The Worlds of If, Stanley G. Weinbaum
The Worlds of If, Stanley G. Weinbaum
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The Worlds of If

Author: Stanley G. Weinbaum

Narrator: Saethon Williams

Unabridged: 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/28/2025

Synopsis

Step into a realm of lost chances and alternate destinies in The Worlds of If by Stanley G. Weinbaum, a masterfully crafted early science fiction short story that explores time travel, parallel realities, and the haunting question of "what if?" When Dixon Wells narrowly avoids a tragic rocket disaster, his former professor's invention—the "subjunctivisor"—offers him a glimpse into the life he might have lived had he made a different choice. As he peers into alternate timelines and rediscovers a fateful encounter with a woman named Joanna Caldwell, Dixon is forced to confront the bittersweet truths of love, fate, and personal responsibility. Weinbaum’s blend of speculative technology and human emotion delivers a timeless meditation on the consequences of missed opportunities.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Charles on December 15, 2020

An interesting twist on time travel stories Time travel of a sort, romance and, of course, a conundrum. A protagonist who is always late finds romance. Weinbaum published his first story in July 1934. He wrote several more but died in 1935. A crater on Mars is named in his honor.......more

Goodreads review by DOUGLAS J BERRY on April 02, 2020

Ah, the curse of always being late. Sideways in time? The fascination with time travel waxes and wanes in sci fi. One wonders if you could see sideways in time could you collect scandals that are revealed by accident?......more

Goodreads review by Owen on October 03, 2023

This is the first short story of Stanley G. Weinbaum that I have read but it certainly shan't be the last. Following this moving vintage sci-fi tale of poor timekeeping and missed opportunities, I shall definitely keep reading. The Worlds of If is a simple and dated tale: an early 20th Century writer......more

Goodreads review by Jerry on November 29, 2016

When I added this to iBooks from Gutenberg, I thought, with that title, it was a collection of stories. But this is a single story about the “subjunctivisor”, a Calvin & Hobbes-ish device that, rather than allowing time travel, allows viewing of alternate time paths. “What if” I did that instead of......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on November 21, 2017

Absolutely loved the professor, he made the book. The rest of the book was very ..meh. Ending was extremely rushed.......more

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