Classic SF with Andy Johnson

#118 Schlock and awe: The Paradox Men (1953) by Charles L. Harness

Andy Johnson Episode 118

 Charles L. Harness' 1953 novel The Paradox Men was originally published under the title Flight Into Yesterday. It is a classic example of elevated pulp, which features swordfights, superpowers, voyages to the sun, and a strange furry creature that can speak - if only to speak the phrase "don't go..."

The Paradox Men is featured in David Pringle's 1985 book Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels. This inclusion is arguably a key reason why Harness and his work have avoided a descent into obscurity. But as we'll see, The Paradox Men is a superior pulp story, which combines influences from Einstein, the historian Arnold J. Toynbee, and the strange of the Canadian writer A.E. Van Vogt.

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