His own brother, Henry, is drawn in by Beesley’s hateful rhetoric. Ryan, compelled by the authorities to fire his Welsh staff and manufacture weapons, grows more and more disenchanted with the world around him.

Tides of xenophobia had previously swept the country-all those of Caribbean descent were deported (59)-as new scapegoats are blamed for all society’s ills and manifest crises. He conflates the fear of the alien other, which might exist in the expanse of space, “with the men-and women who are different” within society (76). We do not know where they come from” (73). He sows distrust among the British, compelling them to turn on each other: “There are aliens among us. The UK fragments (Welsh nationalists and individual cities descend into Civil War) as the neo-fascist leader of The Patriots, Colin Beesley, seizes power. Ryan, the only awake member of Hope Dempsey’s crew, and his memories and rituals on board the spacecraft. The first thread follow the reasons to flee earth as the UK descends into fascism. Ryan a toy factory owner cum astronaut piloting a small group of family and friends towards Barnard’s Star-converge at a distant point in space. The plot of The Black Corridor is devilishly simple. Highly recommended for fans of New Wave SF for the crystalline rendering of the narrative, sustained and intense exploration of “inner space,” and its inventive typographical art. Michael Moorcock and Hilary Bailey’s The Black Corridor (1969) (see note below), explores the effects of physical (a spaceship with a lone awake crewman hurtling across space) and societal ( a near-future world plunging into fascism) isolation. Ever since I saw “One” as a child, I’ve become fascinated with the strategies that humans might use in space to cope with isolation and the rituals they might enact to preserve sanity. Alone on the ship, Seven experiences the prolonged effects of isolation including disturbing dreams and hallucinations. In the Star Trek: Voyager episode “One” (1998), Seven of Nine, unaffected by a nebula’s subatomic radiation, must care for the crew while they’re placed in stasis. (Detail from Bob Haberfield’s cover for the 1973 edition)

Scent Of New Mown Hay by John Blackburn