Random Quest
Encyclopedia
Random Quest is a science fiction
short story
, which is also a love story
, by John Wyndham
. It was included in his 1961 collection Consider Her Ways
and Others. It has been dramatised three times, twice under its original name and once as "Quest for Love".
deals with the elderly Dr Harshom in Herefordshire
- who has a very rare family name, all of whose bearers are in one way or another related and are in some contact with each other.
In the early 1950s the Harshoms, scattered throughout England, are greatly mystified by the appearance of a young man named Colin Trafford, who systematically and persistently meets each and every one of them, asking of a young woman named Ottilie Harshom that none of the Harshoms ever heard of and who is evidently very important to him. Dr Harshom decides to talk to Trafford and understand what it is all about - and the story consists mainly of what Trafford eventually tells.
It turns out that Trafford is a physicist, and that he was involved in a laboratory experiment which went wrong, lost consciousness and woke up to find himself in a parallel universe
.
The parallel universe is similar to ours but there was a divergence
in the late 1920s. The point of divergence is not precisely identified, but seems to have had the effect of preventing or greatly diminishing the effect of the economic Crash of 1929. Trafford discovers that in the parallel world Adolf Hitler
never came to power and the Second World War never happened. Some of the implications are that
On a more personal level, Trafford finds himself in the body of his counterpart in the parallel universe. As the story unfolds, he meets some old friends who have different partners, and at one point is taken aback to meet someone whom he remembers as having been killed in the war. He also catches a glimpse of his former wife, who in the original timeline died after a year of what he calls "satisfactory marriage", and who in the alternate world is alive, accompanied by another man, and does not recognise him.
As Trafford discovers, his counterpart is a successful author, while he himself is a physicist. Looking through the counterpart's best-selling novels, the protagonist discovers a streak of brutality which becomes increasingly pronounced from book to book, making him resent seeing his name on the cover. This, he discovers, was also manifested in the counterpart's rather troubled relationship with his wife Ottilie. She had married his counterpart for love some three years before, but was increasingly neglected and had resigned herself to her husband having a series of openly-flaunted affairs. Trafford, however, quickly falls in love with Ottilie and spends several weeks rekindling their relationship, overcoming Ottilie's initial distrust and residual hurt. He is then distressed to find himself, suddenly and without warning, transported back to his own world, leaving Ottilie behind.
Trafford then begins his search for Ottilie's counterpart in our own world, determined to rediscover the depth of love he had experienced with Ottilie. All he has is her maiden name Ottilie Harshom, and after finding there is no record of her at Somerset House
(which was the General Register Office
for Births, Deaths and Marriages) he started his search, writing to and visiting every Harshom relative to try to locate her. All told him that Ottilie Harshom does not exist, and so does Dr Harshom when hearing his story.
Feeling sympathetic to the young man and half-believing his incredible story, the doctor feels worried about Trafford's obsessive "chasing after a ghost" and hopes that he will find another woman to love - since the woman which he met in the other universe doesn't seem to have a counterpart in this one.
However, something the doctor says gives Trafford the inspiration to try a different path. The story concludes as Trafford eventually finds that Ottilie's analogue does exist, though in this world her name is Belinda Gale, and she lives unmarried in Canada with her mother. Trafford marries her in Canada and brings her to England.
It turns out that Dr Harshom's son, killed in a car accident in 1928, had left a pregnant girlfriend never introduced to his parents. After his death, she married a man named Gale who raised her daughter Belinda as his own - in Canada. In the other universe, Harshom's son survived, married his girlfriend and was the one to raise her daughter Ottilie in England. Thus, Dr Harshom is rewarded for his kindness to Trafford by being (re)united with a granddaughter of whose existence he'd previously never known.
's "Nevermore" has a rather similar theme, whose protagonist - in a desperate attempt to bring back his wife, Nora, who died of an aggressive brain cancer - invents a way to travel to parallel earths and searches for a living Nora on the infinite number of Earths http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=2290.
In Michael G. Coney
's "Charisma" (1975) the protagonist travels among the alternate timelines, again and again meeting the same girl and falling in love with her - only to have her get killed again and again, in all kinds of accidents.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, which is also a love story
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
, by John Wyndham
John Wyndham
John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris was an English science fiction writer who usually used the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names, such as John Beynon and Lucas Parkes...
. It was included in his 1961 collection Consider Her Ways
Consider Her Ways
Consider Her Ways is a 1956 science fiction novella by John Wyndham. It was published as part of a 1961 collection with some short stories called Consider Her Ways and Others .-Plot:...
and Others. It has been dramatised three times, twice under its original name and once as "Quest for Love".
Plot summary
The frame storyFrame story
A frame story is a literary technique that sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory or main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of shorter stories...
deals with the elderly Dr Harshom in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
- who has a very rare family name, all of whose bearers are in one way or another related and are in some contact with each other.
In the early 1950s the Harshoms, scattered throughout England, are greatly mystified by the appearance of a young man named Colin Trafford, who systematically and persistently meets each and every one of them, asking of a young woman named Ottilie Harshom that none of the Harshoms ever heard of and who is evidently very important to him. Dr Harshom decides to talk to Trafford and understand what it is all about - and the story consists mainly of what Trafford eventually tells.
It turns out that Trafford is a physicist, and that he was involved in a laboratory experiment which went wrong, lost consciousness and woke up to find himself in a parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
.
The parallel universe is similar to ours but there was a divergence
Point of divergence
In discussion of counterfactual history, a divergence point , also referred to as a departure point or point of divergence , is a historical event with two possible postulated outcomes...
in the late 1920s. The point of divergence is not precisely identified, but seems to have had the effect of preventing or greatly diminishing the effect of the economic Crash of 1929. Trafford discovers that in the parallel world Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
never came to power and the Second World War never happened. Some of the implications are that
- IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
is still a British colonyBritish RajBritish Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
in 1954 and there are mass demonstrations in DelhiDelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
calling for the release of NehruJawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
from prison; - Rab ButlerRab ButlerRichard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, KG CH DL PC , who invariably signed his name R. A. Butler and was familiarly known as Rab, was a British Conservative politician...
is Britain's Prime Minister; - Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's career had been much less distinguished than in our timeline; - Clement AttleeClement AttleeClement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
had never been PM and the opposition British Labour Party still calls for nationalisations which it did not get a chance to carry out; - Nuclear powerNuclear powerNuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
and nuclear bombs are still no more than theoretical possibilities, but scientists are getting worried about the long-term implications of experiments and petition the League of NationsLeague of NationsThe League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
to assume control; - Noel CowardNoël CowardSir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
was killed in an accident which did not happen in our timeline.
On a more personal level, Trafford finds himself in the body of his counterpart in the parallel universe. As the story unfolds, he meets some old friends who have different partners, and at one point is taken aback to meet someone whom he remembers as having been killed in the war. He also catches a glimpse of his former wife, who in the original timeline died after a year of what he calls "satisfactory marriage", and who in the alternate world is alive, accompanied by another man, and does not recognise him.
As Trafford discovers, his counterpart is a successful author, while he himself is a physicist. Looking through the counterpart's best-selling novels, the protagonist discovers a streak of brutality which becomes increasingly pronounced from book to book, making him resent seeing his name on the cover. This, he discovers, was also manifested in the counterpart's rather troubled relationship with his wife Ottilie. She had married his counterpart for love some three years before, but was increasingly neglected and had resigned herself to her husband having a series of openly-flaunted affairs. Trafford, however, quickly falls in love with Ottilie and spends several weeks rekindling their relationship, overcoming Ottilie's initial distrust and residual hurt. He is then distressed to find himself, suddenly and without warning, transported back to his own world, leaving Ottilie behind.
Trafford then begins his search for Ottilie's counterpart in our own world, determined to rediscover the depth of love he had experienced with Ottilie. All he has is her maiden name Ottilie Harshom, and after finding there is no record of her at Somerset House
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
(which was the General Register Office
General Register Office
The General Register Office for England and Wales is the section of the UK Identity and Passport Service responsible for the civil registration of births , adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths in England and Wales and for those same events outwith the UK if they involve a UK citizen...
for Births, Deaths and Marriages) he started his search, writing to and visiting every Harshom relative to try to locate her. All told him that Ottilie Harshom does not exist, and so does Dr Harshom when hearing his story.
Feeling sympathetic to the young man and half-believing his incredible story, the doctor feels worried about Trafford's obsessive "chasing after a ghost" and hopes that he will find another woman to love - since the woman which he met in the other universe doesn't seem to have a counterpart in this one.
However, something the doctor says gives Trafford the inspiration to try a different path. The story concludes as Trafford eventually finds that Ottilie's analogue does exist, though in this world her name is Belinda Gale, and she lives unmarried in Canada with her mother. Trafford marries her in Canada and brings her to England.
It turns out that Dr Harshom's son, killed in a car accident in 1928, had left a pregnant girlfriend never introduced to his parents. After his death, she married a man named Gale who raised her daughter Belinda as his own - in Canada. In the other universe, Harshom's son survived, married his girlfriend and was the one to raise her daughter Ottilie in England. Thus, Dr Harshom is rewarded for his kindness to Trafford by being (re)united with a granddaughter of whose existence he'd previously never known.
Dramatisations
The three dramatisations are:-- 1969: Episode Random Quest, in the third series of Out of the UnknownOut of the UnknownOut of the Unknown is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Each episode was an independent dramatisation of a separate science fiction short story...
. The episode has been lost.
- 1971: Quest for Love, a British film directed by Ralph ThomasRalph ThomasRalph Thomas was an English film director, born in Hull. He is perhaps best known for directing the Doctor series of films....
.
- 2006: Random Quest, a BBC TVBBC TelevisionBBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
film starring Samuel WestSamuel WestSamuel Alexander Joseph West is an English actor and theatre director. He is perhaps best known for his role in Howards End and his work on stage. He also starred in the award-winning play ENRON...
and first broadcast on BBC FourBBC FourBBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
in November 2006. It basically followed the plot of the original story, but with history diverging in 1937 instead of around 1928.
Critical Opinion
Eugene Stubbs wrote: “Random Quest works well as both a science fiction story and as a love story, and is rightly accounted one of Wyndham's best. Still, a closer look reveals some dangling ends. (...) What happened to the other Ottilie in the other world? Supposedly the nasty other Colin Trafford came back, to cause her even more heartbreak. Our Colin Trafford is a physicist, he knows what experiment accidentally sent him to the other world. How come he does not even consider repeating that experiment under controlled conditions? (...) And is Belinda Gale truly Ottilie? The other Colin Trafford was a completely different man, with a very different personality, though both Colin Traffords shared the very same childhood and diverged only at 10 or 11. Ottilie and Belinda diverged from each other even before birth, growing up each with a different name, with a different father, in a different country. There is every reason to think that Belinda would be a completely different person. Colin thinking of her as being just a ‘copy’ of another woman from another world might not be the best beginning for a marriage.(...) The film made on the base of the story resolves all these problems, by having the other world's Ottilie die suddenly of a congenital heart defect of which she was tragically not aware. Thus, Colin Trafford has nothing to seek in that world - the only Ottilie he can still hope to find is the one in our world. And also, whether or not this other Ottilie is the same person that he fell in love with, he must find and warn her to take care of her heart defect, before it kills her, too. Anything else can wait until her life is saved. (...) A film adaptation is not always more logically consistent than the literary original. In this case, it is.”Similar Theme
Dean KoontzDean Koontz
Dean Ray Koontz is a prolific American author best known for his novels which could be described broadly as suspense thrillers. He also frequently incorporates elements of horror, science fiction, mystery, and satire. A number of his books have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List, with...
's "Nevermore" has a rather similar theme, whose protagonist - in a desperate attempt to bring back his wife, Nora, who died of an aggressive brain cancer - invents a way to travel to parallel earths and searches for a living Nora on the infinite number of Earths http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=2290.
In Michael G. Coney
Michael G. Coney
Michael Greatrex Coney was a British science fiction writer who spent the later half of his life in Canada. Born in Birmingham, England on September 28, 1932, he moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 1972...
's "Charisma" (1975) the protagonist travels among the alternate timelines, again and again meeting the same girl and falling in love with her - only to have her get killed again and again, in all kinds of accidents.