Walls within Walls

by Arthur R. Tofte

Laser Books September 1975 release. Original science fiction novels, three novels were issued per month beginning August 1975 until the line folded in February 1977.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Arthur Reginald Tofte was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1902.

He also used the pseudonym Arthur Tofter

Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walls Within Walls by Arthur Tofte was a used bookstore find. I did not know much about the author but purchased the novel simply on the back blurb. The story is about a twin that lives protected in his parents’ home because the dystopian society they live in is intolerant of mutants. Ralf has four toes, making him subject to immediate death. His twin is able to participate in the society as a normal member, but because of his disfigurement that option is not open to Ralf.

There’s an actual society that functions underground where all illicit mutants live in opposition to the status quo, outside the walls that encircle the city. When Ralf ventures out of his hideaway, he must decide whether to lead the people underground against the city dwellers or warn his twin brother along with other city proper dwellers that an attack from the underground is imminent. Although the novel was written in 1975, it felt fresh, and I felt fortunate to have found it. Good book with a fun story that could have had sequel stories.

[Antonio Ippolito · Rating 2 out of 5]

In una tipica ambientazione dopobomba, i superstiti vivono in una città ricostruita sulle macerie di una metropoli; protetta verso l’esterno da più serie di mura; anche ogni singola casa all’interno ha mura per separarla dalle altre. Il protagonista racconta di quando, da bambino, viveva nascosto in casa: a differenza del fratello gemello, averva quattro dita, e questo avrebbe comportato per lui l’uccisione immediata, in una società ossessionata dalle mutazioni. L’ossessione nasce anche dal fatto che il sottosuolo della città è tuttora popolato da mutanti, che compiono periodiche scorrerie in superficie. Da bambino crebbe quindi in una stanza nascosta in cantina; esasperato da quella vita e da dusgrazie familiari, decide di scavare verso “la città di sotto”, dove scoprirà un vecchio saggio che gli insegnerà a leggere e a scrivere e a sopravvivere nella società sotterranea dei mutanti. Crescerà quindi al confine fra le due società, finchè non verrà a sapere che un ambizioso e crudele giovane mutante sta per scatenare l’assalto contro la “città di sopra”..
Piacevole libro per ragazzi (anche se spacciato per fantascienza adulta), si legge d’un fiato nonostante, o forse grazie a, le molte ingenuità. Il segno lasciato dal tempo però è pesante, se si pensa che le figure femminili sono poco più che sciocche bambole pronte a offrirsi all’uomo dominante di turno, si discute seriamente se picchiare la ragazza che “si ostina cocciutamente a non ricambiarti: tutti i pionieri lo facevano e, dopo, quelle rigavano dritto!”; ma soprattutto che il ragazzo, come tutti i protagonisti della storia, è un mutante per modo di dire, può in realtà passare per “normale”: i mutanti veri sono stupidi, crudeli, fiacchi oltre che orribili da vedere; la fanciulla che ama fin dall’infanzia è una “normale”, l’unica (bella) mutante di cui si interessa sparisce rapidamente dalla storia.. insomma c’è parecchio paternalismo in questa ribellione contro le discriminazioni. Però nel finale troviamo comunque una comunità dove non solo “normali” e mutanti convivono, ma si sostiene che “normalità” è un concetto artificioso; il protagonista rinuncia a picchiare la ragazza per “correggerla” (limitandosi a inscenare un duello a cazzotti con un rivale, per “conquistarla”); e quindi il romanzo si salva in corner.
L’autore è un carneade, ma scrisse l’adattamento di “When the Earth stood still”. Questo romanzo, del 1975, fu pubblicato nei Laser Books, una collana per adolescenti (maschi, a giudicare dalle copertine e dal romanzo stesso), così come un altro suo sempre del 1975, "Naufragio sul pianeta Iduna" (Urania 927); l’originale, dal più suggestivo titolo “Walls within walls”, aveva il 30% di pagine in più, il che dovrebbe indicare che non ci sono stati grossi tagli, considerando l’impaginazione di Urania e quella presumibile dell’eduzione originale.

[Laura Leilani · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable tale by the author of The Day The Earth Stood Still. Read this as a teenager and loved it. Found a used copy in Richard Booth's Bookshop ( greatest book store ever) Story takes place in the future after a disastrous nuclear war. People live in a walled city with strict rules against mutants. The main character is a boy with an identical twin. The main character however, has a slight mutation, and by law should be killed. His parents decide to hide him and try to raise him in a secret underground room they build.

As he gets older he learns that mutants are living in their own society underground. I don't want to give anything away but there are layers to the story that make it a very fun read. It was written in the 1970's. It seems very naive somehow, not gritty and dystopian like so much modern sci fi. This would have made a splendid movie.

[Suzanna Juby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this from the local library years ago as a teenager and really enjoyed it. One of these days, I'll come across a used copy and read it again.

[Jon Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as a scanned paperback copy on the Internet Archive. I have discovered this series of titles by Laser Books, which was a short-lived imprint of Harlequin Books (yes, the publisher of the infamous Harlequin Romances). Fifty-eight books were published in this series in the years 1975-77. The series was edited and curated by Roger Elwood. Each book features cover art by the legendary Kelly Freas; the images practically scream out "I was created in the mid-1970's!!!!" About 30 of the books in the series are available on the Internet Archive, and it is my intention to read each and every one of them. I selected this title pretty much at random; I had never heard of the author Tofte. It's a pretty low-rent tale set around the year 2070. North America was devastated by a nuclear war in 1999. A few people survived the apocalypse; they are divided between "normal" humans and "mutants" which result from lingering radioactivity. The story centers on Resurrection City, which has been constructed on top of the rubble of a blasted city. The city is populated by "normal" humans who live in semi-slavery, confined to drab lives of toil spent entirely within the city walls, where they work for unseen masters who live in opulence. Mutants are strictly forbidden to exist in the city; any mutant born there is killed at birth along with the parents. Twin boys, Ralf and Rolf, are born to a family in the worker class. Ralf is "normal" but Rolf is a "mutant" since he has only four toes on each foot. Their parents report the birth of "normal" Ralf but seclude Rolf in a hidden room in the basement of their home. It turns out that there is a population of mutants living in tunnels and voids in the wreckage below Resurrection City. Rolf eventually discovers a way into the mutant tunnels, where he is taken under the wing of an elder who teaches him to read and write and grooms him for eventual leadership of the mutants. This is the first half of the book. The second half takes place when Rolf has turned 18. Will he be accepted as the leader of the mutants? Can he prevent the mutants from attacking and destroying Resurrection City? Can't we all just get along? Will Rolf find true love? What exists beyond the walls of the city? Tune in yourself for the answers to these and other questions! Three out of five stars.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars on my Laser Books Series rating scheme.
Generally, it was an enjoyable read. I liked the intrigue between the two societies, 'mutants' and 'normals', heading for a clash... with the protagonist being odd-man-out in both.
But, as with this author's previous Laser entry, there are lots of simplistic/silly notions as well... such as a 6yr old taking up a pick and digging his way into the underworld... or the whole side story (which later becomes the main tale) of a guy who 'loves' a woman he doesn't know, simply because, as a child, he saw her cavorting naked in her backyard. Seems more like obsession than love to me.
The end of the book falls into wishful thinking, with the protagonist finding his way into an agrarian utopia with his unrequited love in tow. It all gets icky and stupid at the end... with notions about how women should be beaten into submission so they'll love their man.

Still, the first 80% was quick and fun... and gets a bit dark... before descending into the stupid.
Based on what I've read about the heavy-handed editing on these books, it's hard to know how much of the blame should rest on the author.

[James Dick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a superfluous book in sci-fi canon whose one virtue is that it's not as bad as some others in the series. But there is no reason why you'd want to pick this up, aside from, like me, a desire to collect the entire series. Give this one and Crash Landing on Iduna a pass for your own sanity. They are both mediocre-to-bad books and are two of the weakest entries in the Laser Books. If you want good stories about mutants, go watch Futurama!

[Michael Gerardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laser Books was basically Harlequin Science Fiction. Easy reading, enjoyable, not too deep, somewhat formulaic. This volume was typical. I liked it. Within its limitations, the main character was reasonably believable and interesting. The story was a little familiar, but it had some surprises along the way. Overall, good for younger readers or for someone who just wants a light read.

[Bailey M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly just not a good book. Meh at best. Main character seemed very naive and stumbled upon very convenient things that he assumed were true. It didn't seem to like women at all, spoke a lot about awful topics, and had the main character continually chasing and deceiving the love interest after she kept saying no and running away from him.

All of the scenes with women made me very uncomfortable, and especially how determined he is to get the love interest to like him in very pushy and non consensual ways. It was a short read, but not enjoyable.

[Green Cupcake · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. Another that would do well being expanded.

[George K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Το 1999 έγινε ένας μεγάλος πυρηνικός πόλεμος που κατέστρεψε πολλές πόλεις και σκότωσε εκατομμύρια ανθρώπους. Μια πόλη δημιουργήθηκε, με τείχη γύρω από αυτήν, όπου ζούσαν άνθρωποι που δεν είχαν πληγεί από την ραδιενέργεια. Υπήρχαν τρεις τάξεις συνολικά. Η Πρώτη Τάξη ήταν οι Κυβερνήτες, η Δεύτερη Τάξη ήταν οι Φρουροί, διάφοροι επιστήμονες και μηχανικοί, οι οποίοι είχαν και από ένα τσιπ στο κεφάλι για να ελέγχονται καλύτερα, και υπήρχε η Τρίτη Τάξη, που ήταν όλοι οι υπόλοιποι, που είχαν ένα σπίτι και μια αυλή με λαχανικά και φρούτα, και γύρω-γύρω από το σπίτι υπήρχε ένας ψηλός τοίχος που χώριζε τους ανθρώπους, και που από το πρωί ως το απόγευμα δούλευαν σαν σκλάβοι και ελέγχονταν καθημερινά από τους Φρουρούς. Όσα παιδιά γεννιόνταν και είχαν κάποιο ελάττωμα, θανατώνονταν αμέσως. Κάθε παιδί, όταν έφτανε στην ηλικία των έξι ετών, απομακρύνονταν από τους γονείς, για το Σχολείο. Υπήρχαν φυσικά και οι μεταλλαγμένοι, οι οποίοι ζούσαν κάτω από την πόλη. Και ο πρωταγωνιστής, ο όποιος είχε και έναν δίδυμο αδελφό ο οποίος ήταν κανονικός και στην ηλικία των έξι πήγε στο Σχολείο, είχε ένα ελάττωμα, άρα θεωρούνταν μεταλλαγμένος, άρα έπρεπε να είχε θανατωθεί όταν γεννήθηκε, μόνο που οι γονείς κατάφεραν να τον κρύψουν. Τελικά αυτός, μετά από πολλά βάσανα, κατέβηκε στην υπόγεια πόλη των μεταλλαγμένων. Και μετά από περιπέτειες, έμαθε μια αλήθεια...

Τέλος πάντων, αρκετά ενδιαφέρον θέμα, μερικές καλές σκηνές, αλλά τίποτα παραπάνω. Ήταν αρκετά απλοϊκό και σίγουρα τίποτα το ιδιαίτερο στην εκτέλεση, άσε που θα είχε και μερικές τρύπες το σενάριο αν του έριχνες μεγαλύτερη προσοχή. Θα μπορούσε να ήταν πολύ καλύτερο, αλλά μπα...

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read July 1980.