Rog Phillips
Worlds Within

Rog Phillips (1909-1966) is one of the typical and most representative science fiction authors of his generation. In some way, he is a pioneer, as he is part of that generation of authors (he himself mentions the myth Richard Shaver in his work) who were more than prolific in the post-war period, personally publishing over 200 genre stories, including short stories and novels, with an incredible variety of pseudonyms. On the other hand, his contribution to the cause can be considered, as with other authors of the period, more important for this kind of “activism” (which, mind you, was truly fundamental) than for the contents of his works.

We are talking about a historical moment in which science fiction was experiencing widespread popularity in the USA and the entire Western world, a phenomenon amplified by the incredible proliferation of genre fanzines. Although these stories are, in most cases, naive, lacking concrete content, and give rise to speculative processes. In many cases, they are also of poor quality and not very inspired, written in a language and mindset that would soon become obsolete. This particular aspect is even more evident in the Italian translation. Just a couple of examples illustrate this: the use of pronouns in all cases; a terminology let's say unconventional and possibly the result of not very precise work, for instance using the term “apparecchio” to indicate a simple normal airplane.

For this reason, a novel like “Worlds Within” (1955) can be considered more a kind of testimony of an era in the history of the science fiction genre, than a story dedicated solely to entertainment. The plot, besides lacking any scientific basis, is truly too naive and lacking to be defined as convincing and compelling. The story follows the adventures of the young Lin Carter and Edona Merritt, daughter of Professor Merritt, who has discovered through studies on magnetism that there are seven “Earths,” each contained within the other and separated by only a few miles. To travel from one Earth to another, the travelers use a special “belt” that opens the passage for them from one Earth to another, literally reaching it by plummeting with the help of a parachute. This is all explained in a complex manner but clearly lacking any scientific support: let us remember, above all, that multiverse theories were not yet a reality. Aided by journalist Art Gates, our two young and in-love heroes, on an “Earth” where the Incas sought refuge centuries earlier to escape the conquistadores, must confront monstrous manifestations teetering between shamanism and robotics and against the terrible Montakotl, the man who knows how to control the “weapons of cold.”

It seems almost redundant to add that there is a happy ending at the end of these adventures, but I cannot deny that despite the overall simplicity of the work, during the reading, boredom prevailed over any interest. Recommended only to lovers of the genre or better yet, a particular era where it still took little to be able to dream with open eyes.