FORGOTTEN BOOKS #371: THE WORLD SWAPPERS By John Brunner

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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.

24 thoughts on “FORGOTTEN BOOKS #371: THE WORLD SWAPPERS By John Brunner

    1. george Post author

      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.

      Reply
  1. Jeff Meyerson

    I know him from the later stuff (STAND ON ZANZIBAR) but I agree – love the “boob” cover.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      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.

      Reply
  2. Wolf Böhrendt

    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 ?)

    Reply
      1. Wolf Böhrendt

        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 …

      2. george Post author

        Wolf, DAW was one of my favorite publishers, but DAW turned to fantasy publishing after the death of Wollheim. They lost my business then.

    1. Wolf Böhrendt

      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).

      Reply
    2. george Post author

      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!

      Reply

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