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:

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:

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.

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.