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Research Issues
DRUG THEMES I N SCIENCE FICTION
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NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON Dli.UG ABUSE
RESEARCH ISSUES SERIES
Drugs and Employment
Drugs and Sex
Drugs and Attitude Change
Drugs and Family/Peer Influence
Drugs and Pregnancy
Drugs and Death
Drugs and Addict Lifestyles
A Cocaine Bibliography - Nonannotated
Drug Themes in Science Fiction
Drug Themes in Fiction
Cover Illustration
William Blake. The figure of Urizen or the Ancient of Days.
Frontispiece from Europe. Illuminated printing.
DRUG THEMES I N SCIENCE FICTION
by
Robert Silverberg
November 1974
National Institute on Drug Abuse
11400 Rockville Pike
Rockville, Maryland 20852
MAINE STATE L I B W Y
This volume, part of a Research Issues Series, was prepared for the National Institute
on Drug Abuse by Documentation Associates, Box 25892, Los Angeles, California,
under Contract Number HSM-42-73-222.
DHEW Publication No. (ADM) 75-190
Printed 1975
FOREWORD
The i s s u e s of drug u s e and a b u s e have g e n e r a t e d many volu m e s of w o r d s , a l l w r i t t e n in a n atternpt to explain the "problem"
and s u g g e s t the "solution. " Data have been gene r a t e d by r e s e a r c h e r s f r o m m a n y d i s c i p l i n e s , e a c h looking a t a p a r t i c u l a r a s p e c t of
a n i s s u e . The p r e s e n t booklet i s one of a new s e r i e s intended t o
aid r e s e a r c h e r s who find it difficult t o find the t i m e t o s c a n , let
alone read a l l the information which e x i s t s and which continues t o
be published d a i l y in t h e i r a r e a of i n t e r e s t . An a t t e m p t has been
made t o focus predominantly on e m p i r i c a l r e s e a r c h findings and
major theoretical approaches.
Included in volumes 1 through 7 of the s e r i e s a r e s u m m a r i e s
of the m a j o r r e s e a r c h findings of the l a s t 15 y e a r s , f o r m u l a t e d
and detailed to provide the r e a d e r with the p u r p o s e , methodology,
findings and conclusions of p r e v i o u s s t u d i e s done in the topic a r e a .
E a c h topic w a s chosen b e c a u s e it r e p r e s e n t e d a challenging i s s u e
of c u r r e n t i n t e r e s t t o the r e s e a r c h community. A s additional
i s s u e s a r e identified, the r e l e v a n t r e s e a r c h w i l l be published a s
p a r t of t h i s s e r i e s .
S e v e r a l of the volumes in the s e r i e s r e p r e s e n t a d e p a r t u r e
f r o m the above d e s c r i p t i o n . T h e s e a l s o r e p r e s e n t challenging i s s u e s ,
and i s s u e s of c u r r e n t i n t e r e s t ; they a r e , however, virtually unexp l o r e d a r e a s which have r e c e i v e d l i t t l e attention f r o m the r e s e a r c h
w o r l d . F o r example, t h e s u b j e c t s of d r u g s and the v i s u a l a r t s ,
s c i e n c e fiction, a n d fiction- - a s p e c t s of c o n t e m p o r a r y life which
i m p a c t on a l l of us - - a r e explored h e r e by w r i t e r s who have been
deeply involved in those f i e l d s . T h e i r content i s p e r h a p s provocative,
and c e r t a i n l y stimulating.
The R e s e a r c h I s s u e s s e r i e s i s a g r o u p p r o j e c t of staff m e m b e r s of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Division of R e s e a r c h ,
Behavioral and Social S c i e n c e s B r a n c h . S p e c i a l thanks a r e due t o
the continued guidance and support of D r . Louise R i c h a r d s and
D r . N o r m a n K r a s n e g o r . Selection of a r t i c l e s f o r inclusion w a s
g r e a t l y aided by the suggestions of a p e e r review g r o u p , r e s e a r c h e r s t h e m s e l v e s , e a c h of whom reviewed a topic of p a r t i c u l a r i n t e r e s t . It is m y p l e a s u r e t o acknowledge t h e i r contribution t o the
project here.
iii
Dan J. L e t t i e r i , P h . D.
P r o j e c t Officer
National Institute on Drug Abuse
R o b e r t S i l v e r b e r g i s the author of many science
fiction novels, including The Masks of Time,
Son of Man, A T i m e of Changes, Dying Inside,
and o t h e r s , a s well a s numerous s h o r t s t o r i e s .
He h a s won two Hugo Awards and t h r e e Nebulas
for novel and s h o r t s t o r y . He i s a p a s t p r e s i d e n t
of the Science Fiction W r i t e r s of A m e r i c a .
M r . S i l v e r b e r g h a s a l s o written s e v e r a l nonfiction books on h i s t o r i c a l and archaeological
subjects, including The Pueblo Revolt, Mound
B u i l d e r s of Ancient A m e r i c a , The Challenge of
C l i m a t e , and The R e a l m of P r e s t e r John. Born
and educated in New York City, M r . S i l v e r b e r g
now l i v e s in Oakland, California.
PREFACE
The explosive upsurge i n the u s e of m i n d - a l t e r i n g drugs by
middle - c l a s s A m e r i c a n s i n the p a s t decade h a s been a consp'rcuous
and much -dis cussed phenomenon of o u r t i m e s . Beginning i n the mid 1960's and peaking, p e r h a p s , about 1970, the u s e of m a r i j u a n a , LSD,
and even h e r o i n h a s taken on the c h a r a c t e r of a n epidemic, not only
among the young but among m a n y citizens of m a t u r e y e a r s . Though
a t p r e s e n t the s p r e a d of h e r o i n addiction a p p e a r s to be once m o r e confining itself to low-income groups and LSD h a s become l e s s f a s h i o n able among the e x p e r i m e n t a l -minded, c e r t a i n l y m a r i j u a n a h a s e s tab lished itself a s a n a l m o s t u n i v e r s a l drug ured r e g u l a r l y by millions
of A m e r i c a n s , and u s e of m o r e potent m i n d - a l t e r e r s r e m a i n s heavy
if no longer g r e a t l y a c c e l e r a t i n g .
During the period of s ocial dislocation- - m a r k e d by r a d i c a l
changes i n s t y l e s of clothing and d r e s s , a s s a s s i n a t i o n s of political
l e a d e r s , disruption of the governmental p r o c e s s e s a s a r e s p o n s e to
a w a r commonly s e e n a s i m m o r a l , r a m p a n t inflation, and other
traumas and upheavals --that c o r r e s p o n d s to the s p r e a d of drug u s e
i n the United S t a t e s , science fiction h a s become one of the m o s t popu l a r specialized subgenres of l i t e r a t u r e , Once the o b s c u r e a m u s e m e n t
of a few thousand c u l t i s t s , s c i e n c e fiction i s now r e a d by millions ;
such novelists a s Kurt Vonnegut, Vladimir Nabokov, Michael C r i c h ton, and o t h e r s have reached the b e s t - s e l l e r l i s t s with works of s c i e n c e
fiction; motion p i c t u r e s such a s 200 1 have won wide audiences and
science fiction h a s been conspicuous i n the t h e a t e r and i n the themes
of popular m u s i c . While this i n c r e a s e i n the popularity of s c i e n c e
fiction i s i n p a r t a r e s p o n s e to the wide publicity a c c r r d e d the s p a c e
explorations of the United States and the Soviet Union, I think i t i s
much m o r e to be a s c r i b e d to s o m e of the s a m e f o r c e s that have s t i m ulated s o much i n t e r e s t i n drug -taking. That i s , i n a period of s o c i a l
upheaval s u c h a s we have exper-ienced s i n c e the death of John F.
Kennedy and the e s c a l a t i o n of the Vietnamese w a r , conventional modes
of behavior lose their appeal, and fascination with the b i z a r r e , the
alien, the u r f a m i l i a r , the s t r a n g e , with a l l s o r t s of stimulation
that provide e s c a p e f r o m the r e a l i t i e s of the m o m e n t , i n c r e a s e s a t a
g r e a t r a t e . Science fiction not only offers those .values i n abundance
but a l s o , i n i t s facer; ~s s a t i r i c a l commentary on the h e r e -and -now
world, provides a p e r s p e c t i v e on o u r rapid s o c i a l changes t h a t h a s
g r e a t appeal to r e a d e r s , especially the young.
Surveys have shown that the audience f o r s c i e n c e fiction i s
p r i m a r i l y adol-escent aad above -average i n intelligence; m o s t of the
r e a d e r s a r e between 15 and 25 yea,rs of age (though of c o u r s e sorne
r e m a i n addicts of the g e n r e thssughout their lives!. T h e r e f o r e , t h e r e
i s g r e a t c o r r e s p o n d e n c e be tween the m a i n d r u g -using and s c i e n c e fiction-reading s e g m e n t s of the population, and it i s worthwhile to e x a m i n e s c i e n c e fiction f o r insights into the use of mind - a l t e r i n g d r u g s
and f o r views of what d r u g u s e m a y l i e i n the f u t u r e .
F o r the p r e s e n t r e s e a r c h p r o j e c t I have compiled a group of
English-language s h o r t s t o r i e s and novels which d e a l with the u s e of
mind - a l t e r i n g d r u g s , a l l w r i t t e n s i n c e 1900 and falling within the l i t e r a r y c a t e g o r y of s c i e n c e fiction. I have avoided inclusion of that
l a r g e body of s t o r i e s dealing with d r u g s whose effects a r e p r i m a r i l y
on the body r a t h e r than the mind: i m m o r t a l i t y s e r u m s , f o r e x a m p l e .
Some of t h e s e s t o r i e s date f r o m the e a r l i e s t y e a r s of the s c i e n c e fiction g e n r e , notably f r o m the 1920's and 1 9 3 0 ' s when m a s s - m a r k e t
s c i e n c e -fiction m a g a z i n e s f i r s t began publication. Not s u r p r i s i n g l y ,
however, the m a j o r i t y of the s t o r i e s within the study date f r o m the
post-1965 p e r i o d , when the u s e of d r u g s f i r s t pervaded the national
life to i t s p r e s e n t extent. F o r r e a s o n s explained i n the accompanying
i n t r o d u c t o r y e s s a y , s c i e n c e fiction i s m o r e often a reflection of e x i s ting s o c i e t a l t r e n d s than a p r e d i c t i o n of t r e n d s to come. The u p s u r g e
i n d r u g u s e i s p r e c i s e l y m i r r o r e d by the upsurge i n the u s e of s u c h
themes i n s c i e n c e fiction.
Science fiction i s a s m u c h a guide to w h e r e we a r e a s i t i s a
vision of w h e r e we a r e going. A l i t e r a t u r e s o popular with the young
commanding s o i n t e n s e and devoted a following, c a n be of significant
value i n r e v e a l i n g the p a t t e r n s c o n t e m p o r a r y society i s taking and
will take i n the y e a r s just ahead.
,
TABLE O F CONTENTS
Page
PREFACE
.............................................
OVERVIEW O F DRUG THEMES IN
SCIENCE FICTION
.....................................
ANNOTATED BIBUOGRAPHY...........................
....................
P r e d i c t i v e P e r i o d . c . 1935- 1965 ...................
C o n t e m p o r a r y P e r i o d . c . 1965- 19 73 ................
AUTHOR /TITLE INDEX ................................
P r i m i t i v e P e r i o d . c . 1900.1935
vii
v
1
9
11
17
31
53
OVERVIEW O F D R U G T H E M E S IN S C I E N C E F I C T I O N
OVERVIEW O F DRUG THEMES IN SCIENCE FICTION
Defining s c i e n c e fiction i s no e a s y task. Some of the definit ions that have been proposed a r e s o loose that they would qualify a
book like S i n c l a i r L e w i s ' A r r o w s m i t h a s s c i e n c e f i c t i o n - - i t s u r e l y i s
"fiction about s c i e n c e " --and o t h e r s a r e d r a w n s o n a r r o w l y that they
would exclude m u c h of what i s published today i n s c i e n c e -fiction m a g a z i n e s and books. With that c a v e a t i n m i n d , t h e r e f o r e , I offer one of
the m o r e flexible definitions, one which I think does c o v e r the g r e a t e r
p a r t of what I understand to be s c i e n c e fiction:
Science fiction i s that b r a n c h of f a n t a s y which engages i n
imaginative speculation about, the i m p a c t of technology on
h u m a n society.
By c l a s s i n g s c i e n c e fiction a s a b r a n c h of f a n t a s y , I m a k e i t a
subdivision of that v a s t l i t e r a r y g e n r e that includes H o m e r Is Odyssey,
Milton's P a r a d i s e L o s t , the N o r s e s a g a s , Alice i n Wonderland, m u c h
of P o e , and s o f o r t h . Placing the e m p h a s i s on technology, however,
r e q u i r e s s c i e n c e fiction to h a v e a c e r t a i n s y s t e m a t i c content, an underlying r a t i o n a l e of theme. A s t o r y about a v a m p i r e i s p u r e fantasy; a
s tory that r a t i o n a l i z e s v a m p i r i s m i n t e r m s of m e t a b o l i c phenomena
i s s c i e n c e fiction. It i s the a t t e m p t a t inducing a willing s u s p e n s i o n of
disbelief by supplying a plausible s caffolding f o r the i m p l a u s i b l e that
gives s c i e n c e fiction i t s identity within the g r e a t e r r e a l m of fantasy.
-
But b e c a u s e s c i e n c e fiction i s a f o r m of f a n t a s y , i t i s ideally
suited f o r t h e exploration of d r u g - r e l a t e d phenomena. A d r u g i s a
kind of m a g i c wand; but i t i s a c h e m i s t ' s m a g i c wand, a l a b o r a t o r y
product, c a r r y i n g with i t the c a c h e t of s c i e n c e . By offering his c h a r a c t e r s a v i a l of g r e e n pills o r a f l a s k of m y s t e r i o u s blue fluid the a u thor i s a b l e to work wonders a s e a s i l y a s a s o r c e r e r ; and by r i g o r o u s ly examining the consequences of h i s a c t of m a g i c , h e p e r f o r m s the
exploration of speculative i d e a s which i s the e s s e n c e of s c i e n c e fiction.
So i n the nineteenth c e n t u r y R o b e r t Louis Stevenson produced
Dr. J e k y l l and M r . Hyde, M a r y Wollstonecraft Shelly devised a n
e l i x i r of i m m o r t a l i t y i n The M o r t a l I m m o r t a l , and H. G. Wells c r e ated a whole shelf of drug - r e l a t e d s t o r i e s , speeding up h u m a n motion
i n "The New A c c e l e r a t o r , " turning b e a s t s into m e n i n The Island of
D r . M o r e a u , depicting a n unseeable phantom i n The Invisible Man.
And in the p r e s e n t c e n t u r y the u s e of m i n d - a l t e r i n g o r mind-controlling
d r u g s has become one of the p r i m e vehicles f o r the speculations of
s c i e n c e f i c tionis ts
.
In p r e p a r i n g this study of d r u g themes i n s c i e n c e fiction, I have
employed the following c a t e g o r i c a l designations :
Drugs a s Euphorics: Drugs that give p l e a s u r e i n s i m p l e uns t r uctured ways, through r e l e a s e f r o m d e p r e s s i o n and tension, m u c h a s
alcohol does i n our s o c i e t y (though alcohol i s not s t r i c t l y speaking a
euphoric, of c o u r s e ) .
Drugs a s Mind E x p a n d e r s : D r u g s that provide "psychedelic"
visions of o t h e r times o r p l a c e s o r that offer a s e n s a t i o n of oneness
with the c o s m o s a s a whole; analogous to LSD i n o u r society.
Drugs a s P a n a c e a s : Drugs which, through tranquilizing o r
neutralizing e f f e c t s , c a l m the mind without n e c e s s a r i l y inducing
euphoria.
Drugs a s Mind C o n t r o l l e r s : Drugs that enable one entity to
l i m i t o r d i r e c t the a c t i v i t i e s o r d e s i r e s of a n o t h e r ; analogous to
brain-washing, and g e n e r a l l y a s s o c i a t e d with totalitarian a c t i v i t i e s . .
Drugs a s I n t e l l i g e n c e - E n h a n c e r s : Drugs which have the s p e cific p r o p e r t y of extending o r amplifying the r a t i o n a l p r o c e s s e s of the
mind.
Drugs a s S e n s a t i o n - E n h a n c e r s : Drugs whose effects a r e a c h ieved through amplified o r extended bodily s e n s a t i o n - r e s p o n s e , p e r haps analogous to m a r i j u a n a i n o u r society.
Drugs a s R e a l i t y - T e s t e r s : Drugs which p e r m i t the u s e r to
p e n e t r a t e the " r e a l " r e a l i t i e s beyond the s u r f a c e manifestations of
daily life.
Drugs a s M i n d - I n j u r e r s : Drugs used a s weapons in biochemical
w a r f a r e , a i m e d a t the mind.
Drugs a s Means of Communication: Drugs that have the s p e c i f i c p r o p e r t y of opening h i t h e r to unknown channels of communication
be tween m i n d s .
Two d i s t i n c t attitudes toward the u s e of mind - r e l a t e d d r u g s
have m a n i f e s t e d t h e m s e l v e s i n s c i e n c e fiction. One i s cautionary:
that any e x t r a o r d i n a r y indulgence i n e x t r a o r d i n a r y d r u g s i s likely to
r o t the m o r a l f i b e r of the u s e r , leading to l a s s i t u d e and g e n e r a l de cay of the individual o r of s o c i e t y , and ultimately, p e r h a p s , aiding
the e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a t o t a l i t a r i a n o r d e r . The o t h e r i s v i s i o n a r y and
utopian: that through the employment of d r u g s mankind c a n a t t a i n
s p i r i t u a l o r psychological powers not o r d i n a r i l y available, and by s o
doing c a n e n t e r into a new and h i g h e r p h a s e of e x i s t e n c e .
T h i s l a t t e r attitude h a s become f a r m o r e widespread s i n c e 1965,
when middle -clas s us e of hallucinogenic and euphoric d r u g s i n we s t e r n i n d u s t r i a l civilization f i r s t began to take on the a s p e c t of a m a j o r
c u l t u r a l shift. The c u l t u r a l a s s u m p t i o n s of s c i e n c e fiction a s a whole
c a n c l e a r l y be s e e n to follow, r a t h e r than to lead, public opinion:
m o s t s c i e n c e fiction published i n the twentieth c e n t u r y h a s been m a s s -
i
m a r k e t c o m m e r c i a l fiction which, however daring i t s d e p a r t u r e s f r o m
everyday r e a l i t y , has generally tended to adopt the conventional m o r a l
dogmas of middle - c l a s s society, a s does m o s t c o m m e r c i a l fiction.
Science fiction of the 1920's and 1930's r e v e a l s a r e m a r k a b l e d e g r e e of
r a c i s m no longer acceptable to g e n e r a l r e a d e r s i n what they r e a d
(though they m a y cling to prejudices in daily life). Science fiction of
the 1940's and 1950's i s m a r k e d by c a s u a l s e x i s m likewise no longer
officially acceptable. And science fiction i n g e n e r a l has shown a
strong, if implicit, bias i n favor of c a p i t a l i s m , the work ethic, P u r
itan sexual m o r a l i t y , and other p i l l a r s of w e s t e r n i n d u s t r i a l society.
Drug-users i n science fiction s t o r i e s until quite r e c e n t l y w e r e analog ous to heavy u s e r s of alcohol i n m a i n s t r e a m fiction: their r e l i a n c e on
a consciousness -altering substance was s e e n a s a sign of weakness of
cha.racter. In the p a s t decade there has been a m a j o r c u l t u r a l shift
in our society toward hedonistic behavior, a t f i r s t furtively, now openly; and this, a f t e r the c u s t o m a r y lag, has been translated into a s h i f t in
the direction of p e r m i s s i v e n e s s i n the conventional m o r a l attitudes e x p r e s s e d by popular entertainment, (The private behavior of individuals i s a l m o s t always f a r m o r e scandalous than the s t a n d a r d s of be havior the public demands i n entertainment o r f r o m elected officials,
but a s taboos dissolve i n private life they weaken, to a l e s s e r e x tent, in official public m o r a l i t y . )
-
Science fiction w r i t e r s tend to be no m o r e r a d i c a l a s a group
than any other randomly selected c r o s s -section of m i d d l e - c l a s s e d y
s o f a r a s m y extensive p e r s o n a l
ucated ~ o n t e l r ~ p o r a rcitizenry,
acquaintance with them has shown; however forward -looking their
fictional visions m a y be, they a r e , in the m a i n , f a r f r o m atypical i n
daily life style. Not only do they conform to prevailing c u l t u r a l be liefs m o r e than outsiders a r e likely to s u s p e c t , but, a s i s t r u e of
m o s t who depend f o r their livelihoods on m a s s -audience acceptance,
they quite readily espouse a s u r p r i s i n g c o n s e r v a t i s m of philosophy i n
their work. In the p a s t , t h e r e f o r e , professional science-fictionists
almost automatically chose a cautionary position f o r s t o r i e s embodying drug -related themes, the drugs being symbolic of decay r a t h e r
than growth, and i t i s only i n the l a s t few y e a r s that s o m e w r i t e r s
have felt f r e e to depict the u s e of c e r t a i n mind drugs i n a positive - even evangelical- -light.
The extent of the shift m a y b e s t be i l l u s t r a t e d f r o m the work
of a w r i t e r who, although he wrote science fiction, cannot be considered a professional science -fictionist nor an advocate of conventional m o r a l i t y , and whose c a r e e r was conducted a l m o s t e n t i r e l y
outside the taboo-ridden assumptions of m a s s - m a r k e t publishing:
Aldous Huxley.
Huxley's Ehave New World (1932) i s a bitter satir'ic novel
that, a s i t s s a r d o n i c title i n d i c a t e s , depicts a utopian world of the
future i n which children a r e b o r n i n bottles a t a State Hatchery and
Conditioning C e n t e r , designed by the benevolent world s t a t e to fit a
p a r t i c u l a r economic niche, and, a s adults, kept i n line by a generous
bread -and - c i r c u s e s policy. R e s t l e s s n e s s i s cured by a wondrous drug
called soma: "... i f e v e r by s o m e unlucky chance such a c r e v i c e of t i m e
should yawn i n the solid substance of their distractions , I f Huxley tells
u s , " t h e r e is always s o m a , delicious s o m a , half a g r a m m e f o r a half holiday, a g r a m m e f o r a weekend, two g r a m e s for a t r i p to the
gorgeous E a s t , t h r e e f o r a d a r k e t e r n i t y on the moon; returning whence
they find themselves on the o t h e r side of the c r e v i c e , safe on the s o lid ground of daily labor and distraction.
Those malcontents and
noncomformis ts who cannot a c c e p t the soft mechanical p l e a s u r e s of
Huxley's b r a v e new world a r e exiled to r e m o t e i s l a n d s .
..
Soma, i n B r a v e New World, i s implicitly condemned a s a n
opiate, a mind - l u l l e r , a n ins t r u m e n t of r e p r e s s i o n . Huxley's negative outlook toward the drug is not, though, an e x p r e s s i o n of w o r k oriented P u r i t a n m o r a l i t y s o m u c h a s a c l a s s i c l i b e r a l - h u m a n i t a r i a n
d i s t r u s t of technology: the Huxley of 1932 plainly believed that m a n kind coddled by d r u g s was something l e s s than what mankind cpuld
be. The young Huxley felt contempt f o r those who needed m e c h a n i c a l
aids o r who depended on anything o t h e r than the f o r c e of their own
intellects. Many y e a r s l a t e r , however, a v e r y different Huxley e x perienced the psychedelic m a r v e l s of m e s caline and LSD, which
kindled i n h i m s t r o n g e s t h e t i c delight and something akin to s p i r i t u a l e c s t a s y . When he next attempted the fictional construction of a
utopian commonwealth, i n Island (1962), his outlook on mind -altering
drugs was f a r m o r e sympathetic. In this i d e a l s t a t e of the future one
u s e s not the s o p o r i f i c s o m a but the ecstasy-invokingmoksha, a m i n d expanding hallucinogen. Concerning moksha one c h a r a c t e r s a y s ,
"Having had the m i s f o r t u n e to be brought up i n Europe, Murugan c a l l s
i t dope and f e e l s about i t a l l the disapproval that, by conditioned r e flex, the d i r t y word evokes. We, on the c o n t r a r y , give the stuff good
names - -the m o k s h a -medicine, the r e a l i t y -reveale r , the truth -and beauty pill. And we know, by d i r e c t e x p e r i e n c e , that the good n a m e s
a r e d e s e r v e d . 1 1 2 Huxley i s r e a l l y talking about LSD, and his tone i s
that of the acid -evangelist.
Drug a s contemptible anodyne, drug a s gateway to higher
r e a l i t y - - t h o s e a r e the poles bounding the handling of d r u g s in s c i e n c e
1. Huxley, Aldous. B r a v e New World.
and B r o t h e r s P u b l i s h e r s , 1946. p. 67.
2 . Huxley, Aldous. Island.
P u b l i s h e r s , 1962. p. 157.
6
New York: H a r p e r
New York: H a r p e r and Row,
I
1
fiction. The o l d e r s c i e n c e fiction was p r e p o n d e r a n t l y negative, a s ,
for e x a m p l e , J a m e s Gunn's The J o y m a k e r s , published i n 1961 but
written half a d e c a d e e a r l i e r , i n which a r e p r e s s i v e g o v e r n m e n t s u s tains itself through m a n d a t o r y u s e of e u p h o r i c s . The s a m e theme c a n
be found i n H a r t l e y ' s F a c i a l J u s t i c e (1960), and i n o t h e r w o r k s . E v e n
when not used a s a n i n s t r u m e n t of t o t a l i t a r i a n i s m , d r u g s a r e often
s e e n a s d a n g e r o u s self -indulgence, as i n W e l l m a n ' s D r e a m -Dus t f r o m
M a r s (1938), S m i t h ' s Hellflower (1953), o r P o h l ' s w h a t - t o Do Until
the Analyst C o m e s (1956). The prototypes f o r the i m a g i n a r y d r u g s
d e s c r i b e d i n t h e s e s t o r i e s a r e alcohol and h e r o i n - - d r u g s which b l u r
the mind and lower the c o n s c i o u s n e s s .
Much r e c e n t s c i e n c e fiction, h o w e v e r , taking cognizance of s u c h
newly popular d r u g s a s LSD, m a r i j u a n a , and m e s c a l i n e , show s o c i e t y
A
t r a n s f o r m e d , enhanced, and r a i s e d up by d r u g u s e . S i l v e r b e r g ' s Time of Changes (1971) p o r t r a y s a d o u r , self -hating c u l t u r e into which
comes a d r u g that s t i m u l a t e s d i r e c t telepathic contact between h u m a n
minds and b r i n g s into being a s u b c u l t u r e of love and o p e n n e s s . T h i s
c r e a t e s a g r e a t convulsion i n the s o c i e t y , but the i m p l i c a t i o n i s that
the cbange the d r u g b r i n g s i s beneficial. S i m i l a r l y , i n P a n s h i n ' s
How Can We Sink When We Can F l y ? (1971), a d r u g called t e m p u s that
induces t r a v e l i n t i m e is p a r t of the educational p r o c e s s of a f u t u r e
society. In The P e a c o c k King by McCombs and White (1965) LSD is
used a s a training device to p r e p a r e a s t r o n a u t s f o r the r i g o r s of i n t e r s t e l l a r t r a v e l , and i n H. H. Hollis ' Stoned Counsel (1972) hallucinogen i c d r u g s have become routine a s p e c t s of c o u r t r o o m work. Another
view of a s o c i e t y t r a n s f o r m e d but not n e c e s s a r i l y i n j u r e d by m a s s
drug u s e i s Wyman Guin's Beyond B e d l a m , dating f r o m 1951, i n which
schizophrenia i s d e s i r e d and e n c o u r a g e d and is induced by d r u g s . In
S i l v e r b e r g ' s Downward to the E a r t h ( 1971) hallucinogens play a p a r t
in e c s t a t i c r e l i g i o n on a n o t h e r world.
-
-
A v a r i a n t of the mind -expanding d r u g i s the intelligence -enhan cing d r u g , long a c o m m o n theme i n s c i e n c e fiction. S o m e r e c e n t
exponents of the t h e m e a r e B r u n n e r ' s The Stone T h a t Never C a m e
Down (1973), D i c k s o n ' s The R - M a s t e r (1973), and D i s c h ' s C a m p
Concentration (1968).
Not all depiction of d r u g s i n r e c e n t s c i e n c e fiction i s s y m p a t h etic, of c o u r s e . Aldiss ' B a r e f o o t i n the Head (1970) shows all of
Europe thrown into confusion by the "acid-head w a r , " i n which a n
Arab power d o s e s the whole continent with p s y c h e d e l i c weapons. ( A l d i s s does indicate a t l e a s t p e r i p h e r a l l y that the new tripped -out c u l t u r e e m e r g i n g i n w a r - w r e c k e d E u r o p e i s not e n t i r e l y i n f e r i o r to i t s
p r e d e c e s s o r . ) C h e s t e r A n d e r s o n ' s lighthearted The B u t t e r f l y Kid
(1967) depicts hallucinogenic d r u g s a s weapons employed by a l i e n s ,
whether mind -expanding, mind -contracting, o r mind -controlling. In
the h o r r e n d o u s l y overpopulated f u t u r e of H a r r y H a r r i s o n ' s Make Room!
Make Room! (1966), LSD and m a r i j u a n a a r e the b e s t available e s c a p e s
f r o m the daily n i g h t m a r e that i s life; i n a s i m i l a r l y crowded world
imagined by D o r i s P i t k i n Buck i n C o m e Where My Love Lies D r e a m ing (1964) the d r u g of choice i s nothing we have today, but r a t h e r one
that gives the u s e r the v i c a r i o u s e x p e r i e n c e of existence a s a d i n o s a u r !
However d i f f e r e n t the d e t a i l s , though, the s t o r i e s s a y the s a m e thing:
that fortitude is not enough, that c h e m i c a l a s s i s t a n c e will be needed.
The s t o r i e s i n the s a m p l e c h o s e n f o r this p r o j e c t i l l u s t r a t e the
whole r a n g e of d r u g t h e m e s i n s c i e n c e fiction, f r o m the plausible to
the f a n t a s t i c , f r o m the horrifying to the e c s tasy-inducing. In a world
where m a n and his technological m a r v e l s m u s t c o e x i s t along a n u n e a s y i n t e r f a c e , s c i e n c e fiction i n d i c a t e s s o m e of the possible i m p a c t
a r e a s i n the d e c a d e s and c e n t u r i e s ahead.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
i
The science fiction works selected f o r this bibliography a r e
a r r a n g e d chronologically within the categories described below.
Primitive P e r i o d c i r c a 1900- 1935. Science fiction was then, a t
l e a s t in the specialist magazines, a crude and a r t l e s s f o r m , and the
s t o r i e s tend to be skeletal and formula- ridden. Typically, a scientist
working in s e c r e t (often a m a d scientist) devises a drug whose effects
operate on the mind in some extreme fashion, and through s e c r e t experiments demonstrates the p e r i l s of this drug. Examples: Barnes,
Binde-r, F e a r n , Gatter, Hall, etc.
Predictive P e r i o d c i r c a 1935- 1965. As the genre matured,
authors began to seek g r e a t e r complexity of style and s t r u c t u r e in their
fiction, and to achieve g r e a t e r thematic perception. The s t o r i e s of this
period characteristically attempted to consider the m o s t wide-ranging
consequences of drug u s e ; the authors themselves typically had had no
experience with drugs other than alcohol, and based their ideas partly
on imaginative projection and partly on the r e p o r t s of such e a r l y experimente r s with drugs a s Baudelaire and deQuincy Examples : Guin, Pohl,
Collins, Huxley (1932), MacDonald, Hartley, Gunn.
Contemporary P e r i o d c i r c a 1965 t o date. With drug use now a
m a t t e r for the news media a s well a s for solitary experimenters and
l i t e r a t e u r s, experience with mind-alte ring phenomena grows ; many
authors now sample marijuana and LSD and use their experiences a s a
basis f o r projections of trends. The changes in society a r e presumed
t o be permanent and become fixtures i n s t o r i e s , s o that c h a r a c t e r s in
a story s e t in 1999 use drugs like marijuana and LSD a s casually a s
c h a r a c t e r s in a futuristic s t o r y written in 1950 would use cigarettes
and alcohol. Drug use i s taken for granted in the future, and new uses
a r e postulated a s a n outgrowth of a richness of drug experience not
available t o e a r l i e r science-fiction w r i t e r s , who had neither the p e r sonal experience nor the wealth of published data that present-day
w r i t e r s may draw upon. Examples: Aldiss, Spinrad, Silverberg,
Dick, Anderson, Dis ch, Moorcock, Brunner
.
.
10
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
PRIMITIVE PERIOD
(19 0 0 - 1 9 3 5 )
Author:
P r a t t , F l e t c h e r and L e s t e r , Irvin
Title:
The Roger Bacon f o r m u l a
Journal:
Amazing S t o r i e s , Vol. 3 , No. 10, 940-948
Publisher:
E x p e r i m e n t e r Publishing Company, New York
Date:
J a n u a r y 1929
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expander s
Medievalist r e d i s c o v e r s l o s t manuscript in which Roger
Bacon provides the f o r m u l a for mandrapordeum, a drug
that induces "transportation of the mind. I' Taking it, the e x p e r i m e n t e r
finds himself f r e e d f r o m his body and journeying to Venus; a vivid vision
of life on the second planet ends only when the d r u g w e a r s off. F e a r i n g
addiction, he never t r i e s the drug again, though h e a d m i t s a temptation
to m o r e tripping.
Annotation:
Author:
H a r r i s , C l a r e Winger
Title:
The diabolical drug
Journal:
Amazing S t o r i e s , Vol. 4, No. 2, 156-161
Publisher:
E x p e r i m e n t e r Publishing Company, New York
Date:
May 1929
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-controller s
Annotation:
Scientist develops a c h e m i c a l which, by r e t a r d i n g the
voltage of the b r a i n ' s e l e c t r i c a l activity, halts the aging
p r o c e s s . An experiment on a human i s p e r f o r m e d , the subject being
the s c i e n t i s t ' s beloved, who i s six y e a r s older than h e i s ; he intends to
hold h e r a t the s a m e a g e until he h a s caught up. She sinks into a kind
of s t a s i s . Unable to p e r f e c t an antidote, h e injects himself a l s o , and
the two of them e n t e r a s t r a n g e suspended animation in which e x t r e m e
psychological effects of the metabolic slowdown manifest themselves.
Author:
Huxley, Aldous
Title:
Brave New World
Publisher:
Ckatto & Windus, London, England
Pages :
214 pp.
Date:
1932
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s panaceas
In mechanized, standardized utopian world of the future,
w h e r e human beings a r e synthetically produced in incubators and conditioned f o r optimum social stability, a drug called soma
s e r v e s a s the utopiate of the m a s s e s , d i s t r a c t i n g and tranquilizing
those who might otherwise become r e s t l e s s in their too- comfortable
lives.
Annotation:
Author:
K e l l e r , David H.
Title:
The l i t e r a r y c o r k s c r e w
Journal:
Wonder Stories,
- Vol. 5, No. 8, 867-873
Publisher:
Ccntinental Publications, New York
Date:
March 1934
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s intelligence enhancers
Annotation:
S a t i r i c story. A professional w r i t e r d i s c o v e r s he can
w r i t e only when i n physical pain, and r e q u i r e s h i s wife
to drive a corkscrew into h i s back to get h i m s t a r t e d . But the pain of
the corkscrew i s impossible to s u s t a i n f o r long, and they s e e k -medical
help. The doctor they consult d i s c o v e r s that it i s n ' t the pain itself but
rather c e r t a i n hormones s e c r e t e d a s a r e s p o n s e to the pain that encourages l i t e r a r y production, and synthesizes a drug that makes writing
easier. Doctor takes his own d r u g and w r i t e s a b e s t - s e l l e r .
Author:
F e a r n , John R u s s e l l
Title:
He n e v e r slept
Journal:
Astounding S t o r i e s , Vol. 13, No. 4, 56-67
Publisher:
S t r e e t & Smith, New York
Date:
June 1934
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s intelligence- e n h a n c e r s
Annotation:
Scientist concocts a protein-based drug that f r e e s the
subject f r o m a l l need to sleep. N a r r a t o r t a k e s the d r u g
and e n t e r s into a condition of enhanced perceptivity in which he i s
capable of penetrating the v i s i o n a r y r e c e s s e s of h i s own mind and
visiting the d r e a m - c r e a t i n g p r o c e s s e s . The experience eventually
exhausts him, but unable to give up u s e of the drug, he looks f o r w a r d
to death a s the only r e l e a s e f r o m i t s effects.
Author:
H e r b e r t , Benson
Title:
The control d r u g
Journal :
Wonder S t o r i e s , Vol. 6, No. 6, 669-675
Publisher:
Continental Publications, New York
Date:
November 1934
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s euphorics
Annotation:
Scientist invents a xenon-derived d r u g that s e e m s to
offer a "paradise" effect--brief glimpses of the Divine,
f r e e d o m f r o m the m a t e r i a l body, etc. But f u r t h e r r e s e a r c h shows i t s d r e a d l o n g - t e r m effects: "The stuff doesn't exalt you
o r e n e r g i z e you. . . What it d o e s i s to r e l e a s e the emotions f r o m a lifet i m e of civilized control and suppression. It t a k e s the bonds off s e c r e t
d e s i r e s . I t s subtle physiological action l e a v e s you with no control
whatever. " Naturally he d e s t r o y s the drug and t a k e s h i s own life.
t
1
I
t
Author:
Hamilton, Edmond
Title:
The t r u t h gas
Journal:
Publisher:
Wonder Stories, Vol. 6, No. 5, 1060-1071
Continental Publications, New York
Date:
F e b r u a r y 1935
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-controllers
A scientist who believes that a l l s i n and c r i m e s t e m f r o m
deceptiveness p e r f e c t s and r e l e a s e s into the a t m o s p h e r e
a drug that "causes a s h o r t - c i r c u i t between the b r a i n ' s thought-centers
and its m o t o r - c e n t e r s of speech" s o that lying becomes impossible. The
resulting compulsive honesty l e a d s to impossible social situations a s the
whole veneer of tact and diplomacy vanishes; it becomes n e c e s s a r y to
devise and r e l e a s e a n antidote.
Annotation:
Author:
B a r t e l , Philip J.
Title :
The e l i x i r of p r o g r e s s
Journal:
Wonder Stories, Vol. 6, No. 11, 1286-1304
Publisher:
Continental Publications, New York
Date :
April 1935
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugsaseuphorics
S a t i r i c s t o r y of the quest in the y e a r 3903 f o r r e d i s c o v e r y
of the l o s t ancient d r u g that provided stimulation and
energy and delight to e a r l y man- -coffee.
Annotation:
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
PREDICTIVE PERIOD
(1935- 1965)
Author:
Smith, C l a r k Ashton
Title:
The Plutonian drug
Journal:
Amazing S t o r i e s , Vol. 9, No. 5, 41-48
Publisher:
Teck Publications, New York
Date:
September 1934
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Annotation:
Among the many d r u g s brought back to E a r t h by s p a c e
e x p l o r e r s i s Plutonium, a powder f r o m Pluto that produces a hashish-like derangement of t i m e - perception, permitting the
u s e r to t r a n s f o r m t i m e into s p a c e and go on psychedelic voyages.
The subject p e n e t r a t e s f i v e o r six h o u r s into t h e p a s t , a n ineffable experience that ends with a vision of h i s own death soon fulfilled i n reality.
<
Author:
Barnes, Arthur K.
Title:
Emotion solution
Journal :
Wonder S t o r i e s , Vol. 7, No. 8, 955-963
Publisher:
Continental Publications, New York
Date:
April 1936
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s m i n d - c o n t r o l l e r s
A s c i e n t i s t who f e e l s that emotions a r e a hindrance to
the full development of intelligence p e r f e c t s a solution
that d e s t r o y s the "emotional c e n t e r s " of the b r a i n ; he i n f i l t r a t e s it
into the Southern California w a t e r s y s t e m . The r e s u l t i n g emotionless
society i s l i f e l e s s and without energy, not a t a l l what the s c i e n t i s t envisioned, and he f e e l s guilt for having t r a n s f o r m e d m i l l i o n s of people
into dull robots.
Annotation:
Author:
G a t t e r , George F.
Title:
Emotion gas
Journal:
Wonder S t o r i e s , Vol. 7, No. 8, 967-971
Publisher:
Continental Publications, New York
Date:
A p r i l 1936
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptors:
Drugs a s m i n d - c o n t r o l l e r s ; Drugs a s e u p h o r i c s
Unscrupulous t h e a t r i c a l p r o d u c e r s enhance the boxoffice a p p e a l of t h e i r comedy by s u r r e p t i t i o u s l y dosing
the audience with a g a s that induces euphoria; they l e a v e convinced
they have s e e n a n e x t r a o r d i n a r i l y funny show, and b u s i n e s s booms,
until one night a n o v e r d o s e i s given that a m p l i f i e s not only happy
f e e l i n g s but p a s s i n g m o m e n t s of d e p r e s s ion, causing everybody to
l e a v e i n a black despondent mood that k i l l s the show.
Annotation:
Author:
Coblentz, Stanton A .
Title:
The glowworm flower
Journal:
Astounding: S t o r i e s , Vol. 17, No. 4 , 22-29
Publisher:
S t r e e t & Smith Publications, New York
Date:
June 1936
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s e u p h o r i c s
Annotation:
A pioneering s p a c e e x p l o r a t i o n voyage b r i n g s back, by
accident, s p o r e s of a n e x t r a t e r r e s t r i a l plant that s p r o u t s
on E a r t h . The flower of t h i s plant g i v e s off a f r a g r a n c e that induces
intoxication, c o m a , and opium- l i k e visions. Tripping o n glowwormflower f r a g r a n c e b e c o m e s addictive f o r m a n y of E a r t h ' s f i n e s t minds,
though l e s s e r folk a r e r e l a t i v e l y i m m u n e . The plant i s e r a d i c a t e d
e v e r y w h e r e , p o s s e s s i o n of i t i s m a d e illegal, and a l l s p a c e m i s s i o n s
a r e banned l e s t s p a c e s h i p s a g a i n b e contaminated with the s i n i s t e r
spores.
Author:
Binder, Eando
Title:
The hormone menace
Journal:
Thrilling Wonder Stories, Vol. 8, No. 1, 3 4 - 4 7
Publisher:
Beacon Magazines, Inc., New York
Date:
August 1936
For mat:
Short story
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-controllers
Annotation:
Villainous scientist, using extracts derived f r o m endoc r i n e secretions, t r a n s f o r m s human beings into mindl e s s puppets of abnormal strength and stature o r of extraordinary
mental abilities (i. e . , photographic m e m o r i e s ) . Heroic underground
agent penetrates h i s r e m o t e laboratory and puts a n end to the r e s e a r c h .
Author:
Wellman, Manly Wade
Title:
Dream-dust f r o m M a r s
Jo ur nal:
Thrilling Wonder Stories, Vol. 11, No. 1, 14-28
Publisher:
Better Publications, Inc. , New York
Date:
F e b r u a r y 1938
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s panaceas
The s p o r e s of a Martian lichen a r e a n agreeable
stimulant to Martians of the 28th century but throw
E a r t h m e n into deep t r a n c e s in which they experience prolonged ecstatic
d r e a m s . The d r e a m - d u s t becomes immensely popular on E a r t h and is
outlawed when everyone s e e m s headed f o r the oblivion it provides.
Annotation:
20
Author:
Hall, C h a r l e s F.
Title:
The t i m e d r u g
Journal:
T a l e s of Wonder, Vol. 1 , No. 5, 62-73
Publisher:
The W o r l d ' s Work, S u r r e y , England
Date:
Winter 1938
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Annotation:
Scientist p e r f e c t s a drug, mixing together cactus alkaloids and kava root,which c r e a t e s powerful psychedelic
effects and allows the e x p e r i m e n t e r to float backward in time. Backward explorations continue until the r e s e a r c h e r r e a c h e s the c r e a t i o n
of the universe, with g r a v e consequences for him.
Author:
Kyle, David A.
Title:
Golden n e m e s i s
Journal:
S t i r r i n g Science S t o r i e s , Vol. 1 , No. 1 , 28-34
Publisher:
Albing Publications, New York
Date:
Februa.ry 194 1
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Annotation:
'
Aware that most of the capacity of the human b r a i n r e mains unused, a n e x p e r i m e n t e r d e v i s e s a d r u g that will
r a i s e h i m to superhuman intelligence by giving h i m a c c e s s to h i s e n t i r e
brain. He i s t r a n s f o r m e d into a genius by the drug, but only for a brief,
intense "trip, I ' which a f t e r a few days s o exhausts h i m that, " n e r v e s on f i r e , "
he dies of h e a r t failure. The s t o r y i s a r e m a r k a b l e anticipation of ext r e m e LSD effects.
Author:
Pohl, F r e d e r i k
Title :
What to do until the analyst c o m e s
In:
Alternating C u r r e n t s
Publisher:
Ballantine Books, New York
Pages :
143- 154
Date:
1956
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s panaceas
,
I
i
I
Annotation:
N a r r a t o r i s a n advertising man who t e l l s how, after
a cigarettes-and-lung- cancer s c a r e , r e s e a r c h e r s
discover a cheap, allegedly h a r m l e s s and non- addictive euphoric
drug, and it goes on the m a r k e t in chewing-gum f o r m a s a replacement for c i g a r e t t e s . Soon everyone i s chewing Cheery-Gum except
the n a r r a t o r , who i s a l l e r g i c to it; and though the drug i s theoretically
non-addictive, it makes everyone s o high that no one wants t o give i t
up- -leading to a dazed and tranquilized society in which e veryone i s
euphoric and indolent and everyone maintains that he could kick the
c h e e r y - ~ u r nhabit on a mornerk's notice, if he had any r e a s o n to do
so--which he doesn't.
Author:
S l e s a r , Henry
Title:
I r e m e m b e r oblivion
Journal:
Fantasy and Science Fiction, Vol. 3 0 , No. 3 , 36-43
Publisher:
M e r c u r y P r e s s , New York
Date:
M a r c h 1966
For mat:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-controllers
A technique has been devised f o r l i t e r a l brainwashing of
c r i m i n a l s , i. e . , the total eradication through chemotherapy of memory, and the reconstruction, using drugs and "narcohypnosis ," of a new non-criminal personality within the existing body.
The n a r r a t i v e cuts f r o m the conversation of two s c i e n t i s t s using the
technique to the s tream-of-consciousness of a rehabilitated c r i m i n a l
who, breaking through his conditioning, regains a c c e s s to his m e m o r i e s
and commits suicide in his guilt.
Annotation:
22
.f
f
I
I
I
I
1
Author:
K e l l e r , David H.
Title:
The a b y s s
In:
The Solitary Hunters and the Abyss
Publisher:
New E r a P u b l i s h e r s , Philadelphia
Pa ges:
108-265
Date:
1948
Format:
No ve 1
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind- c o n t r o l l e r s
Annotation:
A scientist isolates XYZ, a chemical p r e s e n t in the
minds of psychotics, and, purely as- a n experiment,
doses a l l of New York City with it by distributing it in the f o r m of
chewing gum. M a s s psychosis r e s u l t s ; civilization collapses and
the eight million guinea pigs r e v e r t to a s o r t of Ro.man culture,
with b a r b a r i c gladiatorial g a m e s , a n e m p e r o r , m a s s brutality, new
religions. After thirty days the drug w e a r s off and the victims f a l l
into coma and awaken unharmed.
Author:
MacDonald, John D.
Title:
T r o j a n h o r s e laugh
Journal:
Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. 4 3 , No. 6, 7 3 - 1 11
Publisher:
S t r e e t & Smith Publications, New York
Date:
August 1949
Format:
Short novel
Descriptor:
Drugsasmindcontrollers
Annotation:
An endocrinologist h a s charted a monthly human cycle
of emotional peaks and d e p r e s s i o n s , and, f o r the s a k e
of g r e a t e r efficiency and h a r m o n y in society, h a s developed a drug
that will control and adjust t h e cycle s o t h a t everyone t r e a t e d will peak
o r drop a t the s a m e time, This w o r k s well during the high p a r t of the
cycle, but once the lows s e t in, m a s s h y s t e r i a develops among the inoculated populace, t h e r e i s a wave of suicides, and achain reaction of
interlocking d e p r e s s i o n s virtually d e s t r o y s society.
Author:
Williams, Robert Moore
Title:
The e l i x i r of peace
Journal:
Amazing S t o r i e s , Vol. 23, No. 12, 124-131
Publisher :
Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, Chicago
Date:
December 194 9
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-controllers
Annotation:
Comic s t o r y of a tranquilizing drug devised to make
a n i m a l s such a s lions t a m e enough to use in movies.
The demonstration l e a d s to complications, and a furious movie
d i r e c t o r i s "tamed" a s w e l l b y s u r r e p t i t i o u s use of the drug.
Author:
Heinlein, R o b e r t A.
Title:
The Puppet Masters
Publisher:
Doubleday & C o . , New York
Pages:
219 pp.
Date:
1951
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expander s
Annotation:
The E a r t h h a s been invaded by slug-like p a r a s i t i c beings
that a t t a c h t h e m s e l v e s to m e n ' s backs and dominate t h e i r
minds and bodies. The protagonists, Sam Nivin and Mary, a r e m e m b e r s of a s e c r e t s e c u r i t y agencyfighting the invaders. In the middle of
the s t r u g g l e they decide to get m a r r i e d ; but because they c a n only s p a r e
24 h o u r s f o r t h e i r honeymoon, they inject t h e m s e l v e s with tempus, a
drug analogous to speed, which s t r e t c h e s subjective t i m e f o r them s o
that they f e e l they a r e experiencing a month-.long honeymoon.
Author:
Morrison, William (Pseud. f o r Joseph Samachson)
Title:
The addicts
Journal:
Galaxy Science Fiction, Vol. 3 , No. 4, 122-131
Publisher:
Galaxy Publishing Corporation, New York
Date:
January 1952
Format:
Short story
Descriptor:
Drugs a s euphorics
Husband and wife a r e lighthouse-keepers on a lonely
a s t e r o i d between E a r t h and M a r s . Husband h a s become
addicted to marak, a euphoric drug that keeps him in a constant state
of good nature and well-being. This makes meaningful conversation
between him and wife impossible, since he i s so agreeable that a l l
discussions t r a i l off immediately, and she i s growing i r r i t a b l e for lack
of stimulating company. Husband therefore decides s e c r e t l y to give
his wife addictive dose of drug.
Annotation:
Author:
Smith, George 0 .
Title:
Hellflow e r
Publisher:
Abelard P r e s s , New York
Pages:
264 pp.
Date:
1953
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
D r u g s a s sensation-enhancers
On Ganymede, moon of Jupiter, grows the gardenialike plant f r o m which hellflower, a l s o knownas love lotus,
i s extracted--a narcotic which heightens sensations and other s e n s o r y
stimuli and c r e a t e s psychological addiction through enhancement of
pleasure--with women the chief victims. Story concerns the traffic in
this and related drugs and the attempts of a government agent of the
future to intercept it.
Annotation:
Author:
Devaux, P i e r r e and Viot, H. G.
Title:
The s t o l e n minute
Journal:
Science F i c t i o n 'Plus, Vol. 1, Nos. 4 and 5, 44-61,
42-62
Publisher:
Gernsback Publications, I n c . , New York
Date:
June and August 1953
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugsasmind-expanders
Annotation:
A F r e n c h m o l e c u l a r physicist develops a d r u g known a s
hexostyromolybdenum, HSM, which h a s the p r o p e r t y of
vastly i n c r e a s i n g the h u m a n m e t a b o l i s m . Motion, body s p e e d , the r a t e
of living, and o t h e r functions a r e a c c e l e r a t e d 100, 000 t i m e s . P r o t a gonists m a k e use of HSM to achieve d e s i r e d political goals.
Author:
Title:
P h i l l i p s , Rog ( P s e u d . f o r Roger P h i l i p G r a h a m )
he
yellow pill
Journal:
Astounding. Science Fiction,Vol. 62, No. 2, 51 -61
Publisher:
S t r e e t & Smith P u b l i c a t i o n s , New York
Date:
October 1958
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s reality- t e s t e r s
P s y c h i a t r i s t e n c o u n t e r s a patient who h a s committed
m u r d e r and who h a s the delusion that he w a s on b o a r d
a s p a c e s h i p , defending himself a g a i n s t l i z a r d - m e n f r o m Venus, a t the
t i m e of the killing. P a t i e n t totally d e n i e s the r e a l i t y of a c t u a l w o r l d ,
and t e l l s p s y c h i a t r i s t t o take a yellow pill that w i l l awaken h i m to the
t r u e r e a l i t y of the s p a c e s h i p - w o r l d . P s y c h i a t r i s t i s a m u s e d by concept of a yellow pill-that c a n b r i n g one out of a delusion; but then he
f i n d s a bottle of yellow p i l l s in h i s l o c k e r and the s t o r y b e c o m e s a n
exploration of ambiguous l e v e l s of r e a l i t y , with the p i l l s s e r v i n g a s
conduits between one I'real" w o r l d and the o t h e r .
Annotation:
Author:
H a r t l e y , L. P.
Title:
Facial Justice
Publisher:
Doubleday & Company, New York
Pages:
263 pp.
Date:
1960
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s m i n d - c o n t r o l l e r s
T h e s c e n e i s the not v e r y d i s t a n t f u t u r e , a f t e r the T h i r d
World W a r . Nine t e n t h s of the human r a c e h a s been
d e s t r o y e d and the s u r v i v o r s a r e r u l e d by a benevolent d i c t a t o r who r e duces conflict situations b y imposing a n enforced equality: p e r s o n a l i t i e s a r e s t a n d a r d i z e d , n u m b e r s a r e used f o r n a m e s , women undergo
p l a s t i c s u r g e r y s o that none will s e e m too beautiful o r too ugly. T h i s
d r e a r y homogenized s t a t e i s kept under c o n t r o l by dosing the c i t i z e n s
daily with a sedative-like b r o m i d e to which m o s t people have b e c o m e
addicted; i t l o w e r s vitality and r e d u c e s noncomformity.
Annotation:
Author:
Gunn, J a m e s
Title:
The Joymakers
Publisher:
B a n t a m Books, New York
Pages:
160 pp.
Date :
1961
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s euphorics
Annotation:
Under the 26th Amendment to t h e Constitution, ratified
i n 2003, h e d o n i s m i s t h e law of the land. The function
of goveynment, it h a s b e e n decided,isUthe p r e s e r v a t i o n and p r o m o t i o n
of the t e m p o r a r y h a p p i n e s s of i t s citizens.ll Gloom i s outlawed and
happiness i s mandatory. It i s a t t a i n e d through m e n t a l d i s c i p l i n e s ,
through m e c h a n i c a l r e g u l a t i o n of the m e t a b o l i s m , and through the f r e e
u s e of d r u g s - -notably m e s c a l i n e , "neo- heroin," v a r i o u s alkaloids, and
certain futuristic euphorics.
Author:
Huxley, Aldous
Title:
Is1 and
Publisher:
H a r p e r & Row, New York
Pages :
295 pp.
Date:
1962
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Annotation:
This Utopian novel, w r i t t e n t h i r t y y e a r s a f t e r Huxley's
anti-drug B r a v e New World and a f t e r h i s own exper;ments with LSD and mescaline, depicts another ideal commonwealth
centering on the use of drugs: but i n place of B r a v e New W o r l d ' s
mind- deadening s o m a , the citizens of Island use moksha, a ha1lucino.gen v e r y s i m i l a r in effect to LSD, which induces m y s t i c a l visions and
intensifies religious experience.
Author:
B u r g e s s , Anthony
Title:
A Clockwork Orange
Publisher:
W. W. Norton, New York
Pages :
160 pp.
Date:
1963
Format:
Novel
Descriptors:
Drugs a s mind- c o n t r o l l e r s ; Drugs a s mind- expanders
Annotation:
Alex i s a juvenile delinquent of the n e a r future, who
routinely u s e s such d r u g s a s synthemesc o r d r e n c r o m
that a r e sold in neighborhood"mi1k b a r s l ' f o r hallucinogenic boosts.
After committing a p a r t i c u l a r l y a t r o c i o u s a s s a u l t , Alex i s a r r e s t e d
and sentenced to a kind of brainwash reconditioning. With hhe aid of
drugs and hypnotherapy h e i s conditioned against violence and turned
loose to become a useful citizen.
Author:
Buck, D o r i s P i t k i n
Title:
C o m e w h e r e m y love l i e s d r e a m i n g
Journal:
F a n t a s y and Science F i c t i o n , Vol. 26, No. 2, 113-126
Publisher:
M e r c u r y P r e s s , New York
Date:
F e b r u a r y 1964
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s panaceas
T h e q u i c k e s t r e f u g e f r o m the h o r r o r s of life i n 2 1 s t
c e n t u r y Washington, D. C . , is the use of d e t e n s e r pills.
The l a t e s t b r a n d is P r o t o c e r a t o p s T a b s , which m e n t a l l y t r a n s p o r t the
u s e r to the M e s o z o i c E r a and c r e a t e the i l l u s i o n that he o r s h e is a
d i n o s a u r . The s t o r y , gently c o m i c in tone, follows the a d v e n t u r e s of
a w o m a n who t a k e s the d i n o s a u r t r i p and c o m e s f a c e - t o - f a c e not only
with p r e h i s t o r i c b e a s t s but w i t h h e r own inner p r o b l e m s .
Annotation:
Author:
Purdom, Tom
Title:
Greenplace
Journal:
F a n t a s y and Science F i c t i o n , Vol. 2 7 , No. 5, 5- 16
Publisher:
M e r c u r y P r e s s , New York
Date:
N o v e m b e r 1964
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
D r u g s a s intelligence e n h a n c e r s
Annotation:
P r o t a g o n i s t i s a psychologist doing political field-testing
on behalf of a C o n g r e s s m a n running f o r r e - e l e c t i o n c.
A
s
h
e
p
r
e p a r e s t o e n t e r a s u b u r b a n d i s t r i c t controlled by h i s
1980.
c a n d i d a t e ' s powerful opponent, h e d o s e s h i m s e l f with MST, a newly
invented psychic e n e r g i z e r thatl'multiplied the p o w e r s of o b s e r v a t i o n
and t h e r a t e and quality of thought by a f a c t o r s o m e w h e r e between
t h r e e a n d seven. '' Under the influence of MST h e is a b l e to detect the
f r i g h t e n i n g psychological techniques b y which the s u b u r b is held in
control.
-
Author :
McCombs, L a r r y and White, Ted
Title:
The peacock king
Journal :
Fantasy and Science Fiction, Vol. 29, No. 5, 2 3 - 3 6
Publisher:
M e r c u r y P r e s s , New York
Date:
November 1965
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind- expanders
The United States i s planning its f i r s t expedition into
i n t e r s t e l l a r space, using a radical space-drive that
p e r m i t s f a s t e r - than-light travel. P r e l i m i n a r y experiments have shown
that a faster-than-light t r i p will have grave psychological impact on
the crew, and t h e r e f o r e LSD i s used a s p a r t of the training discipline
for the crew ( a man and a woman). Through acid experiences they
make themselves capable of handling the inter s t e l l a r jump through
hyper space.
Annotation:
A N N O T A T E D BIBLIOGRAPHY
CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
(1965-Present)
Author:
Guin, Wyman
Title:
Beyond bedlam
In :
Living Wav Out
Publisher:
Avon Books, New York
Page s:
155-208
Date:
1967 (1951 F i r s t I s s u e )
Format:
Short novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s panaceas
During the l a t e 20th c e n t u r y d r u g s w e r e developed t o
a i d s c h i z o p h r e n i c s by p e r m i t t i n g t h e i r w a r r i n g i n n e r
p e r s o n a l i t i e s t o l i v e s i d e by s i d e , controlling the body a l t e r n a t e l y .
By the following c e n t u r y the e l e m e n t of s c h i z o p h r e n i a is r e c o g n i z e d
i n a l l p e r s o n s a n d it b e c o m e s m a n d a t o r y to use t h e d r u g s , giving
e v e r y o n e a p r i m e e g o and a n a l t e r n a t e ego, in f a c t s e p a r a t e p e r s o n s ,
who undergo drug-induced s h i f t s of dominance e v e r y five days. The
a u t h o r e x p l o r e s the concept of ego-shift by following the f o r t u n e s of a
n u m b e r of p r o t a g o n i s t s w h o s e doubled p e r s o n a l i t i e s engage i n complex
interactions.
Annotation:
Author:
Collins, Hunt ( P s e u d . of E v a n H u n t e r )
Title:
Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Publisher:
P y r a m i d Books, New York
Pages:
190 pp.
Date:
1956
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s r e a l i t y - t e s t e r s
The novel, s e t i n a n e a r - f u t u r e E a r t h dominated by adv e r t i s i n g and television, d e s c r i b e s the conflict between
two g r o u p s of differing s o c i a l philosophies: the Vikes, who a d v o c a t e
v i c a r i o u s p l e a s u r e and indulge i n h e r o i n - l i k e n a r c o t i c s to e s c a p e f r o m
r e a l i t y , a n d t h e R e e s , o r R e a l i s t s , a n a u s t e r e P u r i t a n movement
h o s t i l e to a l l mind- a l t e r i n g s u b s t a n c e s .
Annotation:
Author:
Dick, Philip, K.
Title:
We can r e m e m b e r it f o r you wholesale
Journal:
Fantasy and Science Fiction, Vol. 30, No. 4 , 3-16
Publisher:
M e r c u r y P r e s s , I n c . , New York
Date:
April 1966
Format:
Short story
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-controller s
Annotation:
A technique i s developed by which, using a hypnotic
drug called narkidrine, f a l s e m e m o r i e s c a n be implanted in a human brain. The memory-implant technique can be
used to provide the vicarious illusion of pleasurable experience, but
a l s o - - a s the s t o r y unfolds--we s e e that i t c a n b e used for purposes
of political intrigue.
Author:
Dick, Philip K.
Title:
The T h r e e Stigmata of P a l m e r Eldritch
Publisher:
Doubleday & Company, New York
Pages:
2 7 8 pp.
Date:
1965
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Annotation:
An illegal hallucinogen, Can- D, allows E a r t h colonists
on M a r s , Venus, and other nearby worlds to stave off
the crushing boredom of daily life by permitting them to enter a highly
schematicized common fantasy world where they s h a r e in the adventures
of two imaginary l o v e r s who a r e l a r g e r - than-life Hollywood d r e a m figure s. Complications ensue when a competitive reality- destroying
drug, Chew-Z, i s introduced s u r r e p t i t i o u s l y by beings f r o m another
s o l a r system.
Author:
Dick, Philip K .
Title:
Now Wait for L a s t Year
Publisher:
Doubleday & Company, New York
Pages:
214 pp.
Date:
1966
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expande r s
In the w a r - t o r n world of the 2 1s t century, Americans
e s c a p e f r o m the h o r r o r s of t h e i r t i m e by addictive use
of JJ- 180, a drug that allows the consciousness to detach f r o m p r e s e n t
time and r e t u r n to e a r l i e r e r a s , o r even to t r a v e l forward in time.
The protagonist, initially attempting only to deal with h i s w i f e ' s
addiction to the time- t r a v e l drug, eventually b e c o m e s entangled in
global politics and the p r o g r e s s of the i n t e r s t e l l a r w a r a s he himself,
under the influence of JJ-180, o s c i l l a t e s backward and forward i n time.
Annotation:
Author:
Harrison, H a r r y
Title:
Make Room!
Publisher:
Doubleday & Company, New York
Pages:
213 pp.
Date :
1966
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s euphorics
Annotation:
Make Room!
The y e a r i s 1999 and the population of New York City
i s 35 million. In this hideously overcrowded society
marijuana and LSD a r e the chief m e a n s of escape f r o m s t r e s s , and
their use i s f a r m o r e p e r v a s i v e than i t i s today. Filmed a s Soylent
Green.
Author :
Aldiss, B r i a n W.
Title:
The night that a l l t i m e b r o k e loose
In :
Dangerous Visions (Edited by H a r l a n Ellison)
Publisher:
Doubleday & Company, New York
Pages:
15 1- 160
Date:
1967
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind- e x p a n d e r s
Annotation:
Comic s t o r y about t i m e g a s , piped through m a i n s to
suburban h o u s e s the way heating g a s i s distributed.
Using t i m e g a s , s u b s c r i b e r s can d i a l t h e m s e l v e s back to any period
in t h e i r l i v e s they p r e f e r to r e - e x p e r i e n c e , . S t o r y c o n c e r n s a b r e a k
in the g a s m a i n that floods the region with t i m e g a s and touches off a
g r e a t g u s h e r that c a r r i e s mankind back into p r e h i s t o r i c t i m e s , with
d i n o s a u r s imminent a s the t i m e - effects grow m o r e powerful.
Author:
Anderson, C h e s t e r
Title:
The Butterfly Kid
Publisher:
P y r a m i d Books, New York
Page s :
190 pp.
Date:
1967
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s m i n d - e x p a n d e r s
In this comic novel, s e t among the drug-using counterc u l t u r i s t s of Greenwich Village, trouble s t a r t s when
Reality P i l l s b e c o m e available--a " p r o j e c t i v e hallucinogenn that c r e a t e s
hallucinations visible not only to the u s e r but t o those a r o u n d him. It
develops that Reality P i l l s have b e e n invented a n d distributed by blue
l o b s t e r - l i k e beings f r o m another planet i n o r d e r t o facilitate t h e i r conq u e s t of E a r t h - - a conquest ultimately t h w a r t e d by the dedication of a
f e a r l e s s band of hippies.
Annotation:
Author:
Dick, Philip K. and Nelson, Ray
Title:
The Ganymede Takeover
Publ.isher:
Ace Books, New York
Pages:
157 pp.
Date:
1967
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
In this s a t i r i c novel intelligent w o r m - l i k e beings f r o m
Ganymede, moon of J u p i t e r , conquer the E a r t h despite
the b e s t e f f o r t s of such individuals a s Rudolph Balkani, Chief of the
B u r e a u of P s y c h e d e l i c R e s e a r c h , who h a s b e e n w o r k i n g on a mindHocking weapon. The world that Ganymede conquered i s i n fact devoted on a l l l e v e l s to the use of nsychedelics, and the novel r a i s e s
questions about the n a t u r e of " r e a l i t y n a s the a c t i o n unfolds.
Annotation:
Author:
Lupoff, R i c h a r d A.
Title:
One Million C e n t u r i e s
Publisher:
L a n c e r Books, New York
Pages :
352 pp.
Date:
1967
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s m i n d - e x p a n d e r s
Annotation:
A m a n of the twentieth c e n t u r y i s t h r u s t f o r w a r d in time
to the w o r l d of the unimaginably d i s t a n t future. As he
e x p l o r e s the civilization h e finds himself among, h e l e a r n s that the
people of t h e e r a habitually chew s a m r a , a hallucinogenic drug, and a
w o m a n h e m e e t s t a k e s h i m o n a s a m r a t r i p . It i s a s o a r i n g visionary
e x p e r i e n c e in which he p e r c e i v e s the b i r t h and death of the s o l a r
system.
Author:
Spinrad, Norman
Title:
C a r c i n o m a angels
In:
Dangerous Visions (Edited by H a r l a n Ellison)
Publisher:
Doubleday & Company, New York
Pages:
489-497
Date:
1967
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
P r o t a g o n i s t suffering f r o m t e r m i n a l c a n c e r seeks r e m i s s i o n of d i s e a s e . With the aid of m a s s i v e doses of
v a r i o u s hallucinogenic agents he r e a c h e s a n ostensible mental state in
which h e i s capable of entering h i s own body to do psychic battle with
the c a n c e r cells. In s e r i e s of metaphorical contests he d e s t r o y s the
i n v a d e r s , but i s unable to r e t u r n to r e a l - w o r l d consciousness and i s
r e m a n d e d to mental institution, trapped within h i s own body.
Annotation:
Author:
Wilson, Colin
Title:
The Mind P a r a s i t e s
Publisher:
Arkham House, Sauk City, Wisconsin
Pages :
222 pp.
Date:
1967
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugsasmind-expanders
A r e s e a r c h project involving heavy doses of mescaline
a n d LSD l e a d s t o perceptions revealing the existence of
invisible "mind p a r a s i t e s , a l i e n i n v a d e r s who have long controlled and
influenced human life. With the a i d of the drug, e x p e r i m e n t e r s unleash
mental powers with which t o combat t h e invaders.
Annotation:
"
Author:
Disch, T h o m a s
Title:
C a m p Concentration
Publisher:
Doubleday & Company, New York
Pages:
184 pp.
Date:
1968
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s intelligence-enhancers
T h e novel i s t h e j o u r n a l of a U. S. political p r i s o n e r of
the n e a r f u t u r e who is a s s i g n e d to o b s e r v e and r e c o r d
the p r o g r e s s of a n e x p e r i m e n t i n which volunteer p r i s o n e r s a t a s e c r e t
i n t e r n m e n t c a m p a r e t r e a t e d with P a l l i d i n e , a n intelligence- enhancing
d r u g d e r i v e d f r o m the o r g a n i s m that c a u s e s syphilis. In the c o u r s e of
n i n e m o n t h s t h e d r u g t u r n s t h e p r i s o n e r s into -s-upermen of e x t r a o r d i n a r y
m e n t a l c a p a c i t y while d e s t r o y i n g t h e i r bodies with d i s e a s e .
Annotation:
Author:
Herbert, Frank
Title:
The S a n t a r o g a B a r r i e r
Publisher:
B e r k l e y Books, New York
Pages:
255 pp.
Date:
1968
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugsasmind-expanders
An o u t s i d e r p e n e t r a t e s a r e m o t e C a l i f o r n i a v a l l e y inhabited by r e c l u s i v e f a r m e r s who d i s c o u r a g e a l l contact with s t r a n g e r s . He d i s c o v e r s t h a t they h a v e built a s o c i e t y b a s e d
on consumption of J a s p e r s - - a p s y c h e d e l i c d r u g going f a r beyond a c i d i n
i t s e f f e c t s , f o s t e r i n g a s e n s e of c o m m u n i t y through i t s ability to allow
t a k e r s to p e r c e i v e t h e u l t i m a t e r e l a t i o n s h i p s linking a l l a s p e c t s of t h e
u n i v e r s e . He i s d r a w n into t h e valley s o c i e t y and b e c o m e s p a r t of it.
Annotation:
Author:
Moorcock, Michael
Title:
The Final P r o g r a m m e
Publisher:
Avon Books, New York
Pages:
191 pp.
Date:
1968
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Annotation:
S a t i r i c c o m i c novel of n e a r f u t u r e , in which hallucinogenic d r u g s a r e used i n a v a r i e t y of w a y s - - a s , f o r
e x a m p l e , LSD g a s , employed a s a p r o t e c t i v e d e v i c e and d i s c h a r g e d to
muddle the m i n d s of b u r g l a r s b r e a k i n g into a m a n s i o n . M o r e convent i o n a l u s e of d r u g s (i. e . , a s e u p h o r i c s a n d h a l l u c i n o g e n s ) is c o m m o n
in the book.
Author:
Silverberg, Robert
Title:
How i t w a s when the p a s t went a w a y
In :
E a r t h ' s O t h e r Shadow ( B y R o b e r t S i l v e r b e r g )
Publisher:
New A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y , New York
Pages:
66- 127
Date:
1973 ( F i r s t I s s u e 1969)
Format:
S h o r t novel
Descriptor:
Drugsasmind-injurers
Annotation:
One d a y i n 2003 a n unknown m a l c o n t e n t d u m p s a n
a m n e s i a - p r o d u c i n g d r u g into the w a t e r s y s t e m of San
F r a n c i s c o . Within a few h o u r s v i r t u a l l y e v e r y o n e i n the c i t y h a s l o s t
h i s m e m o r y , and the e f f e c t s of the m e m o r y d r u g l i n g e r f o r s e v e r a l
d a y s , c a u s i n g g r e a t c o m p l i c a t i o n s . S t o r y follows the r e a c t i o n s of
s e v e r a l c h a r a c t e r s t o the v a r i e d e f f e c t s of sudden a m n e s i a . As s t o r y
e n d s things a r e r e t u r n i n g to n o r m a l f o r m o s t people, but one unstable
individual h a s obtained a supply of the d r u g and is p r e a c h i n g i t s use in
a new cult of oblivion.
,
Author :
Spinrad, Norman
Title:
Bug Jack B a r r o n
Publisher:
Walker Books, New York
Pages:
327 pp.
Date:
1969
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind--expanders
Annotation:
In the closing y e a r s of the 2 0th century the work of a
foundation f o r life- extension r e s e a r c h becomes the
center of f i e r c e political controversy. The tensions growing out of
the s e a r c h for immortality a r e depicted against the background of a
n e a r - f u t u r e world i n which marijuana and the psychedelic drugs a r e
legal and widely consumed.
Author:
Aldiss, B r i a n W.
Title:
Barefoot i n the Head
Publisher:
Doubleday & Company, New York
Page s :
281 pp.
Date:
1970
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s m i n d - i n j u r e r s
In Europe of the n e a r f u t u r e , political tensions have led
to the bombing of the e n t i r e continent by the Arab state
of Kuwait with psychedelic weapons--odorless, t a s t e l e s s , and enormously potent. In the a f t e r m a t h of the w a r a l l of Europe finds itself
on a perpetual LSD t r i p , since the d r u g ' s aftereffects prove ineradicable. Industrial society b r e a k s down, r e a s o n becomes extinct, and the
novel itself dissolves into a Joycean v e r b a l phantasmagoria a s the old
society gives way to one i n which insanity i s the norm.
Annotation:
Author:
Silverberg, Robert
Title:
Sundanc e
In:
The Cube Root of Uncertainty (By Robert S l i v e r b e r g )
Publisher:
Collier Books, New York
Page s:
219-239
Date :
1970
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expander s
Protagonist i s p a r t of a t e a m of E a r t h men annihilatj2g
a semi-intelligent alien r a c e on an e x t r a s o l a r world
p r i o r to colonization of the planet. Protagonist i s emotionally
disturbed- - h i s American Indian a n c e s t r y m a k e s h i m bitter about the
genocide he f e e l s i s taking place--and his sympathies toward the aliens
lead h i m to take p a r t in their r i t e s and to consume a hallucinogenic
plant, used by them, that induces synesthesia and a s e n s e of r a c i a l
communion.
Annotation:
Author:
Vonnegut, Kurt
Title :
Welcome to the monkey house
In :
Welcome to the Monkey House (By Kurt Vonnegut)
Publisher:
Delacorte P r e s s , New York
Pages:
28-47
Date :
1970
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-controllers
At a time when the w o r l d ' s population i s 17 billion, compulsory ethical b i r t h control comes into effect. On pain
of fine, everyone m u s t take b i r t h control pills t h r e e t i m e s a day. The
pills do not i n t e r f e r e with reproduction, but, by making people numb
f r o m the waist down, "take e v e r y bit of p l e a s u r e out of sex. I '
Annotation:
Author:
Benford, J a m e s
Title:
Pulse
Journal:
Fantastic Science Fiction, Vol. 20, No. 6, 22-25
Publisher:
Ultimate Publishing Company, New Y o r k
Date:
August 197 1
Format:
Short story
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expander s
Annotation:
Young woman describes h e r LSD t r i p t o her psychotherapist: a vision of another world (she thinks it is
the moon) marked by strange geological formations and flora. He
listens patiently t o h e r descriptions of this obviously illusory experience, but she maintains the drug actually transported h e r , and a s
she goes on talking he i s drawn into the illusion and finds himself
mysteriously transported (without the aid of the drug) to the world
of h e r narrative.
Author:
Lafferty, R. A.
Title:
sky
In:
New Dimensions One, (Edited by Robert Silverberg)
Publisher:
Doubleday and Go., New York
Pages :
149- 16 1
Date:
197 1
Format:
Short story
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
a
Protagonists in future iivilization make use of-,
drug derived from a n amanita mushroom. Stated powers
of this drug a r e to provide sensations of m a s t e r y and union-with-cosmos,
especially during parachute drops. Protagonists attain successively
parachute drops, until,
m o r e ecstatic states i n s e r i e s of%-enhanced
seeking the perfect high, they deliberately fail t o use their parachutes
on one Sky t r i p and, after a descent marked by moments of stunning
ecstasy, p e r i s h a s they hit the ground.
Annotation:
Author:
Panshin, Alexei
Title:
How can we sink when we can fly?
In:
Four F u t u r e s , a science fiction anthology
Publisher:
Hawthorn
Pages:
94-130
Date :
197 1
Format:
Short novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Books, New York
Annotation:
At some period i n the future a drug called tempus i s
developed which enables people t o t r a v e l backward in
time, l i t e r a l l y o r perhaps in mind alone. Young people a r e r e q u i r e d
to take tempus journeys a s p a r t of the educational p r o c e s s . Story
takes place in contemporary United States, c. 197 0, and analyzes
c u r r e n t problems by confronting the protagonist with a tempus -using
visitor from the future.
Author:
Sheckley, Robert
Title:
Down the digestive t r a c t
In:
Can You F e e l Anything When I Do This ? ( B y Robert Silverberg)
Publisher:
Doubleday and C o . , New York
Pages :
145- 147
Date:
197 1
Format:
Short story
Descriptor:
Drugs a s r e a l i t y - t e s t e r s
0
An underground chemist gives a friend a mixture of
hallucinogenic drugs guaranteed t o send him into a true
trip. F r i e n d waits impatiently fur the hallucinations t o hit. Chemist
and f r i e n d a r e actually not human but a l i e n insecto-reptilian c r e a t u r e s ,
and it t u r n s out that the hallucination the f r i e n d h a s i s that of being a
human being i n our contemporary world.
Annotation:
Author :
Silve rberg, Robert
Title:
Downward to the E a r t h
Publisher:
N e w A m e r i c a n L i b r a r y , NewYork
Pages :
176 PP.
Date:
197 1
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expande r s
Annotation:
The venom of a serpent found on an alien planet that has
been colonized by Earthmen proves to have medicinal
value, serving a s a catalyst in limb-regeneration work; but when used
in a different dosage it has psychological effects, evoking in Earthmen
the illusion that they have been transformed into the elephant-like
intelligent species that i s the dominant native life-form of the planet.
Illicit use of the drug for this purpose i s common among the Earthmen
stationed there. Protagonist, expiating old guilts, goes among the
elephant-beings and eventually i s admitted into ecstatic communion with
them through use of the drug.
Author:
S;lverberg, Robert
Title:
A Time of Changes
Publisher:
New American L i b r a r y , New York
Pages :
2 2 0 pp.
Date:
197 1
Format:
Novel
Descriptors:
Drugs a s mind-expanders, drugs a s a means of
communication
Scene i s a planet of the future dominated by s t e r n culture
that makes a fetish of privacy and personal reticence.
Narrator obtains from a "primitive1' culture on another continent a drug
which attacks the basics of his native culture by making possible direct
telepathic contact between minds. He attempts to found a subculture of
love and openness based on use of the drug, but, although he i s a prince
of the realm, he i s proscribed and hunted down.
Annotation:
Author:
Silverberg, Robert
Title:
The World Inside
Publisher:
Doubleday and Co., New York
Pages:
201 pp.
Date:
197 1
Format:
Novel
Descriptors:
Drugs a s mind-expanders, drugs a s a means of
communication
Annotation:
In world of 24th century, m o s t of mankind lives i n
thousand-story a p a r t m e n t buildings e a c h of which has
a population of m o r e than 800, 000. Chapter t h r e e of the novel follows
the adventures of a musician who, a f t e r performing a t a concert, drugs
himself with a multiplexer, a mind-expanding drug that t e m p o r a r i l y
induces a telepathic contact simultaneously with a l l 800, 000 residents
of his building, s o that he perceives t h e i r lives and thoughts i n one
vast i n t r i c a t e construct.
Author:
Davis, Grania
Title:
My head's i n a different place now
In:
Universe Two, (Edited by T e r r y C a r r )
Publisher:
Ace Books, New York
Page s :
151-172
Date :
1972
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Young A m e r i c a n m a r r i e d couple, weary of life on welfare
i n a l a r g e city, t r a v e l into C e n t r a l A m e r i c a n jungle i n
s e a r c h of a drug-using primitive t r i b e of which they have h e a r d . Eventually they find a n Eden-like place where the natives, though dominated
by f e a r s of s u p e r n a t u r a l beings, s e e m whole and happy. The Americans
discover hallucinogenic m u s h r o o m s n e a r the village, begin using them,
and s e t t l e into a n amiable life of tripping and telepathic contact with
animals, i n s e c t s , a n d plants. A s s t o r y ends they a r e planning to t u r n
on the unsuspecting v i l l a g e r s .
Annotation:
Author:
Hollis, H. H.
Title :
Stoned counsel
In:
Again, Dangerous Visions, (Edited by Harlan Ellison)
Publisher:
Doubleday and Co., New York
Pages :
270-281
Date :
1972
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
In world of n e a r future hallucinogenic drugs have become
a routine part of the legal process. Lawyers examine
evidence that i s fed t o them in d i r e c t association with LSD and other
drugs, and t r i a l s a r e conducted with prosecutors and defense attorneys
both in a drug-enhanced mental state. Approach of the s t o r y i s sympathetic and detached; drug-enhancement i s depicted a s a new phase, not
n e c e s s a r i l y negative in implication, in courtroom procedure.
Annotation:
Author:
Jones, Langdon
Title:
The eye of the l e n s
In:
The Eye of the Lens (By Langdon Jones)
Publisher:
Collier Books, New York
Date:
1972
Pages:
53-90
Format:
Short novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Annotation:
Avant-garde s t o r y without summarizable plot: it
attempts to depict various cinematic and psychedelic
modes of perception and includes (p. 84) a n explicitly psychedelic
scene within a B r i t i s h cathedral of the n e a r future where hallucinatory
religious rituals take place.
I
Author:
Nelson, Ray
Title:
Time travel f o r pedestrians
In:
Again, Dangerous Visions, (Edited by Harlan Ellison)
Publisher:
Doubleday and Co.
Date:
1972
Pages :
140- 159
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
,
New Y o r k
Protagonist, using c r u s h e d ttflower s e e d s n plus autohypnotic techniques, e m b a r k s on a t r i p in which his
consciousness perceives past existences. He t r a v e l s mentally t o
medieval northern Europe, t o Egypt shortly a f t e r the time of J e s u s ,
to medieval southern F r a n c e , a n d other e r a s .
Annotation:
Author:
Niven, L a r r y
Title:
The fourth profession
In:
Best Science Fiction of the Year,Vol. I, (Edited by T e r r y C a r r )
Publisher:
Ballantine Books, New York
293-340
1972
Format:
Short novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Alien beings known a s Monks come to E a r t h and, to s e r v e
purposes of their own, distribute a variety of strange
pills. One of these drugs i s a n intelligence-enhancer, another i s a
memory- destroyer, another induces instantaneous t r a n s p o r t from one
place to another. Story explores the effects of these and other aliengiven drugs and the motivations of the aliens who distribute them.
Annotation:
Author:
Silverberg, Robert
Title :
Dying Inside
Publisher:
Charles S c r i b n e r ' s and Sons, New York
Pages:
245 pp.
Date :
1972
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s m e a n s of communicat'ion
Annotation:
Story t a k e s place in 1976. N a r r a t o r i s middle-aged New
York intellectual who h a s had the power of telepathy since
childhood and now i s losing it. The power has e m b i t t e r e d him by r e n d e r ing him a f r e a k , and he h a s taken pains to conceal knowledge of i t f r o m
o t h e r s . He t e l l s how, i n 1968, a close love relationship of his was t e r minated when he and h i s woman friend took LSD together; the t r i p had
the unexpected effect of opening a two-way telepathic channel between
them, s o that not only could he r e a d h e r mind a s usual but she briefly
had a c c e s s to his, giving h e r a bad t r i p and causing h e r t o recoil from
him.
Author:
Spinrad, Norman
Title :
No direction home
In:
Publisher:
B e s t Science Fiction of the Year, Vol. I, (Edited by T e r r y C a r r )
Ballantine Books, New York
Page s :
227 - 244
Date:
1972
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Scene i s United States of the n e a r future i n which psychedelic drugs of a l l kinds, including many not yet known,
a r e legal and widely used on a l l l e v e l s of society. Story speculates i n
detail on the n a t u r e of a c o m m e r c i a l i z e d l e g a l psychedelics industry
and on the f o r m s future drugs may take.
Annotation:
Author:
Bradley, Marion Z i m m e r
Title
Darkove r Landfall
Publisher :
Daw Books, New York
Pages :
160 pp.
Date:
1973
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Story d e s c r i b e s the a r r i v a l on the e x t r a s o l a r planet of
Darkover of a shipload of colonists f r o m E a r t h , and
explores the impact on the E a r t h m e n of the Ghost Wind, a native
meteorological phenomenon that h a s psychedelic effects, caused by
pollen, dust, o r v i r u s , which l i b e r a t e E S P powers in t h e i r minds.
The s e t t l e r s , bombarded by hitherto unfamiliar s e n s o r y data, a r e
plunged into conflict that t r a n s f o r m s the group.
Annotation:
Author:
Brunner, John
Title:
The Stone That Never Came Down
Publisher:
Doubleday and Co., New York
Pages :
206 pp.
Date:
1973
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expande r s
Annotation:
Scene i s London, 1980's: a time of chaos with World
War I I I i m m i n e n t . Chemists discover drug called V C - viral coefficient--which has the property of greatly intensifying s e n s o r y
perception and amplifying intelligence and m e m o r y . Drug h a s ability
to multiply in p r o p e r environment like living organism. When a n unemployed teacher who has had a n experimental dose of VC donates blood
to c e n t r a l bloodbank, he unwittingly s p r e a d s VC w i d e l y t o the world a t
large, causing a n epidemic of sanity i n which world l e a d e r s , now
greatly m o r e intelligent, take steps to abolish w a r f a r e and e s t a b l i s h
an ideally rational society.
Author:
Dickson, Gordon R .
Title:
The R-Master
Publi she r :
Lippincott, Philade lphia
Page s :
216 pp.
Date:
197 3
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs as mind-expanders
In the middle of the 2 1 s t century an intelligence -enhancing
drug called Reninase-47 has come into wide use. Though
normally i t simply stimulates the thought process,
R-47 occasionallv
.,
does massive &&age to the mind, and in a few ca-ses creates a supe;genius, an R-master. Protagonist's brother takes R-47 and suffers
brain damage. In order to help him, protagonist a l s o takes the drug
and unexpedtedly emerges from treatment a s an R-master, a member
of an extraordinary elite group, and from another R-master he l e a r n s
of the need for a vast reorganization of governmental policies. He
becomes a revolutionary leader and works toward a transformation of
society.
Annotation:
-
-
Author:
F r e e , Colin
Title:
The Soft Kill
Publisher:
BerMey Books, New York
Pages:
159 pp.
Date :
197 3
Format:
Novel
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-controllers
Protagonist is a scientist stationed aboard a n orbiting
r e s e a r c h station of the f a r future. Needing a holiday,
he is t r a n s f e r r e d to a place called HighTown--an overpopulated city
where a totalitarian government maintains control by dosing the
citizens with a variety of tranquilizing and euphoric drugs. Novel
explores the effect of government-by-chemistry.
Annotation:
Author:
Pumilia, Joseph F.
Title :
As d r e a m s a r e made on
Journal:
Fantastic Science Fiction, Vol. 22, No. 3, 18-29
Publisher:
Ultimate Publishing C o . , New York
Date:
1973
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
Annotation:
Teenage boy obtains a supply of metamorphium, a drug
th:- t induces fantasy-gratification d r e a m s . Not only a r e
his d r e a m s rici.-.. satisfying, but he d i s c o v e r s that h i s girlfriend, horn
he s e e s in the d r e a m s , i s a w a r e of the visions a s i f the drug has induced
some telepathic
link between them. He .has a vision of a time when
everyone i s linked through s h a r e d metamorphium d r e a m s - - "one big
d r e a m , one big mind a s l e e p and dreaming a l l the time, '"ven
though
individual d r e a m e r s will wake f r o m the big d r e a m .
Author:
Rotsler, William
Title:
Gods of Z a r
Journal:
Amazing S t o r i e s , Vol. 47, No. 3, 20-40
Publisher:
Ultimate Publishing Co., New York
Date:
1973
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s euphorics
An E a r t h m a n s t r a n d e d on a n alien planet be c o r n s god of
the local native r a c e . When his people a r e attacked by
a hostile t r i b e he defeats the enemy s o l d i e r s by dosing them with tazeel,
a euphoric drug of the planet that d e s t r o y s t h e i r discipline and converts
them instantly from Spartan ferocity to self-indulgence.
Annotation:
Author:
Scortia, Thomas N.
Title:
The w e a r i e s t r i v e r
In:
Future City, (Edited by Roger Elwood)
Publisher:
Trident P r e s s , New York
Pages:
108- 148
Date :
1973
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s euphorics
The scene i s about 350 y e a r s f r o m now. An imrmortality
t r e a t m e n t has been perfected and the world has become
a savagely overcrowded, polluted urban s p r a w l i n which people live
f o r e v e r . Drugs a r e the main refuge f r o m boredom among the i m m o r t a l s .
The protagonist i s the inventor of the immortality s e r u m , whose life i s
spent i n a n endless s e a r c h f o r illegal drugs to palliate his guilt and
spiritual m a l a i s e ,
Annotation:
Author:
Spinrad, Norman
Title:
The weed of time
Journal:
Vertex, Vol. 1, No. 3
Publisher:
Mankind Publishing Co. , Los Angeles
Pages:
58, 92-93
Date:
1973
Format:
Short s t o r y
Descriptor:
Drugs a s mind-expanders
An exploratory m i s s i o n to the fifth planet of the s t a r Tau
Ceti 'in 2048 discovers a plant that i s given the name of
Tempis ceti, seeds and leaves of which have a psychedelic property:
they destroy the linear perception of time and enable the subject to view
a l l moments along his life span simultar,eously. Seeds of the plant prove
to be f e r t i l e on E a r t h and the drug co-mes into common use. Protagonist
i s a time-drug u s e r whose simultaneous perception of h i s 110-year lifespan sends him to a mental hospital.
Annotation:
H a m i l t o n , Edmond
Morrison, William
15
H a r r i s , C l a r e Winger
Harrison, Harry
34
H a r t l e y , L. P.
27
H e N e v e r Slept
14
M y H e a d ' s In a D i f f e r e n t P l a c e
Now
45
12
Nelson, R a y
24
Niven, L a r r y
25
47
NoDirectionHome
H e r b e r t , Benson
14
Herbert, Frank
H o l l i s , H.H.
36, 47
Night T h a t A l l T i m e B r o k e
L o o s e , The
35
Heinlein, R o b e r t A.
Hellflower
48
Now Wait f o r L a s t Y e a r
38
34
One Million C e n t u r i e s
46
P a n s hin, A l e x e i
H o r m o n e M e n a c e , The
36
43
P e a c o c k King, T h e
How Can We Sink When We
Can F l y ?
43
P h i l l i p s , Rog
26
Plutonian Drug, T h e
How I t Was When t h e P a s t
WentAway
39
Pohl, F r e d e r i k
22
Huxley, Aldous 13, 28
Pratt, Fletcher
12
I R e m e m b e r Oblivion
Island
25
Pulse
-
22
18
42
Purnilia, J o s e p h F .
28
51
J o n e s , Langdon
46
P u p p e t M a s t e r s , The
Joymakers, The
27
Purdom, Tom
K e l l e r , David H.
13, 23
R - M a s t e r , T h e 50
24
29
Kyle, David A .
21
R o g e r Bacon F o r m u l a , T h e
L a f f e r t y , R. A.
42
Rotsler, William
Lester, Irvin
12
S a n t a r o g a B a r r i e r , The
L i t e r a r v Corkscrew, The
Lupoff, R i c h a r d A .
McCombs, L a r r y
MacDonald, J o h n D.
13
36
30
S c o r t i a , T h o m a s N.
52
43
Silverberg, Robert
45,48
39,41,44,
34
Sky
42
22
37
S m i t h , C l a r k Ashton
Moor cock, M i c h a e l
38
Sheckley, R o b e r t
Slesar, Henry
Mind P a r a s i t e s , T h e
51
23
Make R o o m ! Make R o o m !
39
12
18
Smith, George 0.
Soft Kill, The
25
50
Spinrad, Norman
37-,40,48,52
Stolen Minute, T h e
26
Stone T h a t N e v e r C a m e Down,
The
49
Stoned C o u n s e l
Sundance
46
41
T h r e e S t i g m a t a of P a l m e r
Eldritch, The
33
T i m e Drug, The
21
T i m e of Changes, A
44
T i m e T r a v e l for P e d e s t r i a n s
T o m o r r o w and T o m o r r o w
T r o j a n H o r s e Laugh
T r u t h G a s , The
Viot, H.G.
32
23
15
26
Vonnegut, K u r t
41
We C a n R e m e m b e r It F o r You
33
Wholesale
Weariest River, The
52
Weed of T i m e , The
52
W e l c o m e to the Monkey H o u s e
41
W e l l m a n , Manly Wade
20
What to Do Until the A n a l y s t
Comes
22
White, Ted
30
Williams, Robert Moore
Wilson, Colin
37
World Inside, The
Yellow P i l l , T h e
45
26
24
DHEW Publication IVo. (ADM) 75-190
Printed 1975
U.S. DEPARTMEIVT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
ALCOHOL, DRUG ABUSE, AND MENTAL HEALTH ADMINISTRATIOIV
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
11400 ROCKVILLE PIKE
ROCKVI LLE, MARYLAND 20852