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Man of Two Worlds

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_Man of Two Worlds_ (1951) was Raymond F. Jones's first published novel. It was originally serialized as "Renaissance" in _Astounding_ in 1944. The United States was in the throes of World War II, and so the July cover by Fred Haucke was a bit of a curiosity. The upper three quarters of the cover was an illustration of a scene early in the novel, while the lower section was an ad for U.S. Savings Bonds.

I have frequently expressed irritation at reviews that state "this novel knocked my socks off..." And yet, that sentence is a fair description of my reaction when I read it for the first time as a teenager. I have read it several times since then with a more critical eye. The prose, I now realize, is a bit on the pulpish side. And there are places where the narrative bogs down for a bit. But on the balance, _Man of Two Worlds_ still holds up reasonably well today.

The novel involves a scientific genius and compulsive rebel who lives in a curious society called Kronweld. He is making some discoveries in biology that his culture considers shocking, repulsive, and taboo. His misadventures eventually lead him into exile on another world-- Earth. But it is not exactly the Earth that we know. Jones does not reveal the mystery of the two worlds right away. He feeds us clue after tantalizing clue without telegraphing his solution. When the explanation does come, it is followed by a lot of twists and turns and conflicts before a resolution is reached.

Raymond F. Jones has sometimes been criticised because the themes of his stories were too much like the ideas of John W. Campbell, Jr. That seems to me to be a small bone to pick. Jones was a consistently good craftsman, and _Man of Two Worlds_ represents him at the top of his form.

_Note_: This novel should not be confused with a novel of the same title by Frank and Brian Herbert.