Slaves of Sleep

Slaves of Sleep, L. Ron Hubbard, Lancer Books, 1967

First published in 1938, this is the story of Jan Palmer, a shy, bookish young man who heads a steamship company inherited from his late father. He has no interest in the company, and would dearly love to get rid of it. One night, Professor Frobish visits and pleads with Jan for a chance to open, and analyze, the contents of a sealed copper jar in Jan's possession. It's said to contain the remains of a member of an ancient race called the jinn. Palmer promised an old friend a long time ago, that the jar would never be opened, and he intends to keep that promise.

Later that night, Frobish returns, now obsessed with the copper jar. The two men fight over it, and the jar is opened. A very large being, with shaggy hair and tusks, named Zongri appears in the room. Having been imprisoned since the time of Sulayman the Magnificent, Zongri decided long ago that whoever released him would receive instant death. Before Frobish can escape, Zongri grabs a nearby sword and chops him nearly in half. Instead of killing Jan, Zongri curses him with eternal wakefulness. Right after Jan finds himself alone in the room, the police burst in and haul him off to jail. Jan sticks to his innocence. The best his lawyer can do is maybe get him a one-way trip to a mental hospital. When he lays down to sleep, he suddenly finds himself on a sailing ship in the middle of nowhere, and he is strong and muscular.

He knows that his name is Tiger, and while he may look like a bodybuilder, he is still shy, bookish Jan Palmer on the inside. He is in a world of sorcery and pirates, kind of like a Robert E. Howard novel. He sees people that he knows from "his"world, but they don't know him. Jan (as Tiger) finds some astronomical instruments, and discovers that he has not, as he thought, traveled into the past. The date is the same in both worlds. When he lays down to sleep, Tiger finds himself back in the jail cell, as Jan. Tiger also discovers that people in the other world, run by the jinn and where humans are slaves, know of the "real" world. He is able to get to the bottom of a lot of things, in both worlds.

This one is really good. Starting life as a magazine serial, it's entertaining, it moves very quickly, and it's a fine example of lighter reading. If you can find a copy, it's worth checking out.