The Sound of His Horn
Encyclopedia
The Sound of His Horn is a 1952 dystopian time travel
/alternate history novel by the senior British diplomat
John William Wall, written with the pseudonym
Sarban
. It relates the story of a British naval
lieutenant, Alan Querdillon who, after becoming a POW during the Battle of Crete
awakens in a Nazi
controlled world 102 years after World War II
. He is hunted (literally) by a "Reichsforester" (a title Hermann Göring
had during the Third Reich). He takes refuge with genetically mutilated
"undesirables" — one of the first fictional descriptions of genetic manipulation.
The book's title is from an eighteenth-century song about the "gentleman farmer" John Peel
, a famous fox hunter in his time, and given a sinister meaning not appearing in the original - as the victorious Nazis hunt humans as if they were foxes. In his introduction to the 1960 edition of the novel by Ballantine Books, Kingsley Amis
writes: "I shall always feel a slight twinge whenever I am reminded of the innocent English hunting song from which the title is taken."
The theme of "undesirables" being hunted for "sport" was used by Poul Anderson
in The Corridors of Time - though in that case not associated with a Nazi victory, but rather with an oppressive regime developing in our far future. The institutionalized hunting of humans also occurs in the Draka
dystopian series by S. M. Stirling
,
and was a feature of the movie Planet of the Apes
(1968).
found the book to be "a minor thing, crude in places, but persuasive."
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
/alternate history novel by the senior British diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
John William Wall, written with the pseudonym
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Sarban
Sarban (author)
John William Wall , pen name Sarban, was a British writer and diplomat. Wall's diplomatic career lasted more than thirty years, but his writing career as Sarban was brief and not prolific, ending during the early 1950s...
. It relates the story of a British naval
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
lieutenant, Alan Querdillon who, after becoming a POW during the Battle of Crete
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...
awakens in a Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
controlled world 102 years after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He is hunted (literally) by a "Reichsforester" (a title Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
had during the Third Reich). He takes refuge with genetically mutilated
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
"undesirables" — one of the first fictional descriptions of genetic manipulation.
The book's title is from an eighteenth-century song about the "gentleman farmer" John Peel
John Peel (farmer)
John Peel was a British huntsman who is the subject of the nineteenth century song D'ye ken John Peel - "ken" being a dialectical form of "know" used in Scotland and the north of England.-Peel's life:...
, a famous fox hunter in his time, and given a sinister meaning not appearing in the original - as the victorious Nazis hunt humans as if they were foxes. In his introduction to the 1960 edition of the novel by Ballantine Books, Kingsley Amis
Kingsley Amis
Sir Kingsley William Amis, CBE was an English novelist, poet, critic, and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, various short stories, radio and television scripts, along with works of social and literary criticism...
writes: "I shall always feel a slight twinge whenever I am reminded of the innocent English hunting song from which the title is taken."
The theme of "undesirables" being hunted for "sport" was used by Poul Anderson
Poul Anderson
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories...
in The Corridors of Time - though in that case not associated with a Nazi victory, but rather with an oppressive regime developing in our far future. The institutionalized hunting of humans also occurs in the Draka
Draka
Draka may be:*Draka, Bulgaria, village in Sredets, Burgas Province*Draka Holding N.V., Dutch cable manufacturer*Fictional empire in The Domination series...
dystopian series by S. M. Stirling
S. M. Stirling
Stephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.-Personal:Stirling was born on...
,
and was a feature of the movie Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes (1968 film)
Planet of the Apes is a 1968 American science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle. The film stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison...
(1968).
Reception
Damon KnightDamon Knight
Damon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, critic and fan. His forte was short stories and he is widely acknowledged as having been a master of the genre.-Biography:...
found the book to be "a minor thing, crude in places, but persuasive."
External links
- Guide to Supernatural Fiction: Sarban
- "The World Hitler Never Made"
- The Sound of His Horn Free ebook of the novel at Munsey's.