7 Classic science fiction short stories by master storyteller, John Hayden Howard were compiled for Volume 1. In the 1960s he went by the pen name Hayden Howard, writing prolifically for science fiction magazines, and he’s listed in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
If the cover looks like another recent book, Reawakened Worlds Vol 1, YES: it’s the same book, new title! The series is still called Reawakened Worlds. Volume 2 will be released soon as well with a new title. Here’s the redesigned cover:
A new title was necessary because when the publisher put up Vol 2 for pre-release, web pages on bookstore sites confused the two volumes. None of the links went where they were supposed to go. It was a colossal mess!
The problem became insurmountable, so Reawakened Worlds Vol 1 was pulled, and both books re-titled, but with the same cool covers as before.
Gremmie’s Reef released today, so if you didn’t already grab it with its former title, this is a good time! Special Amazon Kindle price of $2.99 for the launch! (Paperback, $15.49, Hardcover, $21.99)
In 1954, the average pay for teachers was around 4K per year. A short story author, selling at least ten stories a year, could at least earn the meager pay of a teacher. (Howard in his later years also became a teacher, in Santa Barbara CA.)
Scott Meredith was John’s literary agent at the time. Here’s a letter from Scott about the sale of John’s Candlemaker story.
Interesting facts: 1) Ellery Queen was a pseudonym for the writers/publishers Fred Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee. 2) It may interest science fiction fans that Scott Meredith also represented Arthur C. ClarkeandPhilip K. Dick.
In the letter above, written 70 years ago, Scott asked John to give the story more “stature” before publication. I haven’t the foggiest idea what that meant! But perhaps John did: it was published/republished five times.
Now I wonder even more what “stature” meant in 1954, so I can “get me some of that good stuff” for my own writing!
What’s especially interesting to me is that this particular story is a quirky one, compared to everything else Hayden Howard wrote. He set The Dipping of the Candlemaker in a 1600s colonial village. His characters spoke in 17th century English.
How did Hayden know how to write that? Back in ’54, did he peruse vintage documents in a library, to get the hang of 1600s lingo?
It’s especially hard to imagine the Candlemaker story was by the same author who wrote the sci-fi stories I compiled for the new Reawakened Worlds anthologies!
Then again, in his elder years, Hayden, AKA John, AKA Jack wrote poetry, including love poetry to his wife. So he was certainly a versatile writer, and full of surprises. He lived until his eighties, but was only in his twenties when he wrote The Dipping of the Candlemaker.
Here’s a list of 18 detective, mystery, and sea stories written by Hayden Howard.
Blood on the Medicine Arrows: The Saint Detective Magazine, December 1956; The Saint Detective Magazine, (Australia) July 1957; The Saint Detective Magazine (UK) September 1957
City in the Bottle: The Saint Mystery Magazine, April 1959; The Saint Detective Magazine, (Australia) June 1959; The Saint Detective Magazine (UK) August/September 1959; The Saint Mystery Library #2, 1959
Dead Beat: Manhunt, October 1960
Denny: Popular, 1954
Down Among the Rock Cod: Tales of the Sea, Spring 1953
Finger in the Trough: The Saint Mystery Magazine, April 1960; The Saint Mystery Magazine, (UK) June 1960
Hellwater Run: Adventure, March 1953
Murder on El Capitan: Keyhole Mystery Magazine, April 1960
Murder on San Afer: The Saint Detective Magazine, October/November 1953; The Saint Detective Magazine, (Australia) October 1954; The Saint Detective Magazine, (UK) December 1954
Murder Without Tears: Fifteen Detective Stories, August 1953
Pass the Bottle: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine #123, February 1954; Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (Australia) #82, April 1954
Shark: Jack London’s Adventure Magazine, December 1958
The Amateur Assassin: The Saint Detective Magazine June 1957, The Saint Detective Magazine (UK) April 1958; The Saint Mystery Library #1, 1959; Great American Publications, Inc. August 1959
The Big Word: Trapped Detective Story Magazine, June 1956
The Dipping of the Candlemaker: Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, October 1954; Ellery Queen’s Awards: 9th Series ed. Ellery Queen, Little Brown, 1954; Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (UK) #21, October 1954; Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (Australia) #90, December 1954; the hardcover book Mystery and Murder in Boston, W.W. Norton and Company Inc. 1987
The Dummy and the Death Web: New Detective Magazine, April 1953
The Housemother Cometh: Manhunt, December 1954; Giant Manhunt #5, (var.1), #5 (var.2) 1955
The Old Man’s Last Case: Popular Magazine, abt1954.
The Wrong Man: The Pursuit Detective Story Magazine #4, July 1954; Pursuit—The Phantom Mystery Magazine, May 1955
With His Back Turned: The Saint Detective Magazine August/September 1953; The Saint Detective Magazine (Australia) March 1955; The Saint Detective Magazine (UK) May 1955
NOTE: Friends, if you come across copies of any of these magazine issues, let me know! I have collected some but not all. As for you fans of Hayden Howard’s sci-fi: does it surprise you that he wrote mysteries, too?
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 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:
(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.
(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.
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!
Reawakened Worlds: Vintage Dystopian and Sci-Fi VOL One is currently in eBook, Audible audiobook, paperback, and hardcover formats.
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 Howardhere.