Seeds of Life

John Taine was a pseudonym for Eric Temple Bell who was a Scottish mathematician, author of a number of non-fiction books and sometime science-fiction writer. Seeds of Life published in 1951 in book form had been written some 20 years earlier and had been serialised in one of the pulp science-fiction magazines (Amazing Stories Quarterly). It is certainly an amazing story of scientists experimenting with X rays; electrically charged that could target certain aspects of mans evolution. An accident in a laboratory enhances the evolution of a lab assistant to the extent that he becomes a brilliant electrical scientist, who then goes to work on experiments that he believes will allow him to control the evolutionary process.

Neils Bork a show more taciturn man of Scandanavian origin is transformed into DR de Soto whose brilliant mind soon elevates him into becoming a leading scientist in his field with the ability to outsmart the money men who hope to profit from his inventions.
The story has several strands, science fiction of course, but there is also horror and social and political themes running through. It reads like a pulp fiction novel, but there are so many ideas bursting through that for once this reader wished that the author had taken more time over the writing. Still it is what it is and a good example of the genre 3.5 stars. show less

Originally published in Amazing Stories Quarterly in 1931, it was then released in novel form in 1951 through Fantasy Press in a run of 2,991 books. I read the 1955 edition published by Rich & Cowan.

John Taine is the pseudonym of mathematician Eric Temple Bell, he wrote both fiction & non fiction books, publishing the former under John Taine and the latter under his own name. Seeds of Life is one of the fifteen fiction books he wrote coming in around half way through his writing career.

The story whilst compact at 192 pages, is nonetheless quite a good read, it is set in the surrounds of the Erickson Foundation in a multi million volt electrical laboratory, a disgruntled assistant decides to destroy everything in the laboratory whilst show more simultaneously committing suicide by electrocution. However, rather than killing himself he destroys the laboratory whilst radiating himself with twenty million volts of x-rays leading to a mutation of his cells, and also creating the seeds of life, if you like.

Whilst it's not anything out of the ordinary in terms of early science fiction, I did enjoy it considerably more than some of the other early science fiction I've read and the writing was quite immersive and believably realistic science wise. show less