Midsummer century

de James Blish

This strange science fiction novel is not very well known but it is still one of the most interesting and mind boggling science fiction novels that I have ever read. It mixes the paranormal with science fiction and stretches the limits of ones imagination without becoming implausible or scientifically unacceptable. I first read this novel in Swedish when I was young and more recently in English. The Swedish title was "The World of the Birds" or "The Planet of the Birds". An accident propels the mind of the young astrophysicist John Martels to the 250th century (23,000 years into the future), or the midsummer century. It should be noted, that according to this novel the mind is a complex self aware electromagnetic field. His mind emerges in the brain-case of a future being with a very powerful mind, the so called Qvant. Human civilization has fallen and risen again many times and both humans and birds have evolved. In the 250th century the birds have evolved into telepathic and intelligent beings who seek to exterminate their main rivals; the humans. Humans (or the human descendents) of the 250th century have great paranormal powers but are death oriented, and have not used their intelligence to develop an advanced civilization; in fact they are not even interested in organized resistance against the birds. John Martel is thrust into a fight for the continued existence of his own mind as well as a fight for the continued existence of the human race of the future, and that is without being able to use his own physical body. In an odd way this novel also succeeded to fuse the reincarnation of the human mind with the rebirth of civilizations.