Customer Reviews

Midsummer Century

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This strange science fiction novel is not very well known but it is still one of the most interesting and mind boggling science fiction novels that I have ever read. It mixes the paranormal with science fiction and stretches the limits of ones imagination without becoming implausible or scientifically unacceptable. I first read this novel in Swedish when I was young and more recently in English. The Swedish title was "The World of the Birds" or "The Planet of the Birds".

An accident propels the mind of the young astrophysicist John Martels to the 250th century (23,000 years into the future), or the midsummer century. It should be noted, that according to this novel the mind is a complex self aware electromagnetic field. His mind emerges in the brain-case of a future being with a very powerful mind, the so called Qvant.

Human civilization has fallen and risen again many times and both humans and birds have evolved. In the 250th century the birds have evolved into telepathic and intelligent beings who seek to exterminate their main rivals; the humans. Humans (or the human descendents) of the 250th century have great paranormal powers but are death oriented, and have not used their intelligence to develop an advanced civilization; in fact they are not even interested in organized resistance against the birds. John Martel is thrust into a fight for the continued existence of his own mind as well as a fight for the continued existence of the human race of the future, and that is without being able to use his own physical body. In an odd way this novel also succeeded to fuse the reincarnation of the human mind with the rebirth of civilizations.

The book is full of sharp and unusual visualizations and descriptions. If someone would attempt to illustrate this novel it would make some quite interesting art. If the art of Boris Vallejo (example: Dreams: The Art of Boris Vallejo) could be added to this novel I think we would get a very interesting item. I should say that if you are not into otherworldly and strange stories you may want to pick a more typical science fiction novel.

I should add that a common objection to this book is that John Martel being captive in a brain case for so many years with no sensory input except a mostly static scene, should have driven him crazy. To that I say that he was captive in a brain designed for this purpose and the chemical imbalances or neurological adaptations that would cause "crazy" weren't necessarily there. If we can swallow all the implausible stuff in other science fiction novels, why not this? The mother of all implausibilities, the totally implausible and also illogical concept of time travel backwards in time (and place) was not allowed in this book. I should also mention that John Martels was not stuck in the brain case the whole time, that was just a part of the book.

It took thirty-five years for me to find this book (thanks Google!)....I remember reading it; the cover was missing, and it was hard to fing again!
Martels still haunts me...the creepy birds in the creepy towers. It's time for a re-read...