Ivar Jorgensen is actually Paul W Fairman. Pulp fiction writer from the 40s to the 60s. Also, apparently a fisherman. He was an editor for If, Amazing Stories, Fantastic and the Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. He wrote the short story “Deadly City” which they based the movie Target Earth from. His short story “Cosmic Frame” was the basis for the movie Invasion of the Saucer Men. And his short story “Brothers Beyond the Void” was made into the Twilight Zone episode People Are Alike All Over.
Ten from Infinity was his fourth novel and was published in 1963 by Monarch which was the paperback subsidiary of Charlton Comics.
Cover art by Ralph Brillhart
Written review below. Video review here:
I read the novel he published right after this one, The World Grabbers which came in second place on my best of 2023 video. I don’t have a dedicated video review of it since I read it before starting the channel but there is a blog post review of it. Hmm maybe I should go back and record videos for the reviews I did before the channel.
NYC: early 60s.
Dr Frank Corson- leg man and ER doctor down at Park Hill Hospital. He’s just an intern so he doesn’t have money yet.
Rhoda- leg owner. Girlfriend. Owns apt and car.
William Matson- man with two hearts and no ID who gets hit by a cab and taken to the hospital to be treated by Dr Frank Corson.
Les King- freelance news photographer who gets shot of Matson right after he gets hit. He smells a big payday with this story.
Senator Crane- pompous and egotistical senator who is angry he wasn't invited to the secret meeting.
Brent Tabor- spy. The man in charge of handling this ten-man alien fiasco.
John Dennis- Android number ten. Point man for the aliens. Hypnotizer who likes to make mannequin-like love to ladies.
The introductory chapter introduces us to the strange man known as William Matson. William was hit by a NYC cab while trying to cross the street. He is rushed to the hospital where intern Dr Frank Corson checks out his injuries. Ok, this is strange, this man has two hearts. Whatever my shift is over, I can’t stop thinking about my dynamo leg lady girlfriend Rhoda, I’m going home. Rhoda picks him up. Frank is just an intern. He doesn’t have a car and his apartment is a shithole. Rhoda doesn’t mind but it embarrasses the hell out of Frank.
We jump to spy guy Brent Tabor listening to Senator Crane throw a fit about not being allowed into the secret meeting. The PEOPLE voted for him; Tabor is just a government bureaucrat. How dare he not be allowed in. Senator Crane sneaks a secret tape recorder in the room of the secret meeting.
At the meeting Tabor debriefs the heads of various government organizations. They have found eight identical men who are now all dead. The men have two hearts, oversized kidneys and synthetic blood. We think they are of alien origin, and we fear there might be an invasion in Earth’s future.
As he listens to the tape we get a wonderful little monologue where he goes on and on about how the people chose him not these spies and military guys. He thinks they are fools for thinking it extra-terrestrial. Obviously, it’s the Russians. Tell you what, whether this book is good or bad I'm giving it one mark higher for portraying this politician as they truly are. Self-obsessed. Narcissistic. Obvious and basic.
“One thing you have to realize about the American public- or about any mass of humanity, for that matter- a thing of importance has to be presented dramatically. This, in a sense, was the duty of the elected public servant- to recognize this somewhat childish failing of the average intelligence and make allowances for it. You can do this of course, Senator Crane told himself, when you love the people.”
Dr. Corson is at Rhoda’s apartment but can’t stop thinking about the man at the hospital. He goes back and the man is there. Still the same still weird. And what would you do if you were a doctor and found an impossible anomaly in a patient? Invite him to come and live with you at your apartment of course.
We are now introduced to John Dennis. He looks and acts exactly like two-heart William. Dennis stops by photographer Les King’s place to buy the photo he took of Willam after the car accident. Les recognizes his face as not only the exact same in the photo but of a man who went missing several years ago. He sells him the photo and the man leaves.
Les King stops by the hospital. He wants Corson to team up with him as he thinks he has a big story. Corson is reluctant at first but also embarrassed his girl makes more money so he's in.
And there is our plot. Who are these mysterious identical men? Are they from space? Are they Russian spies like the Senator thinks?
The Ten from Infinity have hypnotic powers and lets just say John Dennis uses those powers to…further study the relations of human beings, in particular Rhoda. Hope you guys like awkward and uncomfortable android-like sex scenes because you’re gonna get ‘em.
And from here on out we basically just have the Senator trying to sandbag Tabor.
Tabor trying to hunt down the mystery men.
Dr Frank upset that his little Rhoda has become distant.
Rhoda absolutely emotionally torn from being logically disgusted but emotionally manipulated to passion. Not cool.
Not too much interesting happens in this one unfortunately. John Dennis appears here and there when he wants something. Tabor the spy investigates but there really isn’t any new discovery past the info drop in the second chapter. It wasn’t really that exciting but it wasn’t boring either. Pure middle of the road. The previous book I read from Fairman, The World Grabbers had a blurb on the cover that stated “A dramatic, suspenseful novel inspired by the popular TV show One Step Beyond.” And they really hit the nail on the head with that one. I was hoping for more like it with Ten from Infinity and though it definitely had that vibe it was one of the more average episodes.
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