Fantasy , Ive lots those to suggest but will leave that for another time.

 

[RRH3000]

Thanks for the extra suggestions, Baylor! Of your list, I only recall reading Williamson, Kornbluth, and maybe Zelazny.

Oh, and I heartily recommend Bob Shaw. I wouldn't necessarily categorize as a "comedic sci-fi author", as a lot of his stories are serious, but there is an offbeat sense of humor to his work. The novel Who Goes Here?, for example, is packed with clever wit. I also recommend his short story collection Cosmic Kaleidoscope.

 

[BAYLOR]

Thanks for the extra suggestions, Baylor! Of your list, I only recall reading Williamson, Kornbluth, and maybe Zelazny.

Oh, and I heartily recommend Bob Shaw. I wouldn't necessarily categorize as a "comedic sci-fi author", as a lot of his stories are serious, but there is an offbeat sense of humor to his work. The novel Who Goes Here?, for example, is packed with clever wit. I also recommend his short story collection Cosmic Kaleidoscope.

Who Goes There by John W Campbell terrific .

Have you ever read Paris in the 20th Century by Jules Verne ? It was never published his lifetime and its an extraordinarily book in it made some instersting projections about the 20th century. This manuscript t was discovered in 1989 by one of his descendants.

The Star Rover by Jack London is about death Row inmate who discovers he can astral. project himself in his past lives at will . His only fantasy novel and its an amazing read and unlike all his other books . Jack London also writer science fiction .

Bloodstone by Karl Karl Edward Wagner a sci fantasy novel , Kane who immortal ans wants to rule the world get hold a power piece of Alein technology called the Boodstone ring and with it , he plans to conquer the whole world . This a great read and one a 5 book series

Islandia by Austin Taipan Wright a utopian novel about place that never was but wish exited

The Vaults of Yoh -Vombus by Clark Aston Smith one the literary inspiration for the movie Alien

The Plutonian Drug by clark Aston Smith about Dri=ugn that enables you to see the future , the way you see like images from stop movie projector from by fame

Hammers Slammers by David Drake furturitce interglaric mercenaries who fight for pay , ts great stuff.


I will leave it at that

And welcome Chorns

 

[RRH3000]

I will definitely check those out! And thank you!

 

[BAYLOR]

I will definitely check those out! And thank you!

Apologies , forgot to include in the above list.

The Complete Tales of Jules de Gradin by Seabury Quinn , Jules de Grandin is supernatural detective /investigator . He and his site Dr Trowbring investigate hunt down and do battle with the forces supernatural darkness and human chicanery . This series is part Files, Part Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson with dash of Hamrner Horror of i good measure , in all, Quinn wrote 93 of the wonderful adventures including one fun length novel , these stories were written between 1925 and 1951 Night Shade books has collected the whole series in 5 volumes .

I will for sure leave it at that.

 

[RRH3000]

I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes and Watson fan, so that sounds fun and I'll have to check it out!

 

[BAYLOR]

I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes and Watson fan, so that sounds fun and I'll have to check it out!

Seabury Quinn was contemporary of Robert E Howard , H P Lovecrat and Clark Aston Smith , he sent his stories to many of the same publishers as the there did and like them he very prolific but lesser known . He outlived all three of them, dying in 1969 . Over the years , there have been issued some collections of Jules De Grand stories but, never a complete collection until the Nightshade. Books edition.

 

[Yammerhant]

Hi! I've been trying to find the title and author for a science fiction novel I once read so that I can seek it out to reread. It was probably published between 1950-1970 (I'm thinking the '60s) and the story starts with a human pilot and a primate going on a FTL spaceflight, which ends up evolving them.

I remember scenes near the end of the book where the man discovers that among his evolved abilities is the power to reverse his sensory processes. For example, he could generate sounds by thinking of one first in his head first, then making his auditory organs generate that sound so that his ear projected it outward so others could actually hear it. The same for his vision; he could imagine what he'd like to see, then his eyes would project the light image so that others would think it's real. It was a far-out concept but quite interesting. I remember him using this ability at the climax of the book in order to avoid being captured by a group of adversaries; he would use the power as a way of distracting them so he could escape. Anyway, I hope that any of this sparks a recollection among one of the forum's members so that I can rediscover this novel. Thanks in advance!

I think this is The Paradox Men by Charles L. Harness. The protagonist, Alar, possesses exactly the powers mentioned, plus there is a tarsier (which turns out to be a devolved human).

An excerpt:

He closed one eye and concentrated feverishly on the dim tube in the ceiling, trying to reawaken his wonderful power. This time it might save him again, although in a different way. If he could only impinge enough photons of the proper quanta and frequency on the fluorescent coating of the lamp, he believed he could fill in the troughs of the emitted photonwaves and throw the room into darkness.

The light seemed to flicker a little.

His breath was like that of a panting dog and sweat was streaming into his open eye. A few feet in front of him a

Thief raised his blade level with Alar's heart and sighted along it coolly.

Haven's nervous whisper rasped behind him. "Fluorescent light is higher on the spectrum. Raise your frequency a little."

The executioner lunged at him.

The room went dark.

Alar held his left hand over the nasty cut in his chest and slipped away a few feet. Not far—he had to stay in the open in order to control the lamp. Life now would depend on the boldest improvisation.

No one had moved. All around him came the accelerated expectant breathing of the men who wanted to kill him—as soon as they could distinguish his dark form from themselves.

Then—

His right ear heard sounds coming from his left ear:

"Let no one move! Alar must still be in the room. We'll find him as soon as we have a light. Number twenty-four-teen, go immediately to the outer office and obtain emergency lighting." It was a reasonable facsimile of the judge's voice. The danger was, did the judge think so too?

Alar backed off quickly two paces and said in muffled tones, "Yes, sir."

 

[RRH3000]

That's it!! Thank you so much, Yammerhant--you've solved a twenty-five-year mystery!

I never would have guessed it was a 1984 book, though. Although I see it was expanded from a 1949 shorter story, so maybe that's the version I read. I definitely read it in a hardcover format, not a pocket book.

Anyway, thanks again!!

 

[Yammerhant]

I was wondering if I'd got it right! The novel has been reprinted quite a few times, prior to the 1984 edition. I have a very battered copy of the 1976 paperback edition myself.

 

[RRH3000]

I actually think it was the hardcover reprint in the "Classics of Modern Science Fiction" series (Vol. 7; published in 1984) that I'd taken out of the library in the late '90s. The cover--with the seated astronaut and the tarsier at his feet, both surrounded by a sphere of electricity--looks very familiar to me. Thanks again for all your help!