This science fiction novel from 1959 blends several themes. At the heart of the novel is a First Contact encounter with aliens called The Others. The First Contact doesn’t go well (no surprise there). A band of super secret scientists work to manipulate Earth and its colony worlds (a lot like Asimov’s FOUNDATION). A rogue billionaire threatens the entire Galaxy (shades of Donald Trump!). That’s a lot to pack into 159 pages, but John Brunner handles all of these conflicts with aplomb. If you’re in the mood for a pulpy SF novel with Big Ideas, give the The World Swappers a try.
Love the covers George – it has been decades since I read anything by Brunner – read a lot of SF in my teens and early twenties but not much since then, has to be said …
Sergio, John Brunner was one of those SF writers who improved over the years. Brunner was winning a Hugo Award ten years after THE WORLD SWAPPERS with STAND ON ZANZIBAR.
On the bottom left cover… Are those globes below the smiling face supposed to be worlds or boobs?
Dan, I could go either way.
Planets, as in The World Swappers.
Rick, good point.
Make that Bottom right!
Dan, it’s a toss-up.
I read the Ace Double edition of this one long ago. I read several of Brunner’s books in Ace Doubles, as I recall. Good stuff.
I know him from the later stuff (STAND ON ZANZIBAR) but I agree – love the “boob” cover.
Not “boobs”, planets, as in The WORLD Swappers. Sheesh.
Rick, I’m just teasing. Lighten up.
Jeff, ACE Books always had great cover artwork!
I liked the Brunner I read, but never made any effort to seek other books by him. This is one I missed.
Rick, the early Brunner SF novels are very pulpy. But, the later novels like THE JAGGED ORBIT and STAND ON ZANZIBAR are much more sophisticated and complex.
Brunner wrote a lot of good books in very different styles over the years – here’s my list (1=novels, 3= collections of stories)
Strange: He died of a heart attack in Glasgow on 25 August 1995 (only 61 years old …), while attending the World Science Fiction Convention there.
0BRUNNER JOHN = KEITH WOODCOTT (+1995 AT WORLDCON)
%VICTIMS OF THE NOVA = AVENGERS OF CARRIG+POLYMATH+REPAIRMEN OF CYCLOPS
1A MAZE OF STARS
1A PLANET OF YOUR OWN
1AGE OF MIRACLES = THE DAY OF THE STAR CITIES = IM ZEITALTER DER WUNDER
1THE ALTAR ON ASCONEL (CONTAINED IN : INTERSTELLAR EMPIRE)
1THE ATLANTIC ABOMINATION
1THE AVENGERS OF CARRIG = SECRET AGENT OF TERRA
1BEDLAM PLANET
1BORN UNDER MARS
1CATCH A FALLING STAR = THE 100TH MILLENNIUM (EXPANDED)
1CHILDREN OF THE THUNDER
1THE CRUCIBLE OF TIME = DIE GUSSFORM DER ZEIT
1DOUBLE, DOUBLE = DOPPELGAENGER
1THE DRAMATURGES OF YAN
1THE DREAMING EARTH = TRAEUMENDE ERDE
1ENIGMA FROM TANTALUS
1THE EVIL THAT MEN DO
1FATHER OF LIES
1I SPEAK FOR EARTH (AS KEITH WOODCOTT)
1THE INFINITIVE OF GO = DER INFINITIV VON GO
1INTO THE SLAVE NEBULA = SLAVERS OF SPACE
1THE JAGGED ORBIT = DAS GOTTSCHALK-KOMPLOTT
1LADDER IN THE SKY (AS KEITH WOODCOTT)
1THE LONG RESULT = BOTSCHAFT AUS DEM ALL
1MANSHAPE = ENDLESS SHADOW (BASED ON : BRIDGE TO AZRAEL)
1THE MARTIAN SPHINX (AS KEITH WOODCOTT)
1MEETING AT INFINITY
1MORE THINGS IN HEAVEN = THE ASTRONAUTS MUST NOT LAND = MEHR DINGE ZWISCHEN H
1MUDDLE EARTH (NEW IN 93)
1NOT BEFORE TIME
1PLAYERS AT THE GAME OF PEOPLE
1POLYMATH = CASTAWAY’S WORLD
1THE PRODUCTIONS OF TIME = PROBE FUER DIE ZUKUNFT
1PSIONIC MENACE (AS KEITH WOODCOTT)
1QUICKSAND = TREIBSAND
1THE REPAIRMEN OF CYCLOPS
1THE RITES OF OHE
1SANCTUARY IN THE SKY
1THE SHEEP LOOK UP = SCHAFE BLICKEN AUF
1THE SHIFT KEY (SIGNED)
1THE SHOCKWAVE RIDER = DER SCHOCKWELLENREITER
1THE SPACE-TIME JUGGLER
1THE SQUARES OF THE CITY = DIE PLAETZE DER STADT
1STAND ON ZANZIBAR = MORGENWELT
1THE STARDROPPERS = LISTEN, THE STARS
1THE STONE THAT NEVER CAME DOWN = DIE DUNKLEN JAHRE
1THE SUPER BARBARIANS
1THRESHHOLD OF ETERNITY = DER GROSSE ZEITKRIEG
1THE TIDES OF TIME
1TIMES WITHOUT NUMBER
1TIMESCOOP
1TO CONQUER CHAOS = WAECHTER DER STERNSTATION
1TOTAL ECLIPSE = DAS GEHEIMNIS DER DRACONIER
1THE TRAVELLER IN BLACK = REISENDER IN SCHWARZ
1THE WEBS OF EVERYWHERE = WEB OF EVERYWHERE = VERBOTENE KODIERUNGEN
1THE WHOLE MAN = TELEPATHIST = DER GANZE MENSCH
1THE WORLD SWAPPERS = EIN PLANET ZU VERSCHENKEN
1THE WRONG END OF TIME = AM FALSCHEN ENDE DER ZEIT
3THE BOOK OF JOHN BRUNNER
3ENTRY TO ELSEWHEN
3FROM THIS DAY FORWARD
3INTERSTELLAR EMPIRE = SIE SCHENKTEN UNS DIE STERNE
3NO FUTURE IN IT
3NO OTHER GODS BUT ME
3NOW, THEN
3OUT OF MY MIND
3TIME JUMP
9A HASTILY THROWN TOGETHER PIECE OF ZORK (POEMS ?)
9A PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR CAUSES ?
9THE DAYS OF MARCH (NO SF, NOVEL ABOUT PEACE MOVEMENT)
9ECHO IN THE SKULL = GIVE WARNING TO THE WORLD = WARNUNG AN DIE WELT
9GALACTIC STORM (FIRST NOVEL, AS GIL HUNT)
9THE GAUDY SHADOWS ?
9GOOD MEN DO NOTHING ?
9THE GREAT STEAMBOAT RACE (HISTORICAL NOVEL)
9HONKY IN THE WOODPILE (NO SF) (MAX CURFEW SERIES)
9INTERSTELLAR EMPIRES (ED)
9THE SKYNAPPERS
9TOMORROW MAY BE EVEN WORSE (POEMS)
9TOOTH AND CLAW (NEW IN 88?)
9THE BRINK (1959 ?)
Wolf, very impressive!
Thanks, George!
I tried to get all those ACE/DAW books in London iin the 70s and 80s – searched the big bookstores that specialised in SF ( First it was “Dark they were and holden exed”, later Forbidden Planet, Murder One (which had detective novels and SF and of course Fantasy Centre) and also the markets: Portobello Road, Camden Lock and one in East London whose name I forgot.
Not too much OT re DAW (maybe I’ve written about this already):
Donald A Wollheim founded this imprint after leaving ACE in anger but after his death it totally changed. I met his daughter and her partner in Brighton at a SF convention (1984 or 1985) and was very disappointed by them. They put an end to the Dumarest series, did not want to publish “that kind” of SF any more …
Wolf, DAW was one of my favorite publishers, but DAW turned to fantasy publishing after the death of Wollheim. They lost my business then.
George, I’d never be able to resist novels with these covers. I don’t think I have heard of John Brunner.
Prashant, especially when you have two covers on those Ace Doubles to look at!
Bunner btw was frowned upon by his British collegues because he “wrote like an American” and he was mainly published in the USA at first (if I remember correctly).
Wolf, you’re right. Brunner published a lot of work with ACE Books and later DAW.
Prashant, John Brunner was a prolific British writer whose work made a big impact on the American SF market over the decades. I’ll try to review more Brunner for FFB!
Sorry for my typing mistakes – it’s late here …