The Uncensored Man

by Arthur Sellings

Time: The Late Twentieth Century...

Dr. Mark Anders was one of the government's top physicists, working on a high priority project concerning defense. Wrapped up in his abstract world of mathematical symbols, he was ill-prepared for the messages he bagan to receive. They were in words of other languages...and they came from strange sources: the babblings of an epileptic in a fit; the output sheet of a new super computer on a test run.

But this was only the beginning, for he was soon to find himself transported to a different dimension, setting foot on another world, whose people had been desperately trying to contact him in order to deliver a message terrifying in its implications for the future of the human race...

Genres: Science Fiction

183 pages, hardcover

First published December 1, 1964

About the author

Arthur Sellings was the pseudonym of Arthur Gordon Ley, an English scientist, book and art dealer, and science fiction author. In addition to Sellings he also wrote under the pen names Ray Luther and Martin Luther.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_...

Reviews

[Bill Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when a teenager, getting close to 50 years ago. It stayed with me ever since. I got a second-hand copy recently and re-read it. I am curious as to what my teenage mind made of it. Probably, intrigued by the use of LSD to 'uncensor' the blocks to another world. Reading it through different eyes, it is an intriguing mix of science, society and philosophy of perception. Sellings is an interesting and largely forgotten author who died young, but was playing around with ideas in the way Philip K Dick was. His style is straightforward, his science reasonably well researched, but, with hindsight, he makes some odd and wrong calls. I'm not disappointed to revisit this book and will dig out some more Sellings. I think my teenage reader was not a bad judge.

[Wil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off strong with some great character set up - our guy works in some nebulous weapons program, broiling in guilt for selling out his science research for war. His marriage of convenience is falling apart. He soon begins experiencing strange happenings that he chooses to take as messages. Turns out, he's right (duh). He eventually is led to visiting a therapist he met long ago (to avoid any trouble from leaking his feelings to the in house government shrink) and one dose of LSD later he's (literally) in another world.

Unfortunately, once the actual plot begins, it's a slow slide downhill. The inciting incidents and final resolution are interesting enough, but it flounders between the two - the espionage/action elements are undercooked at best and usually just boring. The dialogue mostly stays strong throughout, but Sellings doesn't really differentiate anyone's voice from one another - everyone's quick and witty. Still, it's a short read and the character work is compelling enough to the end.