Today we have another on the cusp book, from 1968 that I just couldn't pass up (and for 60 cents, who wouldn't!). Let's look at...
Eyes to see with...
Eyes to flee with...
What would happen to an intelligent, sighted inhabitant of Earth marooned on a planet inhabited by unsighted people with a technology equal or superior to his? Further, let us suppose that this man heads a world organization that controls the now expanding field of tests and testing - Mr. Test himself. How would he fare on this PLANET OF THE BLIND? This is the story of Dr. Thur Stone in just such a situation.
Unfortunately the writing is just as stilted as the back cover copy and I didn't get far into the book despite it being a quick read. Dr. Stone is roaming around the universe in his spacerover for some rest and relaxation when he lands on Grenda. He quickly discovers that the people are blind - but animals are not. Convincing the Grendans that he's not an animal is going to be tricky!
Once he discovers his predicament, he realizes how flawed his own testing methods have been. He's the director of Terra-Testing, known as Mr. Test, with the power to determine the fate of others with his testing methods. Having the tables turned on the doctor should make an exciting adventure, but the rambling, stream of consciousness style cries out for an editor. And while this book is Corey's first science fiction novel, it wasn't his first book at all. He is best known for a series about farming in Iowa called The Mantz Trilogy.
Nothing is ever produced in a vacuum, however, and the cover suits the book well. Psychological testing and abstract art were pretty new and interesting back in the 1950s and 1960s,and just like space, another realm to explore!
The Planet of the Blind
Eyes to flee with...
What would happen to an intelligent, sighted inhabitant of Earth marooned on a planet inhabited by unsighted people with a technology equal or superior to his? Further, let us suppose that this man heads a world organization that controls the now expanding field of tests and testing - Mr. Test himself. How would he fare on this PLANET OF THE BLIND? This is the story of Dr. Thur Stone in just such a situation.
Unfortunately the writing is just as stilted as the back cover copy and I didn't get far into the book despite it being a quick read. Dr. Stone is roaming around the universe in his spacerover for some rest and relaxation when he lands on Grenda. He quickly discovers that the people are blind - but animals are not. Convincing the Grendans that he's not an animal is going to be tricky!
Once he discovers his predicament, he realizes how flawed his own testing methods have been. He's the director of Terra-Testing, known as Mr. Test, with the power to determine the fate of others with his testing methods. Having the tables turned on the doctor should make an exciting adventure, but the rambling, stream of consciousness style cries out for an editor. And while this book is Corey's first science fiction novel, it wasn't his first book at all. He is best known for a series about farming in Iowa called The Mantz Trilogy.
Nothing is ever produced in a vacuum, however, and the cover suits the book well. Psychological testing and abstract art were pretty new and interesting back in the 1950s and 1960s,and just like space, another realm to explore!
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