The novel “Up the Walls of the World” by James Tiptree Jr. was published for the first time in 1978.

The planet Tyree hosts an advanced civilization of creatures who live in its atmosphere. Similar to large manta rays, they live in flight using the winds and have considerable mental powers. None of this, however, seems useful when the Destroyer approaches their planet. This strange being seems invincible and has already destroyed many worlds. Tyree’s inhabitants can only use their mental ability to search for a new world in another part of the galaxy.

On Earth, a group of people with psychic powers takes part in a military experiment. The results are unexpected because they lead to a mental contact with Tyree’s inhabitants. The huge differences between the two species cause confusion in the humans and on Tyree someone decides that the only salvation lies in transferring their minds into the Earthlings’ bodies.

James Tiptree Jr. is the pen name of the writer Alice Sheldon, who for many years hid the fact that she was a woman. She started making a name in the field of science fiction in the late ’60s but for a long time she wrote short fiction only. “Up the Walls of the World” is the first of only two novels she wrote.

A sophisticated and eclectic writer, James Tiptree Jr. tended to dark tones. They’re a mirror of the darkness inside her that eventually led her to commit suicide. In “Up the Walls of the World” a darkness hits the planet Tyree and its inhabitants in the form of a mysterious being called not surprisingly the Destroyer.

The brief opening chapter of the novel introduces the Destroyer with very strong and intense words. The next chapter introduces the wonderful people of Tyree and in particular Tivonel. Their magnificent civilization is threatened by the Destroyer and their only hope of salvation is to move to another world by exploiting their great mental abilities.

Tyree’s inhabitants discover that on the distant planet Earth there are other intelligent creatures but this raises a new problem. They could transfer their minds into human bodies but for them that’s a serious crime. However, the situation is so desperate that a faction intends to break the law in order to achieve salvation from the Destroyer.

The description of Tyree’s civilization is a strong point of “Up the Walls of the World”. James Tiptree Jr. is good not only to describe really alien creatures but also to give a credible individuality to Tyree’s inhabitants. These very fascinating aliens are very different from humans not only physically but also mentally. They have two genders as well but there are some important differences from the human equivalents.

The encounter with humans is very difficult because the two species are so alien to each other to make mutual understanding difficult. Even under the best circumstances, it would take time for members of the two species to be able to overcome misunderstandings due to their biology and their culture, so different. In desperate circumstances and with the interference of the Destroyer, a collaboration between the two species seems almost impossible.

Given these premises, from James Tiptree, Jr. we would expect a story of doom and gloom. It’s certainly not the story of an interstellar picnic but in the end the fundamental theme of the novel is the communication among creatures who are very alien to each other. A good part of the story is devoted to the attempts of some of the characters, humans and aliens, to understand each other going beyond the barriers created by the huge differences in biology and culture.

The communication with very different beings is an individual choice so only some of the characters of the various species really try it. In the story there’s also action but there are mainly dialogues between various characters, sometimes of the same species and other times of different species.

The consequence is that often in “Up the Walls of the World” the pace is slow. In these cases, the intensity of the narrative is often given by the characters’ emotions and feelings. They’re fundamental in the story and James Tiptree Jr. develops some of them remarkably.

Even the Destroyer, which initially seems little more than a giant black cloud, becomes a full-fledged character in the course of the novel. For a good part of the novel, the chapters about the Destroyer are very short but in the second part of “Up the Walls of the World” they become longer allowing us to discover the truth about it.

The result of all this is a novel that is not easy to read, especially at the beginning, but I think it’s worth it. I think “Up the Walls of the World” is really a good novel with very interesting characteristics. Especially if you like  introspective stories, I recommend reading it.