Gremmie’s Reef: in Reawakened Worlds Vol 1

In Gremmie’s Reef–a 1964 science fiction short story in the anthology Reawakened Worlds Vol 1 by (John) Hayden Howard–a teen surfing off the Santa Barbara, California coast finds something bizarre.

Previously published in If Worlds of Science Fiction, October 1964 (illustrated by Finlay) the story Gremmie’s Reef puts us in the flip-flops of a young teenager. He is an eager surfer, but desperate for his older teen brother’s attention. We first meet young Ted at the beach:

A strange new sight off the Santa Barbara coast . . .

Then Ted sees, offshore, some terrific new swells. It’s strange–as if giant waves are over a submerged reef he knows can’t be there. Still, he gets excited about trying to surf. He has some success. That is, despite getting clobbered in the process and getting something oddly purple on his skin.

Ted rushes home to tell his brother David. Maybe, finally, his brother will pay attention to him.

David gets very annoyed at Ted bothering him. He keeps calling him a “gremmie. ” (That’s 1960s slang for an inexperienced and objectionable surfer.) He finally goes with Ted to the beach, though David doesn’t believe there are any strange new swells at Chalk Cliff.

Then they both encounter something even more bizarre, and the story takes an ironic and subtly humorous intergalactic twist.

As I review what I like about this story, I think Hayden Howard showed well what it can be like for a teen in any era to feel ignored and sometimes bullied by a sibling. The author himself only had a sister. Yet perhaps when young he had peers bully him, so might have known what that felt like. (He had an ear deformity he hid most of his life under long hair, but when he was a child long hair was not in style.)

That human element, mixed into an entertaining science fiction tale, gives Howard’s characters depth. Meanwhile, slang throughout the story immerses me in the 1960s.

Here’s a copy of the cover of the 1964 science fiction magazine in which this story by (John) Hayden Howard was originally published. Other authors in this publication included Robert A. Heinlein. Below that is a 2023 anthology of Howard’s works, Reawakened Worlds, Vol 1. In that book is the full story of Gremmie’s Reef, including its surprise ending.

If Worlds of Science Fiction, October 1964
Reawakened Worlds Vol 1, July 2023, WildBlue Press, available in hardcover, paperback, audiobook and eBook.

The Tragedy of Henry Diddoh: a 1950s Frankenstein-ish story in Reawakened Worlds

In John Hayden Howard‘s vintage sci-fi anthology, Reawakened Worlds, Vol One (WildBlue Press, 2023) Henry and Hank share an strange and untenable bond.

This novelette by John Hayden Howard, written in 1951, kicks off the Reawakened Worlds series with a bang. Or I should say, with a headset.

Here’s the gist of the Diddoh story (the first of eight stories in the book):

Henry is a professor, leading an extremely predictable and somewhat boring life. He’s considering a few life-changing options. Suddenly a third, more macabre choice presents itself:

Image with Kindle quote: Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, as the result of a long, off-the-record talk with Professor Renworth of the Physiology Department concerning an unusual experiment, Henry's choices increased to three. Henry Diddoh paid his fated visit to the lab where Renworth, a dabbler in neural electronics, was probing a handsome cadaver. The body's lifelike twitching made Henry's Adam's apple return distress signals.
(Image links to Reawakened Worlds paperback.)

Henry opts to connect his brain to the body of that once-a-cadaver. The idea is to allow him to be in two places at the same time–to accomplish more. I think that could be useful– what if I could write a book at home while also being with my grandchildren in another state? What would you do if you could be in two places at the same time?

At first, for Henry, it seems exciting:

Kindle Quote: Henry and Hank grinned at each other like a pair of newly successful ventriloquists.
(Image links to Reawakened Worlds on Kindle.)

But as the story progresses, Henry’s bizarre attempt to manipulate Hank’s brain becomes problematic. Hank desperately wants to be independent–to be his own person and have his own family. Yet the two men are inexorably tied together.

Kindle Quote: The professor had underestimated him. He was a man now. And as Hank walked the streets, he worried about summer, when the experiment with him might end. Soon Hank found he did not have to sleep just because Henry dozed off. Yet he did learn that when he took a bus out of the city, he had to pull the stop cord at about 20 miles from Henry. If he traveled much farther, his sight blurred.
(Image links to Reawakened Worlds audiobook.)

As this vintage sci-fi story progresses, I find myself rooting for Hank, although he does commit a murder in self-defense. (The stories in Reawakened Worlds are clean, but yes, some people die.) And being permanently tied to Henry is impossible, leading to a dramatic ending to the story.

To truly immerse yourself in the story and enjoy Howard’s unique storytelling skills, you can find the full story, along with seven other stories, in the anthology in Volume One. But if you’ve already read “The Tragedy of Henry Diddoh,” can you tell me what you liked about it in a comment below?

As compiler and editor of this anthology series, I’ve gone over all the stories multiple times. Yet with each read I end up pondering a different aspect of this story. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Laurie

All stories in the Reawakened Worlds Series were written between 1950 and 1977, including some previously published stories. Copyright of the author’s stories belongs to the Estate of John Hayden Howard.

Book Trailer for Reawakened Worlds, VOL 1

Here’s a fun little teaser for Volume One of Reawakened Worlds: Vintage Dystopian and Sci-Fi:

This Reawakened Worlds video is for the first collection of short stories and novelettes by John Hayden Howard. I enjoyed compiling his vintage works as his literary estate executor, and writing the Foreword and Afterword.

The second set of stories, VOL 2, is in the works, with publisher deadlines this week. Aaaack! WildBlue Press, my publisher, created this trailer, which I appreciate. I hope you enjoy it!

Book cover for Reawakened Worlds: Vintage Dystopian and Sci-Fi from a Master Storyteller, by author John Hayden Howard, editor Laurie Winslow Sargent.

Reawakened Worlds: Vintage Dystopian and Sci-Fi VOL One is currently in eBook, Audible audiobook, paperback, and hardcover formats.

Find this fun collection of 8 short stories and novelettes at many fine stores, including Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Hudson Booksellers and Target.

The Kindle version is available internationally, in English, and can be read on any device (any type of computer, phone, tablet, or Kindle reader) via the Kindle App in Google Play or Apple. Read more about John Hayden Howard here.

Brain Dead Laurie (not Science Fiction)

So, faithful subscribers, I accidentally sent you all a new post listing again all eight stories in Reawakened Worlds. Oops! Truly thought I hadn’t posted that yet. Hopefully my additional notes about Hayden’s writing style and how well the book is doing were new. But it just goes to show that I went too long between blog posts. Forgive my redundancy! I blame my dead brain on the fact I just married off my youngest daughter!

This past month was a wedding whirlwind up in the Appalachian Mountains of NC, and I was surrounded by five little grandchildren from my other two grown “kids” from WA. So exciting. Home a week ago and now playing catch-up after a week-long nap. I promise my next post will have more new material! Thanks for following me. I have more good stuff to come, including cool details connecting Jack AKA John Hayden Howard with the historic city of St. Augustine, FL, my new playground.

Laurie