I've read several of Jim Harmon's adult books of the 60s but never had read any of his science fiction -- until now. Thanks to this book, which has the full-length novel THE CONTESTED EARTH and seven of his short SF stories, I now know that Jim's slightly twisted imagination is not just of this world. It was the surprising oddness of his adult fiction that set it apart from the rest of the 50s and 60s sleaze that is staging a resurgence today, and the same quirkiness is evident in his SF.
The plot of TCE may seem familiar to modern readers because of P.D. James' excellent SF classic of the 90s, THE CHILDREN OF MEN. Universal sterility and its ramifications. But let's don't forget that Jim wrote his story in the early 60s, long before Ms. James had started writing her fabulous mysteries. It's the manner in which Jim tackles the topic that makes it so interesting. How will studs of the future handle a world in which there is no pregnancy? How will the scientists? And the military? Jim addresses the whole spectrum in his straightforward style that never quite goes where you think it will.
Jim was one of the main writers for H.L. Gold's Galaxy Magazine and we, of a certain age, always remember how those stories stood apart from the rest of the SF zines. They were funnier, and more realistic, and earthier, and simply better than the others. H.L. Gold practically adopted Jim Harmon and the two will be linked by their talent in our minds. Now, thanks to this book by Ramble House, modern readers can see what made Galaxy the icon it was, and what treasures Jim Harmon has in store for us -- then and now.