World Out of Mind

by J.T. McIntosh

They had conquered Mars! Earth was next. And in the council chambers at Washington, Earth's leaders gathered to face the peril.
Mars had gone down to defeat in one hour and thirty-four minutes. And now a fleet of creatures from outer space was headed towards Earth.
All eyes turned to Eldin Riagmore, President of the United States - the one man to be trusted above all others. One by one the elite were dispatched on missions of last-minute strategy. They went with confidence, inspired by the swift, sure mind of Raigmore.
Civilization rested in his hands. And he was a secret member of the invader race!

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

222 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

J. T. McIntosh is a pseudonym used by Scottish writer and journalist James Murdoch MacGregor.

Living largely in Aberdeen, Scotland, MacGregor used the McIntosh pseudonym (along with its variants J. T. MacIntosh, and J. T. M'Intosh) as well as "H. J. Murdoch", "Gregory Francis" (with Frank H. Parnell), and "Stuart Winsor" (with Jeff Mason) for all his science fiction work, which was the majority of his output, though he did publish books under his own name. His first story, "The Curfew Tolls", appeared in Astounding Science Fiction during 1950, and his first novel, World Out of Mind, was published during 1953. He did not publish any work after 1980.

In 2010, following his death in 2008, the National Library of Scotland purchased his literary papers and correspondence.

Along with John Mather and Edith Dell, he is credited for the screenplay for the colour feature film Satellite in the Sky (1956).

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book. Here, McIntosh takes some themes from Brave New World (dividing people into distinct groupings depending on intellect ) but really makes it his own. Here, people are not born into Alphas, Betas, and Deltas but are tested with various intelligence tests to move up from Blacks, Purples, Browns to White Circles, White Crosses, and finally the ultimate White Stars. The caste system and the alleged meritocracy are quite interesting as are the interactions between these castes.

But this is not just a story about intelligence tests, McIntosh also posits a stranger from another planet and his allies sent her as embedded spies to await the invasion. Also, he offers us the oddest love story imaginable with the stranger who is too stiff to even mimic human emotions determined to wed Allison, a White Star.

Although there are all kinds of ideas and themes in McIntosh's stories, what really makes his stories and particularly this one great is how he slowly develops the characters and the ideas. From where things start in the beginning, it is hard to comprehend where they will end up going. His writing style is rather captivating.

[Kevin Phyland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raigmore can’t recall anything prior to May 23 as an adult human but has a feeling that he has a huge destiny. In the stratified meritocracy that Earth has become people get Tested in their 20s and are assigned a rank, denoted by colours. Whites are the one in a million ranking and they occupy all the powerful positions although by achieving White status they have demonstrated no desire for power. Raigmore, assuming the background of a murdered unTested human, takes the Test and achieves Whiteness. Meanwhile the Nwylla, an alien race have been detected coming into the solar sytem and take out Mars easily. Collaborating spies is suspected and Raigmore becomes aware that he is one. When the President and a chief adviser are murdered it elevates Raigmore to President and the plot becomes clear to him. J. T. McIntosh evokes The Manchurian Candidate with his tale of an alien Fifth Column and despite the plot being a bit politically and socially naive, the book is entertaining enough.

[Jeremy Bagai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glorious Golden Age Sci-Fi trash. “The Tests” stand the test of time and will be read and reread forever. Why are they so fun? So compelling? Perhaps everyone wishes to be recognized for their true genius.

A delightful fave of my childhood.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cool 1950's sci-fi feel to it. Liked it!

[Jack Deighton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was McIntosh’s first novel. In it human society relies on a system of tests to determine suitability for employment and government posts, grading people as Brown Stars, White Stars etc. Our protagonist Raigmore has no memory of existence beyond a few months ago but is making steady progress through the grades. Early in the book he makes himself known to Alison Hever, a White Star seemingly beyond his reach. He also knows himself to have a mission buried in his mind and has conversations with others with the same task. They are revealed to be aliens (Nwyllans) having taken on human form, an advance guard for an invasion. Raigmore’s elevation to the status of a White Star will be the culmination of their preparations. The fall of the Earth colony on Mars is the final prelude, a warning that resistance is useless. However, Raigmore’s assimilation into Earth culture and his feelings for Alison Hever alter his loyalties.
This has all the hallmarks of its 1950s origins, the only surprising thing as far as that is concerned is that it features a woman (Hever) at the apex of human governance.
It is humans’ “fantastic” love of freedom that is supposed to have turned Raigmore’s allegiance. Despite the Nwyllans’ benign (in their own eyes) intentions and the benefits they would bring - progress, collaboration, the end of war – humans “insisted on their right to make their own heaven or hell.” (This supposed superiority of humans’ unique capacities over other possible entities’ has, of course, never been tested.)

[Dale Lehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my father's old science fiction novels. I originally read it decades ago when (I think) I was in high school, and it made quite an impression on me. I've always meant to re-read it. Finally did.

It held up pretty well. The basic story is that a race of expansionist aliens have their eye on Earth. Their conquest hinges on spies planted throughout society. Humanity's colonies on Mars fall to the invaders in just an hour and thirty-four minutes. And now they're on their way here. The only hope Earth has lies in its leader, Eldin Raigmore. Based on a series of sophisticated tests that gauge people's capacities and slot them into suitable roles in society, Raigmore is one of the youngest of the small elite occupying the highest rank. But unknown to everyone, Raigmore is himself an alien spy.

My younger self was affected by Raigmore's internal conflict: knowing he was instrumental to the defeat of humanity, yet finding himself increasingly human. Today, I don't feel that so strongly, but that may only be because I already knew what was coming. Even so, I enjoyed revisiting the tale. It's not exactly deathless art. The writing is fairly ordinary, and in places its age definitely shows. (Women get judged a lot on their appearance, for one thing.) But the story is still an interesting one, and McIntosh's aliens are very different from us, to the point that their actions in invading seem surprisingly benign (even though we don't want them to win!).

I'm sure this book is long out of print, but if you stumble across a copy, it's worth a read.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a story of the “alien Doppelgänger” sort. The fun thing is to read it as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep from the androids viewpoint. The protagonist “wakes up” in a wood with a full set of human abilities but no knowledge of his past or where he’s going. He is joined by four or five like himself. Eventually, he becomes a big hero.

[Sergio · Rating 3 out of 5]

2/3 of the book are great. All the "tests" are still so plausible and credible that it makes the entire book worth reading. Then again, the last third either did not stand the test of time, or it is simple mediocre.

For sci-fi readers out there - this is a decent oldie. The other more known books on dystopian futures as Brave New World or 1984 are quite superior though.