Return Earth

STAGE

2

Return to Earth
John Christopher

Introduction

The story
It is the year 2029, and Harl is leaving on a long space
journey. When he comes back, he will be eight years
older, but people on Earth will be a hundred years
older. Ellen refuses to go with him. She says that
when he gets back, the world will be completely
different because humans will be telepaths.

Theconcept which drives the book, however, is

She has been working on Project X: a secret

telepathy. Although this idea too has a long history, it

project to produce telepathic human beings. There are

does not cease to grow in popularity as a subject for

now generators in space which will turn everyone into

books, television plays and films, particularly for young

telepaths at the sametime: the Project X scientists

people. A similarly graphic contemporary treatment of

believe it has to be done like this to avoid problems

the same theme is in T. H. White’s The Master (1957).

between telepaths and non-telepaths. Harl and Ellen

Telepathy is the direct transmission of messages,

part.

emotions or other subjective states from one person

Much later in 2129, thespaceship Astronaut

to another without the use of any sensory channel of

returns to Earth. As the space travellers approach, they

communication. Although it can help to make a good

are surprised not to see any sign of life. They land on

story and although many people make strong claims

a deserted airfield.

to have had some kind of telepathic experience, it is

The nearbycity of Detroit is deserted too. They

important to remember that most of the extensive

search the rest of the planet in a smaller spacecraft

research carried out by parapsychologists in this field,

and find no-one. In Rome they see lions herding wild

has so far failed to prove conclusively that telepathic

pigs: if carnivorous animals are telepathic too, they

communication can takeplace consistently and

would only be able to catch food by co-operating. The

predictably between human beings.

spaceship crew still do not understand why there are

Christopher imagines that a world of telepaths

no people until a very old man arrives. He was born in

would be a terrifying and loveless one. He also

the year the Astronaut left, and has stayed alive longimagines how it might come about. The generators in

enough to tell them what happened. Most telepaths

space might not in themselves be very convincing but

died or committed suicide during adolescence

the picture he paints of a small group of people (the

because reading the innermost thoughts of other

scientists working on Project X) taking a unilateral and

humans was too unbearable.The old man wants the

secret decision, after a minimum of thought or

travellers to start human life again: he knows there are

research, which results in the destruction of the

two women on the spacecraft. Harl tells him they are

human race, may also have resonance for a generation

too old to bear children.

exposed to rumours about the possibility of AIDS – and

Background tothe story

BSE-generated epidemics.

John Christopher wrote this story in 1954, seven years

Discussion points

before the first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, was launched

1

Do you believe in telepathy? Have you ever had a

into space. But people have always dreamt of flight

telepathic experience or do you know someone

and

who has? Do you think many people could be

ofspace

travel

as

the

story

of

Icarus

demonstrates, and even the idea of travelling through
time, another idea presented in the book, had been

telepathic one day?
2

Some people fear that the human race will not

anticipated by H. G. Wells in The Time Machine

survive? What do you think are the main dangers

published in 1895.

facing us today?
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