Scrambled World

"Scrambled World" by Basil Wells is a science fiction novel written in the mid-20th century, specifically in the post-World War II era. The story explores themes of time travel, altered realities, and the impact of technological advancement on society. The plot centers on a time traveler, Devin Orth, who navigates a drastically changed Earth three million years into the future, confronting a bizarre and dangerous new world. In the narrative, Devin Orth and his companions journey through time in search of a means to shield humanity from the fallout of atomic power. Upon landing in the distant future, Orth discovers that Earth has been transformed into a kind of park by descendants of humanity, who have created a society that appears to revive aspects of American history. As he interacts with locals, including a frontiersman named Dun Horgan and an enigmatic woman named Ayna, Orth faces both physical threats and confusion about the cultural and historical context around him, marked by a surreal mash-up of time periods. Ultimately, he learns that he cannot return to his time with newfound knowledge, yet finds hope in the possibility of salvaging humanity's future. The story serves as a reflection on civilization, its achievements, and the potential ramifications of technological dependence. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Basil Eugene Wells was an American writer. His first published story, "Rebirth of Man" appeared in the magazine Super Science Stories in 1940. He wrote science fiction, fantasy western and detective stories for various magazines sometimes under the name Gene Ellerman. Two collections of his stories, Planets of Adventure and Doorways to Space were published by Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc.