Book Review: Science Fiction Adventures in Mutation

Book Review: Science Fiction Adventures in Mutation edited by Groff Conklin

Mutation and the mutants resulting from it have long been a popular subject of science fiction stories, but really took off as a topic after World War II and the atomic bomb made exposure to radiation much more a public fear. This collection was published in hardcover in 1955 featuring stories from the 1940s and 50s, the paperback edition here from 1965 reprints only fourteen of the stories.

“Chain of Command” by Stephen Arr (Stephen A. Rynas) starts us off with a wry tale of mice living in a nuclear research facility who’ve developed intelligence and telepathy. And also some very human-like characteristics, such as wives who insist that their husbands be the one to confront the human janitor who keeps putting a mousetrap right outside their front door. Once the janitor is persuaded that a mouse is speaking to him, he demurs as he isn’t able to disobey his orders, and passes the buck up the chain of command.

Eventually the mouse has to make his case at the very top of the chain, but although things do change considerably, the initial problem still isn’t solved. The story has some Fifties gender role assumptions that date it.

“Battle of the Unborn” by James Blish takes place decades after the bombing of Nagasaki, as mutations have become much more common. The protagonist is a scientist who’s discovered a particularly dangerous stable mutation is taking hold as a new race of humanity. This one has a double twist ending.

“Keep Out” by Fredric Brown floats the idea of deliberate genetic mutation as the humans of Earth realize that they can’t survive on Mars. But maybe if they create a generation of children who could survive there to be supervised by adults in the life support suits needed to barely live on the planet? This runs into one of the obvious problems when the kids rebel.

“Limiting Factor” by Theodore R. Cogswell has homo superior as a relatively new thing, with fantastic mental powers. A group of them go looking for a new planet to live on where they won’t have to worry about clashing with homo sapiens. What they discover is that there’s a limit to what can be accomplished by individuals, even with their advantages. Maybe it would be best to work together with the Ordinaries?

“The Lysenko Maze” by David Grinnell needs a quick explanation for our younger readers. Trofim Denisovich Lysenko was the director of the Institute of Genetics at the Soviet Academy of Sciences from 1940 through 1965, and had held considerable power over study of the biological sciences prior to that as he was promoted by Stalin. He was known for his psuedo-scientific theories on the inheritance of traits, which bore a surface resemblance to Lamarckism (the inheritance of traits acquired during the parent’s life.) While his political power meant that Soviet scientists had to bend the knee to his theories or be punished with the gulag or execution, he was considered a laughingstock outside the Communist sphere of influence and responsible for repeated famines. More at his Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trofim_Lysenko

The story has a scientist who has defected from the Soviet Union reveal that despite everything, he thinks Lysenko might be on to something if you parse Lysenkoism down to its core. Despite their disgust, his American colleagues are willing to consider his point. But how to prove it? An experiment is created, sealing mice inside a maze of tubes designed to create conditions that favor mice who have higher intelligence for several generations to see if the mice will develop that intelligence via regular evolution or via acquired traits.

There’s a twist ending that means the scientists will never know for sure. Still, the story does a good job of making me feel that the scientists are following proper experimental protocol.

“The Patient” by E.M. Hull is a short horror story about a cure for cancer that explains why there still isn’t just a overall “cure for cancer.” I feel the mutation in question is implausible even by science fiction standards.

“Cold War” by Henry Kuttner is part of his Hogben series about a family of weirdos with various odd powers who live out in the sticks to wait until the rest of humanity catches up to them. In this one, the family must deal with a child who has inherited hex vision and his horrible father who wants to make sure that their family line won’t die out. The solution is…unique. It’s meant to be humorous, but definitely an acquired taste.

“Skag With the Queer Head” by Murray Leinster takes place in Alaska, as a mad scientist tries to create a race of intelligent dogs. Unfortunately, the process involves vivisection and torture of the dogs so Content Warning, right there. Skag is one of the dogs, and he and his mate Deena are determined the scientist shall not have their puppies. This is the best story in the volume, with plenty of suspense, and I think it would make a good TV episode or graphic novel. Might have problems with that title though.

“Family Resemblance” by Alan E. Nourse…doesn’t have any mutation in it at all. I mean it’s a funny story of a scientific prank, but it sticks out as not matching the theme. And this is my third go-round with the tale.

“And Thou Beside Me” by Mack Reynolds is about the bond between dog and master. But what if the dog becomes immortal?

“This One’s on Me” by Eric Frank Russell is a comedic tale about a “journalist” (more of a blackmailer) who discovers a shop that claims to sell mutants. Obviously, this is some sort of scam, right? The protagonist doesn’t think to ask the right questions so his fate is inevitable.

“The Love of Heaven” by Theodore Sturgeon has a man in the forest run into what appears to be an alien. The truth is stranger and sadder. Sit with this one a while. Content note: a dog dies.

“The Conspirators” by James White is about animals on an exploration starship who slowly develop intelligence and telepathy. Problem! Most of them are laboratory animals who will be used for experiments once a new planet is reached. How can they escape that fate? The protagonist is Felix, once the enemy of the lab mice as a cat, but now allied with them despite his carnivorous tendencies. There’s at least one animal death, but the ending is a bit hopeful.

“The Better Choice” by S. Fowler Wright was written specifically for this collection. If mutation was easily reversible, would you be willing to be mutated for a short time? The answer may be less surprising to modern audiences. It’s an interesting way to end the volume.

The Kuttner and Hull stories are my least favorite in this collection, but overall this is a solid set of tales. It might be a little difficult to find this volume, try your luck at garage sales and used bookstores, but most of these have appeared in other collections so you should be able to find the individual tales with little difficulty. Recommended to old school science fiction fans.