Volume Two of REAWAKENED WORLDS: More Vintage Dystopian and Sci-fi Stories by a Master Storyteller, John Hayden Howard is Coming Soon from Laurie Winslow Sargent

Book Review

In Reawakened Worlds, the late sci-fi author John Hayden Howard treats us to a glimpse of the future based on his perspective over a half-century ago. His stories ingeniously depict what he reasoned to be the logical outcomes of the most dangerous scientific and political trends of his day. Readers who remember the 50s, 60s, and 70s will identify with his observations and warnings, and younger readers will marvel at how hauntingly on-the-mark some of his predictions were. With the satire and humor of Kurt Vonnegut and the social commentary and poetic justice of Rod Serling, Hayden illustrates the pitfalls of combining futuristic technology with human greed, as well as the civic and environmental disasters that can occur when people become lazy and apathetic.

In “500 Points for Father Image,” Hayden gives us a sardonic twist on electronic balloting, forcing us to look in the mirror at an electorate with misplaced priorities. “Kendy” shows not only how too-good-to-be-true promises can manipulate overeager minds, but also how selfish motives transform idealistic leaders into villains. “I’ve Got to Save JFK” plays on our innate desire to right past wrongs, demonstrating how small changes can sometimes have enormous short-term effects while long-term effects can stubbornly remain the same. “March of Time” is reminiscent of old Twilight Zone episodes in which science experiments go wrong with ironically tragic results. “Oil-Mad, Bug-Eyed Monsters” and “The Last Surfer” describe how colliding priorities can create irreparable ecological ruin. “To Grab Power” suggests that even the most elaborate efforts to create better worlds are futile as long as humans retain a desire to dominate one another.

Hayden’s human characters are sometimes courageous, other times predatory, often selfish, though frequently sincere. His alien characters show great intelligence, but often display the worst human-like traits. Whether human or alien, they almost always act eerily similar to people we know; thus we can alternately sympathize with them and also be repelled by them. In that way they draw us into the narrative, enabling us to identify with their struggles and dilemmas, no matter how fanciful or freakish.

In Reawakened Worlds, John Hayden Howard not only reawakens our affection for old-time tales of alternate worlds, but also gives us an opportunity to reawaken our awareness of the perils in our own current society, reminding us that, for our benefit or to our detriment, we alone control our collective future.

—NICK WALKER, TV broadcaster, voiceover artist and writer at NickWalkerBlog.com