Mimsy Were the Borogroves Review

Lewis Carroll’s celebrated novel Alice in Wonderland takes on a whole new meaning in this sci-fi short story. One thing is for sure: I had no idea what was going on until the very end. I also finally got to read a short story with non-Euclidean geometry. Let’s get into the review.

This story came from the author Lewis Padgett (pseudonym for authors Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore). It appeared in Astounding Science Fiction in 1943. It’s also considered one of the greatest sci-fi short stories before 1965. The story follows a scientist millions of years in the future, inventing a time machine. To test it, he sends back a box of his children’s toys, but it fails to return. He sends another, and this one also fails to come back. The scientist believes he failed in his experiment.

However, the first box travels back to 1942. A young boy named Scott comes across it and shares the toys with his sister. These toys employ concepts of the fourth dimension and non-Euclidean geometry in a way that the children’s parents can’t understand. Eventually, Scott and his sister start constructing diagrams based on the mathematics they’re learning. The parents decide to get to the bottom of what these toys are doing to their children.

I enjoyed the mystery behind this piece the most when reading. The story does a wonderful job of building the tension while also leading the reader to want to learn more. I even feel good enough to spoil some of the ending. It turns out that the other box the scientist sent back appeared to Alice Liddell in the 19th century. Her experience with the other toys eventually leads Lewis Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland. This twist added another layer of intrigue because everything, down to the title, suddenly makes sense.

I admit that another thing I liked about this story was the fact that it introduced concepts that I didn’t immediately recognize. Of course, I didn’t understand how the toys worked, but the story explained it in a way I could understand. I learned something new! My first foray into non-Euclidean geometry and the fourth dimension! This is what I love most about Golden Age science fiction stories. This one especially introduced a new idea, built on it, and paid off in a way that changed my perceptions. I need to read more from these two authors.

My quest to read more short stories as well as Golden Age novels continues! Stay tuned next week for another book review. It’s good to be back after being sick. Happy reading!

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