See "Other Americas", reviewed June 22nd, 2020. 29 books and a Star Trek episode reviewed by Spinrad in this segment, plus one by another author on the flip side of a Tor double novel. This completes my reading of Spinrad's published fiction.
THE IRON DREAM
Cover art by Bob Habberfield
Norman Spinrad was born in 1940 in NYC, but has spent much of his life living in France. He began publishing SF in 1963 in Analog Magazine. Iron Dream is from 1972, and was Spinrad's 7th book.
Polish your leather boots, shine your chrome motorcycle till it gleams, and practice your Heil Jagger salute before you read this one. The quote by Ellison on the back of the novel sums things up very nicely, and nothing else really needs to be said ("disturbingly fascinating...the stunned reader can only gasp in wonder!"). Right wing fanatics everywhere must drool and hyper-ventilate over this book, which is essentially a spoof on Nazi Germany and what it was trying to achieve. If Hitler's plans for a master race had played out successfully, this is what the end result might have been. If you think the idea of a perfect human specimen is something worth achieving, you will love this book. If, on the other hand, you think such a goal is morally unthinkable, you just might also love this book.
Many "what if" books have been written about Hitler, though I doubt any are stranger than this one, at least from the examples printed by a mainstream publisher. Spinrad steps aside and lets Adolph Hitler write the novel. Hitler, in this alternate history, did not become involved with politics, but moved to the USA after the Great War and became a successful science fiction writer. This is our first clue that things are going to be tongue in cheek from the get-go. It's the same mad and passionate German we all know (and hopefully despise), but he is a writer of fiction instead of someone with the power to actually attempt his insane ideas.
The story begins innocently enough, with our hero Feric Jagger returning to his glorious homeland after a period of exile. He finds that it is contaminated by all manner of impure species. These were once human, but since the Great Fire of more than a thousand years ago, all manner of deformity has crept into the human gene pool. Jagger wants to purify the genes and exterminate anyone or anything that is contaminated. A worthy goal. Hitler outlines step by step how his hero goes about doing it. The main part of the novel consists of epic battles, as if the Nazis had entered William Hope Hodgson's "Night Land" with the intent of ridding the planet of all of its horrors.
This goal and its achievement is taken to its utmost extreme, and the ending surprises us, even after everything else that has happened. The Afterword, written by a prominent (fictional) professor/critic, wonderfully summarizes Hitler's epic novel, which "won him the Hugo in 1954." This is only one of the laugh out loud moments in this very strange novel. Spinrad was able to follow Hitler's goals to their ultimate conclusion by the way he set up the story. I had never heard of Spinrad until now, but I will certainly seek out more of his writing. Eventually, reviews of it will appear here.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Nov. 28th/16
__________________________________________________________________________________
Norman Spinrad was born in 1940 in NYC, but has spent much of his life living in France. He began publishing SF in 1963 in Analog Magazine. Iron Dream is from 1972, and was Spinrad's 7th book.
Polish your leather boots, shine your chrome motorcycle till it gleams, and practice your Heil Jagger salute before you read this one. The quote by Ellison on the back of the novel sums things up very nicely, and nothing else really needs to be said ("disturbingly fascinating...the stunned reader can only gasp in wonder!"). Right wing fanatics everywhere must drool and hyper-ventilate over this book, which is essentially a spoof on Nazi Germany and what it was trying to achieve. If Hitler's plans for a master race had played out successfully, this is what the end result might have been. If you think the idea of a perfect human specimen is something worth achieving, you will love this book. If, on the other hand, you think such a goal is morally unthinkable, you just might also love this book.
Many "what if" books have been written about Hitler, though I doubt any are stranger than this one, at least from the examples printed by a mainstream publisher. Spinrad steps aside and lets Adolph Hitler write the novel. Hitler, in this alternate history, did not become involved with politics, but moved to the USA after the Great War and became a successful science fiction writer. This is our first clue that things are going to be tongue in cheek from the get-go. It's the same mad and passionate German we all know (and hopefully despise), but he is a writer of fiction instead of someone with the power to actually attempt his insane ideas.
The story begins innocently enough, with our hero Feric Jagger returning to his glorious homeland after a period of exile. He finds that it is contaminated by all manner of impure species. These were once human, but since the Great Fire of more than a thousand years ago, all manner of deformity has crept into the human gene pool. Jagger wants to purify the genes and exterminate anyone or anything that is contaminated. A worthy goal. Hitler outlines step by step how his hero goes about doing it. The main part of the novel consists of epic battles, as if the Nazis had entered William Hope Hodgson's "Night Land" with the intent of ridding the planet of all of its horrors.
This goal and its achievement is taken to its utmost extreme, and the ending surprises us, even after everything else that has happened. The Afterword, written by a prominent (fictional) professor/critic, wonderfully summarizes Hitler's epic novel, which "won him the Hugo in 1954." This is only one of the laugh out loud moments in this very strange novel. Spinrad was able to follow Hitler's goals to their ultimate conclusion by the way he set up the story. I had never heard of Spinrad until now, but I will certainly seek out more of his writing. Eventually, reviews of it will appear here.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Nov. 28th/16
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THE SOLARIANS
Cover art by Jeff Jones
This was almost a great novel. The premise is as good as anything Iain M. Banks ever revealed, and the execution of it is mostly first rate. From 1966 comes this short (154 pages) but epic novel, Spinrad's first to be published. My comparison to Banks will continue throughout this short review. If you have not read any of his Culture novels, then get started soon, beginning with Consider Phlebas. The term 'Space Opera' took on much added depth and meaning following the publication of his novel.
Spinrad's story opens with a space battle between the Doogs (actually, the Duglaari, aliens who are ruled by logic) and the Human Confederation, now centered on the solar system of Olympia. The humans are outnumbered and outgunned, and lose the battle. We first meet Commander Jay Palmer, the key character in the story. This is one of the best SF openings I have ever read, and I instantly related it to the work of Banks. The Duglaari are winning the war bit by bit, and in less than a century will have eliminated all humans from the galaxy, and will rule it alone. The reason? Superior computers, which essentially run the battles. Jay Palmer often wonders what would happen if he broke from the pattern of fighting he had to follow based on computer models. Could the human element defeat the enemy by introducing some random, intuitive actions?
Though this is probably the most important question of the entire novel, Spinrad never answers it, and generally forgets about it afterwards. This is where the novel begins to break down. The humans know they are going to lose if they keep following their computer predictions, but they follow them anyway. Any fleet commander who does not follow these directions would be busted to private. So now a new way of defeating the enemy must be found.
Spinrad comes up with one. Humans from Earth have been isolating themselves for 300 years, promising to emerge someday with a super weapon to fight the Duglaari. After Jay returns from his expected loss in battle, six humans from Earth arrive. This is as much of the plot as I will give away. However, my criticism of the novel begins in earnest. The main thing that spoils an otherwise very good story is Palmer's denseness. Could someone who is a fleet commander be so stupid as to not figure out what is going on? Though the reader can figure it out immediately, it takes until the last few pages before the light bulb comes on in Palmer's brain. This, for me, spoils the novel. Spinrad pours it on a little too thick when it comes to Palmer's reasoning. He is smart enough to save them from destruction a few times, but apparently not smart enough to see what is right in front of him. To me, this is just not believable
Coming back to Iain M. Banks for a moment, this novel might easily have served as the origins of The Culture, that author's dominant species in several of his novels. By making a huge sacrifice, humans are saved from extinction, and the possibility of them growing into The Culture over time is more than plausible. Thus, if you have read Banks, you might be interested in one possible way The Culture may have started out.
Spinrad wrote a very good story, especially considering that it was his first. It is easy to read, engrossing, and certainly worth seeking out. I just wish the character of Jay Palmer hadn't been so thick, especially in the second half of the book. Still, I doubt any novel is perfect (except perhaps Banks' The Algebraist). I also wish Spinrad would have explored the possibility of winning battles by using human ingenuity, instead of consistently losing by using the computer model.
*** stars. Reviewed March 3rd/17
This was almost a great novel. The premise is as good as anything Iain M. Banks ever revealed, and the execution of it is mostly first rate. From 1966 comes this short (154 pages) but epic novel, Spinrad's first to be published. My comparison to Banks will continue throughout this short review. If you have not read any of his Culture novels, then get started soon, beginning with Consider Phlebas. The term 'Space Opera' took on much added depth and meaning following the publication of his novel.
Spinrad's story opens with a space battle between the Doogs (actually, the Duglaari, aliens who are ruled by logic) and the Human Confederation, now centered on the solar system of Olympia. The humans are outnumbered and outgunned, and lose the battle. We first meet Commander Jay Palmer, the key character in the story. This is one of the best SF openings I have ever read, and I instantly related it to the work of Banks. The Duglaari are winning the war bit by bit, and in less than a century will have eliminated all humans from the galaxy, and will rule it alone. The reason? Superior computers, which essentially run the battles. Jay Palmer often wonders what would happen if he broke from the pattern of fighting he had to follow based on computer models. Could the human element defeat the enemy by introducing some random, intuitive actions?
Though this is probably the most important question of the entire novel, Spinrad never answers it, and generally forgets about it afterwards. This is where the novel begins to break down. The humans know they are going to lose if they keep following their computer predictions, but they follow them anyway. Any fleet commander who does not follow these directions would be busted to private. So now a new way of defeating the enemy must be found.
Spinrad comes up with one. Humans from Earth have been isolating themselves for 300 years, promising to emerge someday with a super weapon to fight the Duglaari. After Jay returns from his expected loss in battle, six humans from Earth arrive. This is as much of the plot as I will give away. However, my criticism of the novel begins in earnest. The main thing that spoils an otherwise very good story is Palmer's denseness. Could someone who is a fleet commander be so stupid as to not figure out what is going on? Though the reader can figure it out immediately, it takes until the last few pages before the light bulb comes on in Palmer's brain. This, for me, spoils the novel. Spinrad pours it on a little too thick when it comes to Palmer's reasoning. He is smart enough to save them from destruction a few times, but apparently not smart enough to see what is right in front of him. To me, this is just not believable
Coming back to Iain M. Banks for a moment, this novel might easily have served as the origins of The Culture, that author's dominant species in several of his novels. By making a huge sacrifice, humans are saved from extinction, and the possibility of them growing into The Culture over time is more than plausible. Thus, if you have read Banks, you might be interested in one possible way The Culture may have started out.
Spinrad wrote a very good story, especially considering that it was his first. It is easy to read, engrossing, and certainly worth seeking out. I just wish the character of Jay Palmer hadn't been so thick, especially in the second half of the book. Still, I doubt any novel is perfect (except perhaps Banks' The Algebraist). I also wish Spinrad would have explored the possibility of winning battles by using human ingenuity, instead of consistently losing by using the computer model.
*** stars. Reviewed March 3rd/17
THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE
The Doomsday Machine
From the original Star Trek series comes The Doomsday Machine, written by Norman Spinrad. Aired as Episode 6 from Season 2, Spinrad created one of the best episodes, one that holds up well today. The writing is tense, terse, and logical. The effects are really well done, and it was one of the few episodes with its own complete symphonic score. While Scotty gets some good air time, the episode is down to Kirk, Spock, and Decker. It's quite amazing what can get done when a good writer is given a chance. The story came from an earlier one that Spinrad was unable to publish.
A few odd things about the episode are the absence of Uhura and Chekhov, though Sulu takes things in hand. Even Bones has only a small part to play. Spinrad was wise to keep the story very streamlined, and it pays off. Shatner gives a standout performance, which really helps. If you haven't seen this in a while, I recommend seeing it again. Spinrad wrote a 2nd Star Trek episode, but sadly it was never produced.
**** stars. Reviewed March 9th/17
AGENT OF CHAOS
Cover art by O'Brien.
From 1967 comes Spinrad's next SF novel, though I suspect that this one was written much earlier, then fixed up for publication in 1967. The Solarians seems so much more modern than this tale of two ideologies colliding in a society with, apparently, no females. Not even a secretary. This does not sound like the Spinrad of The Solarians, who at least had two lead female characters. This one seems to come from the early sixties, back when the Cold War was at its height. Not only were spy novels all the rage (this story has great affinity with many of those), but Russian ideology vs American ideology was the only topic worth discussing, and dying for. If you think the characters are black and white in Spinrad's tale (they are), then you should have heard about some of the real characters from the Cold War.
I think this story could have easily been written without any SF references at all. We visit Mars, we visit Mercury, and we visit a lonely asteroid. And eventually we do get to another solar system. But it all might have been written first as a straight spy tale, and then switched over to SF since Spinrad now had a publisher in that genre. At least that is the way it seems to me. There is very little modern thinking in this story, but rather thinking that was prominent in the late fifties and early sixties. Choose one or the other, or else. No in between. We can have order, or we can have chaos. But not both.
I think this novel is quite dated, though I do like Spinrad's brief description of how faster than light travel was achieved. I consider it a very early novel, reworked once he had been published. Not a necessary read, but good enough to make me want to finish it.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 10th/17
THE MEN IN THE JUNGLE
The book is from 1967, and was Spinrad's 3rd published novel.
Cover art by Victor Prezio
Though it says on the cover that this is by the author of "The Solarians," I would not have guessed it. In fact, this 285 page novel came as a bit of a shock. However, having read "Iron Dream" first, I can definitely recognize Spinrad as the author of that book and our present one. "Iron Dream" set out to shock, and it did. That story was banned in the UK in its magazine form. Though our present book under discussion mentions Hitler a few times (and Sade), this one is a far different creature.
About half way through I was reminded of a certain Sherlock Holmes story. Holmes and Watson are on a train bound for the countryside. They pass by a charming farmhouse, and Watson comments on how beautiful and tranquil it seems there. Holmes intervenes, telling him that he trusts the streets of London far more than a lone farmhouse. Watson is puzzled, and asks for an explanation. Holmes obliges, telling him that while there is terrible crime in London, at least there is a policeman handy to make things right. Whatever might be going on in that lonely farmhouse, there is no recourse there for anyone suffering criminal abuse. Watson is taken aback, his pastoral mood broken forever by Holmes' reasoning.
The planet that our three heroes (two men and a woman) choose as their pet project, in which they plan to start a revolution and take over as leaders, is like that lonely farmhouse. There are such horrors going on down there as to defy the definition of humanity in the worst way. Insane levels of violence are combined with cannibalism on a planet-wide scale. They drop into the middle of this and determine, despite the daily horrors, to see things through to the end. And they do. Of course I will not tell you how things end, but before it does the amount of violence and sickening things that occur there will be on a planetary scale. The violence and insanity go beyond anything I have ever read before. Spinrad has stretched the boundary between extreme violence and insane violence to its very limit.
Recently I watched the first episode of a new TV series, "American Gods," based on a (good) novel by Neil Gaiman. There was so much gratuitous violence that I decided I would not watch any more episodes. Surely someone can write a good story without resorting to vomit levels of violence. Well, if Spinrad's novel is ever made into a film or TV series (and why shouldn't it be?), I would not watch any of it. However, I managed to read the entire novel easily enough. I didn't even have to close my eyes or skip any of it. Why is that?
I guess it's because when I am reading about violent behaviour my mind decides how far to go in imagining what is going on (as little distance as possible). With TV and film, nothing is left to the imagination. Violent acts are projected directly into my brain as events that are happening to actual (acting) humans. A novel, or even a traditionally drawn comic book, can be handled much more easily than a depiction of two realistic humans suffering, or inducing suffering in others.
There are a lot of very interesting subjects in this novel besides the violence. Spinrad had to work things out very carefully to make us believe that a society such as the one our heroes discover could actually exist. The first point that makes us believe it is possible is that we learn the inhabitants originally were from an Earth colony, one that stopped communicating with the home planet generations ago. The society, despite its over-the-top sensationalist and violent leaders, does work, from its grossly fat and sadistic top leader all the way down to the lowly bugs (native to the planet) that farm the fields to feed the lowest of the humans (called animals).
Spinrad also has a lot to say about leadership, as Bart Fraden (the main hero) sinks his teeth into the hardest task he has ever undertaken: trying to instill revolt into people who have no urge or desire to do so. Of course the novel, written in 1967, was likely inspired by the jungle warfare going on in Vietnam at the time, as Americans tried to stir the South Vietnamese villagers into helping them boot out the communists. But Spinrad went way beyond Vietnam in his absurdest tale.
Because of the extreme violence, "Men In the Jungle" is not a book that is easy to recommend. However, it does show the absolute limit to which violence can be taken in a single story, much the same way as "Iron Dream" would later take the main ideas of Nazism to their absolute limit. There is no half-way point with Spinrad. Holmes may have not been surprised by what Bart Fraden found on this planet, but the Watsons among us are certainly shocked.
*** stars. Reviewed May 24th/17
Though it says on the cover that this is by the author of "The Solarians," I would not have guessed it. In fact, this 285 page novel came as a bit of a shock. However, having read "Iron Dream" first, I can definitely recognize Spinrad as the author of that book and our present one. "Iron Dream" set out to shock, and it did. That story was banned in the UK in its magazine form. Though our present book under discussion mentions Hitler a few times (and Sade), this one is a far different creature.
About half way through I was reminded of a certain Sherlock Holmes story. Holmes and Watson are on a train bound for the countryside. They pass by a charming farmhouse, and Watson comments on how beautiful and tranquil it seems there. Holmes intervenes, telling him that he trusts the streets of London far more than a lone farmhouse. Watson is puzzled, and asks for an explanation. Holmes obliges, telling him that while there is terrible crime in London, at least there is a policeman handy to make things right. Whatever might be going on in that lonely farmhouse, there is no recourse there for anyone suffering criminal abuse. Watson is taken aback, his pastoral mood broken forever by Holmes' reasoning.
The planet that our three heroes (two men and a woman) choose as their pet project, in which they plan to start a revolution and take over as leaders, is like that lonely farmhouse. There are such horrors going on down there as to defy the definition of humanity in the worst way. Insane levels of violence are combined with cannibalism on a planet-wide scale. They drop into the middle of this and determine, despite the daily horrors, to see things through to the end. And they do. Of course I will not tell you how things end, but before it does the amount of violence and sickening things that occur there will be on a planetary scale. The violence and insanity go beyond anything I have ever read before. Spinrad has stretched the boundary between extreme violence and insane violence to its very limit.
Recently I watched the first episode of a new TV series, "American Gods," based on a (good) novel by Neil Gaiman. There was so much gratuitous violence that I decided I would not watch any more episodes. Surely someone can write a good story without resorting to vomit levels of violence. Well, if Spinrad's novel is ever made into a film or TV series (and why shouldn't it be?), I would not watch any of it. However, I managed to read the entire novel easily enough. I didn't even have to close my eyes or skip any of it. Why is that?
I guess it's because when I am reading about violent behaviour my mind decides how far to go in imagining what is going on (as little distance as possible). With TV and film, nothing is left to the imagination. Violent acts are projected directly into my brain as events that are happening to actual (acting) humans. A novel, or even a traditionally drawn comic book, can be handled much more easily than a depiction of two realistic humans suffering, or inducing suffering in others.
There are a lot of very interesting subjects in this novel besides the violence. Spinrad had to work things out very carefully to make us believe that a society such as the one our heroes discover could actually exist. The first point that makes us believe it is possible is that we learn the inhabitants originally were from an Earth colony, one that stopped communicating with the home planet generations ago. The society, despite its over-the-top sensationalist and violent leaders, does work, from its grossly fat and sadistic top leader all the way down to the lowly bugs (native to the planet) that farm the fields to feed the lowest of the humans (called animals).
Spinrad also has a lot to say about leadership, as Bart Fraden (the main hero) sinks his teeth into the hardest task he has ever undertaken: trying to instill revolt into people who have no urge or desire to do so. Of course the novel, written in 1967, was likely inspired by the jungle warfare going on in Vietnam at the time, as Americans tried to stir the South Vietnamese villagers into helping them boot out the communists. But Spinrad went way beyond Vietnam in his absurdest tale.
Because of the extreme violence, "Men In the Jungle" is not a book that is easy to recommend. However, it does show the absolute limit to which violence can be taken in a single story, much the same way as "Iron Dream" would later take the main ideas of Nazism to their absolute limit. There is no half-way point with Spinrad. Holmes may have not been surprised by what Bart Fraden found on this planet, but the Watsons among us are certainly shocked.
*** stars. Reviewed May 24th/17
BUG JACK BARON
Cover art by Alex Gnidziejko
There is a lot to like about this novel, written in 1969, about the near future. It's about 20 years later, and a big business man, all-important and full of himself, successfully funds a cryogenics lab, also discovering the key to a very long life. Criticized at the time as anti-politician (good grief! should we write books about how honest and good politicians really are?) and sexist (umm, 1960s folks--his girlfriend is a beautiful person, and ultimately is responsible for the bad guy going down), it was banned for a time by W. H. Smith. Actually, being banned is a counter-culture author's dream, since more books are usually sold once this happens.
It is 326 pages long, and took me nearly six days to finish it. Though flawed, it contains some virtuoso writing, and Spinrad once again proves that he does not fit into a "style" of SF writing.
Bug Jack Barron is a national TV show, very popular, in which callers dial in to the show to say what is bugging them. If it also bugs Jack Barron, host of the show, then he fixes things pronto. There is a stream of conscience writing style that goes all the way back to Joyce, and Spinrad does a nice job of getting inside the heads of the four main characters. Jack and his girlfriend Sara go up against the main demon, Benedict Howard. Jack's black best friend, now Governor of Mississippi, is about to become the next President of the USA by the end of the book, though he is largely outside the main plot. Sara, Jack, and Lukas (the Governor) all grew up together in Berkley during the heady days of the 1960s, plotting and protesting with the best of them. Having lived through the 1960s myself, from a safe distance in Canada, Spinrad hits more nails home than he misses (one miss is that in the book Bob Dylan is dead).
I found the book hard to put down, though it is mostly political intrigue, not something I usually find all that fascinating. However, Spinrad's writing is just so good. Here is an example:
And he looked into her pool-dark eyes that knew holes with no bottoms inside, his locked on hers locked on his like X-ray cameras facing each other in feedback circuitry between them gut to gut belly to belly big dark eyes eating him up saying: I know you know I know we know we know we know--endless feedback of pitiless scalpels of knowledge.
This passage gives some idea of the plot as well. Here is a shorter piece, also fun: "He conned me into conning myself into thinking I could con you."
The story is told is a rather straight-forward manner, though getting inside the heads of the different characters can be off-putting. However, having read (and really enjoyed) Joyce's "Ulysses," this one is a breeze. Still, I'm not certain that just anyone might enjoy this story. If you lived through the 60s, you might like it. If you really like political intrigue, you might like it. It isn't so much a SF novel as one that tells the story of one particular good vs. evil tale, and how things balanced out. Sure, the ending is a bit of a cop-out, but I liked the ending anyway. It could have ended much more cynically, and I'm glad it didn't.
The book seems to be a never-ending source of the "n" word, so if that offends you, I would suggest reading something else instead of this book. One unforgettable chapter/scene is set in the ghetto of Evers, Mississippi, and seems to nail down the whole ambiance of being a white visitor to an all-black enclave. It is a very revealing episode. It brought back memories of Sladek's "Black Alice," also taking on the perverse South, and how blacks were treated in the 60s. I remember walking into a restaurant in busy downtown Detroit in 1973. It was a hot July day, and I wanted a soda. It was a lunch counter place, and it was busy, but the clientele were all black. It didn't bother me at all. I sat down on a stool and ordered a pop. "To go," said the black server behind the counter. "No, for here," I said. "To go," he said. So I got my soda and left. It wasn't the ghetto; I would never have gone there alone. It was a busy big city downtown. But white folk were not welcome in some places.
The idea of a very rich person buying Congress, the President, and anything else "HE" wants is one that folks today might take note of. The USA currently has a President that ranks among the most crass, power-hungry, self-loving imbeciles that has ever lived. His whole earlier history in the TV media is obviously what accounts for his continued popularity, no matter how ridiculous his policies. With Spinrad still alive today to see the current mess, he would not be very surprised.
This is a very good book, but it will have very limited appeal. That is really unfortunate. Recommended.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 30th/17
The Bug Jack Baron Papers is a short essay that Spinrad wrote about his creative process in writing this book, and the difficulty he had with Doubleday, who rejected the finished work. The rejection set him back about a year before it was finally published in serial form in a SF magazine, and then published as a novel by Avon. Worth reading, and not hard to find a copy on the internet. I read the Kindle edition of this essay. It is about 12 pages long.
It is 326 pages long, and took me nearly six days to finish it. Though flawed, it contains some virtuoso writing, and Spinrad once again proves that he does not fit into a "style" of SF writing.
Bug Jack Barron is a national TV show, very popular, in which callers dial in to the show to say what is bugging them. If it also bugs Jack Barron, host of the show, then he fixes things pronto. There is a stream of conscience writing style that goes all the way back to Joyce, and Spinrad does a nice job of getting inside the heads of the four main characters. Jack and his girlfriend Sara go up against the main demon, Benedict Howard. Jack's black best friend, now Governor of Mississippi, is about to become the next President of the USA by the end of the book, though he is largely outside the main plot. Sara, Jack, and Lukas (the Governor) all grew up together in Berkley during the heady days of the 1960s, plotting and protesting with the best of them. Having lived through the 1960s myself, from a safe distance in Canada, Spinrad hits more nails home than he misses (one miss is that in the book Bob Dylan is dead).
I found the book hard to put down, though it is mostly political intrigue, not something I usually find all that fascinating. However, Spinrad's writing is just so good. Here is an example:
And he looked into her pool-dark eyes that knew holes with no bottoms inside, his locked on hers locked on his like X-ray cameras facing each other in feedback circuitry between them gut to gut belly to belly big dark eyes eating him up saying: I know you know I know we know we know we know--endless feedback of pitiless scalpels of knowledge.
This passage gives some idea of the plot as well. Here is a shorter piece, also fun: "He conned me into conning myself into thinking I could con you."
The story is told is a rather straight-forward manner, though getting inside the heads of the different characters can be off-putting. However, having read (and really enjoyed) Joyce's "Ulysses," this one is a breeze. Still, I'm not certain that just anyone might enjoy this story. If you lived through the 60s, you might like it. If you really like political intrigue, you might like it. It isn't so much a SF novel as one that tells the story of one particular good vs. evil tale, and how things balanced out. Sure, the ending is a bit of a cop-out, but I liked the ending anyway. It could have ended much more cynically, and I'm glad it didn't.
The book seems to be a never-ending source of the "n" word, so if that offends you, I would suggest reading something else instead of this book. One unforgettable chapter/scene is set in the ghetto of Evers, Mississippi, and seems to nail down the whole ambiance of being a white visitor to an all-black enclave. It is a very revealing episode. It brought back memories of Sladek's "Black Alice," also taking on the perverse South, and how blacks were treated in the 60s. I remember walking into a restaurant in busy downtown Detroit in 1973. It was a hot July day, and I wanted a soda. It was a lunch counter place, and it was busy, but the clientele were all black. It didn't bother me at all. I sat down on a stool and ordered a pop. "To go," said the black server behind the counter. "No, for here," I said. "To go," he said. So I got my soda and left. It wasn't the ghetto; I would never have gone there alone. It was a busy big city downtown. But white folk were not welcome in some places.
The idea of a very rich person buying Congress, the President, and anything else "HE" wants is one that folks today might take note of. The USA currently has a President that ranks among the most crass, power-hungry, self-loving imbeciles that has ever lived. His whole earlier history in the TV media is obviously what accounts for his continued popularity, no matter how ridiculous his policies. With Spinrad still alive today to see the current mess, he would not be very surprised.
This is a very good book, but it will have very limited appeal. That is really unfortunate. Recommended.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 30th/17
The Bug Jack Baron Papers is a short essay that Spinrad wrote about his creative process in writing this book, and the difficulty he had with Doubleday, who rejected the finished work. The rejection set him back about a year before it was finally published in serial form in a SF magazine, and then published as a novel by Avon. Worth reading, and not hard to find a copy on the internet. I read the Kindle edition of this essay. It is about 12 pages long.
THE LAST HURRAH OF THE GOLDEN FLAME
Cover art by David Chestnutt.
From 1970 comes this Book Club hardcover edition of 18 short stories, most of them from the mid to late 1960s. The book is 215 pages long.
Carcinoma Angels is from 1967, and is 10 pages long. A self-made man, whose story is told from youth through his great financial successes, develops terminal cancer. Told he has six months to live, he sets out to use his funds and his intelligence to cure himself. Told in an unemotional, matter-of-fact writing style, this is a good opener for the book.
**1/2 stars. Reviewed July 31st/17
The Age of Invention is a silly 6-pager from 1966, in which cave men invent art and the art dealer. It was not a good time to be a bear.
** stars. Reviewed July 31st/17
Outward Bound is from 1963, and is a real, actual Sf story! At 32 pages, it tells the story of a trading ship from Earth, in the days before faster-than-light drive. However, we learn of the beginnings of such an "overdrive," and the story focuses on four men and how they made such a drive possible, despite Earth's wishes not to see it made. A decent story.
*** stars. Reviewed July 31st/17
A Child of Mind is from 1964, and is 17 pages long. It is a creepy tale about a three-man science expedition visiting a new alien world. They discover that the planet has two types of female for every species. Type A is a natural one, able to reproduce. Type B is one manufactured by a protoplasm, and creates a perfect mate every time. The problem is that Type B is unable to reproduce, but is the preferred mate now in over 70% of matches. Soon, the entire planet will be sterile. And that's not the only problem. An interesting idea, but treated in an enormously sexist manner.
*** stars. Reviewed Aug. 1st/17
The Equalizer is from 1964 and is 9 pages long. It takes place in the Israeli desert, and the main characters are a colonel and a scientist. Will they make the new type of mini-bombs or won't they? Ethics all the way, but no easy answer.
*** stars. Reviewed Aug. 1st/17
The Last of the Romany is from 1963 and is 11 pages long. It is supposed to be Spinrad's first published story. It is a tale filled with warmth and some humour, and reminds us that we may have influenced others without ever knowing it. It's also a nice tribute to the Romany.
*** stars. Reviewed Aug. 1st/17
Technicality is from 1966, and is 6 pages long. Fighting and killing cute little pacifist alien bunnies can be pretty difficult.
*** stars. Reviewed Aug. 1st/17
The Rules of The Road is from 1964 and is 10 pages long. It is similar in theme to the earlier Rogue Moon by Budrys, and the later Man In The Maze by Silverberg, which came later. A man enters a strange sphere that has landed on Earth, and has already claimed ten soldiers as victims. What is the purpose of this strange mouse trap? A good read.
*** stars. Reviewed Aug. 1st/17
Dead End is from 1969 and is 11 pages long. What will people do when there are no more jobs? Sit around and collect money and try out some hobbies. Works for me, but not for everyone.
**1/2 stars. Reviewed Aug. 1st/17
A Night In Elf Hill is from 1968 and is 14 pages long. Another in the ultimate male fantasy series, where an astronaut discovers a pleasing way to spend his long retirement. This one has a lot of Dunsany and early Lovecraft in it. No doubt many writers, Spinrad included, were tuned in to Lin Carter's Adult Fantasy Series through Ballantine. This seems to be one of Spinrad's takes on a Dunsanian fantasy.
*** stars. Reviewed August 2nd/17
Deathwatch is from 1965 and is 4 1/2 pages long. It tells of a future time when humans are all mostly living very very long lives. This one has a neat twist ending.
**1/2 stars. Reviewed Aug. 2nd.
The Ersatz Ego is from 1965 and is 14 pages long. It's one of those stories about those tricky, evil-minded communists, and their nefarious plan to remake America. Actually, it has already mostly happened, and it isn't as complicated as Spinrad makes it out to be.
** stars. Reviewed Aug. 2nd.
Neutral Ground is from 1966 and is 15 pages long. First contact has been a theme of nearly every SF writer at some point in their career. This is Spinrad's version, and it is more unusual than most. The Contact is not physical, and it is not even intellectual. One point--would there really be that much fear? Wouldn't the travellers be screened for something like this?
**1/2 stars.. Reviewed Aug. 2nd/17
Once More, With Feeling is from 1969 and is 10 pages long. It is pretty amazing how many writers from a certain time period grew up thinking that Russia was going to rule the world, and that it wouldn't be pretty. I was one of those. Today such stories can seem pointless or, at best, silly. They weren't back in the day. The Cold War was real, very stupid, and truly dangerous. This is the story of a soldier on leave from the war he is fighting. He goes to unwind a bit in the Bay area (1967), and meets an unusual Russian girl. An intense story of war and hate.
*** stars. Reviewed Aug. 3rd/17
It's a Bird! It's a Plane! From 1967 comes this 9 page comic story. Everyone in it thinks they are Clark Kent, along with his secret identity. No one can figure out why this is happening. What does Dr. Felix Funck, psychiatrist, think? Tres amusant.
**1/2 stars. Reviewed Aug. 3rd/17
Subjectivity is from 1967 and is 13 pages long. Interstellar travel has just begun, but humans have only been able to achieve half of the speed of light. How will such long journeys be dealt with by the crew? Answer: not so well. Definitely a tongue-in-cheek look at long space journeys.
*** stars. Reviewed Aug. 3rd/17
The Entropic Gang Bang Caper is from 1969 and is 6 pages long. Thankfully, this is a short one, as Spinrad dives into the world of avante garde writing. There is humour here, at least. Good luck with this one.
** stars. Reviewed Aug. 3rd/17
The Last Hurrah of The Golden Horde is from 1969 and is 16 pages long. This final story is one that throws in everything but the kitchen sink. It's zany pace and story remind me of the Marx Brothers, lots of fiction by John Sladek, and Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles. How's that for a description? It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it is sort of fun to read.
*** stars. Reviewed Aug. 3rd/17 Overall book rating **1/2 stars.
RIDING THE TORCH
Cover art by Ron Walcotsky
From 1974 comes a 114 page novella about experiencing the void of space, and about humankind's search for another habitable planet. I did not know that Tor publishing did double-sided novels like Ace books once did. I have never seen one before. This one is #23, and is paired with a novella by Joan D. Vinge (see below).
Humans have destroyed the Earth, and have set out on an ark-like expedition across the galaxy to try and find another place to inhabit. As the generations pass by, the starship gets more elaborate, and the life on board becomes more decadent. D'mahl is a respected but totally egotistical artist on board the ship, and he prepares vast multi-media art to show to the population. In this story he is challenged to create his most meaningful work of art to date.
This is a sobering work, and certainly of its time in the 1970s. Is Earth the only planet of its kind in the galaxy, or can we find another one if needed? Spinrad's answer to this riddle is complicated, but he does express his belief one way or the other. Very good storytelling, and very easy to read. What are we going to do when we totally destroy our home planet? Of course most Republicans will blame everyone else, for one thing. I doubt we will have a Plan B. Best to think of Earth as totally unique, and irreplaceable.
This is the first story dealing with Spinrad's "void," and the unique human life that passes through it.
*** 1/2 stars. reviewed June 17th/18
NO DIRECTION HOME
Cover art by Charles Moll.
Published in 1975, these 11 stories range from the years 1969 to 1974. The volume is 238 pages long. Six of the stories have been reprinted elsewhere.
No Direction Home is from 1971, and is 19 pages long. A number of people are visited briefly by the reader, in a world where psychedelics are the norm, and being straight simply isn't an option. If you ever wondered why some people feel the need to take mind altering drugs, this might be one way of explaining it. Pretty interesting, and not too surprising coming from 1971. I read this one (2nd time around) is a doctor's waiting room. See also Star Spangled Future, below.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed October 7th/19
Heirloom is from 1972, and is 10 pages long. This story is a direct and total rip off of a story by Eric Rank Russell! Spinrad adds nothing new except some violence, which the grandfather seems to have no guilt feelings over.
Unrated, as it is not an original idea or story. Read October 8th/19
The Big Flash is from 1969, and is 25 pages long. See The Star Spangled Future, below. Reread on October 8th/19. Rating stays the same (***).
The Conspiracy is from 1969, and is 5 pages long. Not a story, but an excersise in contemporary writing styles. Pretty flat.
*1/2 stars.
The Weed Of Time is from 1970, and is 10 pages long. A man is born with the ability to speak perfectly, and predict the future. A very original idea, handled very well. Not too probable, but fun to think about.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed October 8th/19
A Thing Of Beauty is from 1972, and is 18 pages long. See The Star Spangled Future, below. Reread October 8th/19. Rating stays the same (***).
The Lost Continent is from 1970, and is 53 pages long. See The Star Spangled Future, below. I did not reread the story, but remember it well.
Heroes Die But Once is from 1969, and is 13 pages long. This is a cynical and pessimistic story of a young couple vacationing on an Earth-like planet after surveying others. They encounter an alien being that experiments on them and tormentsthem, all in the name of knowledge. In the end, the aliens wish to know which is stronger, love or fear of death. Spinrad's answer isn't the one anyone would expect, so no doubt that is why he chose it.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 9th/19
The National Pastime is from 1973, and is 22 pages long. See The Star Spangled Future, below. I did not reread the story.
In The Eye Of The Storm is from 1974, and is 16 page long. A loen biker encounters a fierce thunderstorm and undergoes a twilight zone episode. A great short story!
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 9th/19
All The Sounds Of The Rainbow is from 1973, and is 34 pages long. See The Star Spangled Future, below. I did not reread the story.
Unrated, as it is not an original idea or story. Read October 8th/19
The Big Flash is from 1969, and is 25 pages long. See The Star Spangled Future, below. Reread on October 8th/19. Rating stays the same (***).
The Conspiracy is from 1969, and is 5 pages long. Not a story, but an excersise in contemporary writing styles. Pretty flat.
*1/2 stars.
The Weed Of Time is from 1970, and is 10 pages long. A man is born with the ability to speak perfectly, and predict the future. A very original idea, handled very well. Not too probable, but fun to think about.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed October 8th/19
A Thing Of Beauty is from 1972, and is 18 pages long. See The Star Spangled Future, below. Reread October 8th/19. Rating stays the same (***).
The Lost Continent is from 1970, and is 53 pages long. See The Star Spangled Future, below. I did not reread the story, but remember it well.
Heroes Die But Once is from 1969, and is 13 pages long. This is a cynical and pessimistic story of a young couple vacationing on an Earth-like planet after surveying others. They encounter an alien being that experiments on them and tormentsthem, all in the name of knowledge. In the end, the aliens wish to know which is stronger, love or fear of death. Spinrad's answer isn't the one anyone would expect, so no doubt that is why he chose it.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 9th/19
The National Pastime is from 1973, and is 22 pages long. See The Star Spangled Future, below. I did not reread the story.
In The Eye Of The Storm is from 1974, and is 16 page long. A loen biker encounters a fierce thunderstorm and undergoes a twilight zone episode. A great short story!
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 9th/19
All The Sounds Of The Rainbow is from 1973, and is 34 pages long. See The Star Spangled Future, below. I did not reread the story.
TIN SOLDIER
Cover art by de Naharro
This 68 page novella is from 1974, and is on the flip side of Spinrad's novella, above. Vinge is not on the list for Avon/Equinox, but after reading this story I wish she was. It is a SF retelling of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, a short story by Hans Christian Anderson. A young female space traveller befriends a male bartender on a planet she visits every few years. He is only part human, and mostly reconstructed of plastic. He is an outsider, able to live for hundreds of years. Soldier meets Brandy when she is 18, when she is on shore leave for a few days. She sleeps with him, and he falls in love with her. Due to near light-speed travel, when she is gone for only 3 years on a mission, he has to wait 25 years on his planet for her return.
This is a very touching and very human story, and is now one of my favourites. The author has won several major SF awards, and I have added her to my reading list once I am done with the Avon/Equinox series.
**** stars. reviewed June 17th/18
PASSING THROUGH THE FLAME
From 1975, the cover of the hardbound edition
In 1976 the paperback edition came out
It had been six years since Spinrad's last novel, Bug Jack Baron. Certainly in that novel one can see a liking and an understanding of pop culture by the author. In the present story it takes front center stage, and we have a huge, complex story unfolding of pop culture that I refer to as an "airport bookstore novel." This one is so long (626 pages long on my Kindle edition) that you could fly to Tokyo and back from Detroit and still not be finished reading. There are so many major characters that it would take a review the length of a novella to talk about them all. At heart the novel is a sprawling romance, but its California setting of 1971 allows a reflowering and rekindling of the Haight-Ashbury Summer of Love.
The book opens on the set of a cheap porno film, with Paul Conrad running the camera and Velva Leecock supplying the perfect female body. Looking at these two characters now, and then again at the book's conclusion, reminds me of Frodo and Sam before they left the Shire, and when they finally returned after their adventures. The main event of the first section of the book (it is divided into four long sections, each with many chapters) is a big Hollywood party thrown by mysterious mogul Jango Beck. Velva has an invitation and brings Paul along, as she seems to like and respect him. They both have big dreams about making it in Hollywood, and she thinks the odds of meeting up with someone important at the party are good. They arrive in Paul's AMC Rambler, much to Velva's embarrassment, but they are soon drawn into the party and doing their best to fit in.
Jango's party is likely the best party ever, and Spinrad devotes a vast number of pages to it. Paul sees the whole thing as a series of movie sets put up by Jango, who wants control of everything and everyone, but allows enough random factors into his plans to leave room for suitable amounts of chaos. Paul wanders around the large mansion pretending he is filming everything going on, upset that he has no camera with him. He leaves Velva for a time and runs into Star, a beautiful female rock singer with the Velvet Cloud, currently one of the hippest and best loved bands in America. He is strongly affected and changed by Star in their brief encounter. She has that effect on people, and the reader will get much more of her vibes later on. By the end of this remarkable party (Peter Fonda is there, and various other film stars, including some from Roger Corman movies!) Paul and Velva have what they want: Paul is to direct a film about an upcoming rock festival Jango is promoting, and Velva is to be the leading lady.
After the wonderful randomness of the party, the book gets more predictable and is paced in a pedestrian manner. Despite some truly wonderful writing--Spinrad writes excellent song lyrics, and his blow by blow (no pun intended) description of getting a film made seems very accurate, and there are some really amazing characters--it becomes a bit of a chore to keep reading. Everything that leads to the story's climax is arrived at step by step. We spend enough time with each principal character to keep them straight in our head without a nearby list of who they are. They also all interact in odd ways throughout the story, so that nearly every major character is somehow in at least one intimate scene with every other major character. But strong tension is missing. Even so, this could have been a much better book to read than it turned out. There is sex galore, lots of drugs, some violence, some great conversation--everything a novel about Hollywood should have, in other words. But the book has big flaws.
For one, I didn't care enough about Paul Conrad or Velva Leecock. Jango wasn't mysterious enough, though he is one cool dude. There was a little too much about Star (real name Susan, but slowly turning into Star, her on-stage persona, to the horror of her song-writing, guitar-playing boyfriend). We come across her in scene after scene, each one very much like the one before. However, it is the making of the film itself that finally got to me. With Velva playing the romantic female lead, Jango gives the male lead to a gay two-bit actor. This is Jango's way of introducing randomness to the process, and it just about drives Paul, and the rest of us, crazy. Though there is some understanding shown by Spinrad towards the gay actor, he is essentially a creepy bad guy who is constantly trying to seduce Paul. When he can't get him, his lackluster acting worsens, and he pouts like a spoilt child. It's all a bit harsh, and so very tiresome after awhile. It just goes on and on, as does the description of the scenes being shot, and we even have to read through the dialogue and multiple takes a lot of the time.
Finally, though much more could be said here, the climax of the story is too little, too late. It begins around page 580, but by then my eyes and brain were too glassy to get very excited. Had the book been shortened by 200 pages, with better editing and cropping, this could have been a minor masterpiece. Spinrad's rock festival idea is totally amazing, and he fills it with the best hippies ever. It also reminds me of why I never go to these types of events. Even Renaissance festivals give me the creeps. I don't know if he spent much of those intervening six years writing this book. I don't really know the author's full intentions; did he have a movie project in mind? He takes everything very seriously; too seriously. Was he getting paid by the word? It almost sounds as if he was. Though it is a good story with decent characters and interesting situations, it is way too overblown. Having said that, parts of this book will always stay with me. At least read up to where the big party ends!
*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 13th/17
THE STAR-SPANGLED FUTURE
Cover art by Vincent de Fate
Published by Ace in 1979, 14 stories are presented that take place in America. The stories are not linked in any other way. The book is 401 pages long. In addition to the 14 short stories, there is a chapter-long introduction by the author, as well as short introductions to each story. Four of the stories were published in The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde (see above), and six more in a collection called No Direction Home, which I have not read. The stories are grouped into three sections, and each section also has an intro.
Phase One: Science Fiction Time
Carcinoma Angels (see Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde, above) is 16 pages long (with an intro), and takes its name from Hell's Angels. On second reading I liked this story a little more, finding the humour more to my liking. A man cures himself of cancer, though what a man!
*** stars.
All the Sounds of the Rainbow is from 1973, and is 41 pages long. A man who has had major damage to his head can now use his senses more fully and differently than anyone else. He sets himself up in the guru business, as he can affect others near him in similar ways. One man sets out to prove him a fake, and gets a little more than he bargained for. This is a very descriptive and original story, and certainly shows imagery related to 1970s drug use. Spinrad's drug free version is much better. A very good story.
***1/2 stars.
The Perils of Pauline is from 1976, and is 22 pages long. First published in Swank Magazine, I find it hard to believe that readers would have understood what the hell was going on. At that time Swank was one of many competitors to Playboy, which was known for its often great writing. Anyway, this is a story that reminded me more than a little of the writing of John Sladek, if he had written something for Swank. It's a pretty energetic day for Pauline, who gets herself into many perils indeed. She is always rescued at the last minute, thanks to her ability to send out telepathic 911 calls, and then always wants to seduce her rescuer, with no luck. Interesting.
*** stars.
The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde is 26 pages long. See a previous review of the book with the same name, above. The last of the great Mongol barbarians bear down upon a drug deal going down between the Mafia and the Chinese. The character of Jerry Cornelius, created by Michael Moorcock, is the agent sent to discredit the deal. I have not yet read Moorcock (he is much later in the Avon/Equinox series), but I will eventually make my way there. He encouraged other authors to use the character in their stories, and Spinrad ran with the idea. If Chaos get be considered a theme for a short story, then this is that story. An interesting experiment.
*** stars.
The Holy War on 34th Street is from 1975, and is 16 pages long. This is the third story in a row with Chaos as its main theme. On a nightmarish corner in busy New York, a traffic cop loses control over things as a group of religious proselytizers gang up on one another in a street battle to the finish. No SF here, just everyday NYC mayhem.
**1/2 stars.
Blackout is from 1977, and is 16 pages long. All news broadcasts and newspapers are shut down by the military for several days, leading to panic and... Chaos! The cause of the panic is supposedly aliens, but we never learn anything. Sound familiar? A very good story, though it would be so difficult today to do the same thing. Still, the rumour mill would be off the charts today via Twitter, etc., and likely be even scarier.
*** 1/2 stars.
Phase Two: New Worlds Coming
The National Pastime is from 1973, and is 30 pages long. A man comes up with a brilliant new way to play football, and it becomes all the rage. Pretty funny, and best read if you know some of the rules and game play of football.
*** stars.
It's A Bird! It's A Plane! is from 1967, and is 16 pages long. It was included in the Last Hurrah collection (see above). Another humorous tale, this one imagines a world where everyone thinks they are Superman, and a good psychiatrist is the only hope they have of being cured. There is one very special doctor, whose secret identity is Super Shrink. In this story, Super Shrink meets Superman. The plot literally goes out the window.
*** stars.
The Entropic Gang Bang Caper is from 1969, and is 12 pages long. Mercifully it isn't any longer. This nod to 60s experimental writing (Ballard and Sladek are credited in the author's intro) will give you some idea where avante garde writing was headed at that time. It was included in The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde, the final story in this collection to come from the earlier book.
** stars.
The Big Flash is also from 1969, and is 34 pages long. This is a very disturbing story, especially as at this time in 2017 we are as close to nuclear war as we have ever been. Could a rock band influence enough people to support a nuclear strike? Spinrad deftly contemplates the possibility.
*** stars.
No Direction Home is from 1971, and is 28 pages long. It was the title story of a 1975 collection, of which six of the stories are reprinted here. Along with the four from Last Hurrah, that makes ten stories that had already been published in other collections. Thus only four stories in Star Spangled Future are new to books. This story is actually five mini-stories on how psychedelics have taken over the society, from the Catholic host being imbued with drugs, to the military, and even to pediatrics. A brilliant story, with the kind of ending that most writers would die to come up with. Highly recommended. See also No Direction Home, the collection, above.
**** stars.
Phase Three: Those Who Survive
*** stars.
It's A Bird! It's A Plane! is from 1967, and is 16 pages long. It was included in the Last Hurrah collection (see above). Another humorous tale, this one imagines a world where everyone thinks they are Superman, and a good psychiatrist is the only hope they have of being cured. There is one very special doctor, whose secret identity is Super Shrink. In this story, Super Shrink meets Superman. The plot literally goes out the window.
*** stars.
The Entropic Gang Bang Caper is from 1969, and is 12 pages long. Mercifully it isn't any longer. This nod to 60s experimental writing (Ballard and Sladek are credited in the author's intro) will give you some idea where avante garde writing was headed at that time. It was included in The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde, the final story in this collection to come from the earlier book.
** stars.
The Big Flash is also from 1969, and is 34 pages long. This is a very disturbing story, especially as at this time in 2017 we are as close to nuclear war as we have ever been. Could a rock band influence enough people to support a nuclear strike? Spinrad deftly contemplates the possibility.
*** stars.
No Direction Home is from 1971, and is 28 pages long. It was the title story of a 1975 collection, of which six of the stories are reprinted here. Along with the four from Last Hurrah, that makes ten stories that had already been published in other collections. Thus only four stories in Star Spangled Future are new to books. This story is actually five mini-stories on how psychedelics have taken over the society, from the Catholic host being imbued with drugs, to the military, and even to pediatrics. A brilliant story, with the kind of ending that most writers would die to come up with. Highly recommended. See also No Direction Home, the collection, above.
**** stars.
Phase Three: Those Who Survive
Sierra Maestra is from 1975, and is 16 pages long. The final three stories tell of an America that has fallen into ruin and chaos. In the first of the three tales, hope lies at the end of the rainbow, as a new President is about to undertake his job. Backed by strong supporters, the revitalization will take more than a lifetime. The most optimistic of the three stories.
*** stars.
A Thing of Beauty is from 1972 and is 24 pages long. With America in ruins and Japan at the top of the economic pyramid, an American scavenger tries to sell off Yankee Stadium, the headless Statue of Liberty, and the empty and decrepit UN building. No luck. Then, the Japanese business man he is trying to sell something to spots something that he desires very much. Sale complete. Darkly humourous and mostly sacrilegious to America.
*** stars.
The Lost Continent is from 1970, and is 68 pages long. America is too polluted and has gone completely to seed. The cities are in ruins, and the population stands at around 40 million unhealthy souls. An enterprising New Yorker gives tours of the ruins to Africans, now the richest and most civilized people of the planet. A racist American-African makes his job harder, leading to a double dare which turns into a triple dare. Some nice imagery here, and the reverse racism almost works the way it was intended, to make us feel uncomfortable. If only America's pollution affected just America!
*** stars. Reviews completed November, 2017.
*** stars.
A Thing of Beauty is from 1972 and is 24 pages long. With America in ruins and Japan at the top of the economic pyramid, an American scavenger tries to sell off Yankee Stadium, the headless Statue of Liberty, and the empty and decrepit UN building. No luck. Then, the Japanese business man he is trying to sell something to spots something that he desires very much. Sale complete. Darkly humourous and mostly sacrilegious to America.
*** stars.
The Lost Continent is from 1970, and is 68 pages long. America is too polluted and has gone completely to seed. The cities are in ruins, and the population stands at around 40 million unhealthy souls. An enterprising New Yorker gives tours of the ruins to Africans, now the richest and most civilized people of the planet. A racist American-African makes his job harder, leading to a double dare which turns into a triple dare. Some nice imagery here, and the reverse racism almost works the way it was intended, to make us feel uncomfortable. If only America's pollution affected just America!
*** stars. Reviews completed November, 2017.
A WORLD BETWEEN
Cover art by Peter Goodfellow.
Spinrad has written some very good books, and they all seem to end satisfactorily. I enjoy reading his works, and always look forward to the next book. Recently, my main criticism is the length of his work. He needs to trim down some of his novels. A World Between is a pretty fascinating political SF thriller, and I enjoyed the concept immensely. In a nutshell, three political systems are vying for control of the planet Pacifica. The planet itself seems to have achieved a rare and balanced democracy, with men and women living peacefully together. Women have equal rights, and they have power. Things are not perfect, but they work well overall. From 1979, the book is 343 pages long.
Along comes the Transcendental Science crowd, eager to take over another planet. They offer advanced science to any planet that will accept them on their own terms. Men only for students (though a very few women have completed the intense six-year program with them), ruled by a man, and the science taught must be kept secret and not sold to other cultures. Pacifica finds both of these restrictions a bit too much. Next, the Femocrats from Earth arrive. They are led by a rabid feminist who wants to overthrow all males and allow females only to rule, as things are back on Earth. Men are kept as "breeders." Again, this goes against all that Pacifica stands for.
Spinrad creates a lengthy novel about the conflicts that ensue when these three ideologies battle for a planet's citizens. There is no physical violence, nor secret kidnappings or torture involved in this war. However, Pacifica has an open media system, and anyone can procure free air time for their programming or political messages. And we read pages and pages of commercials for each system. This is one area where the book could have been shortened. It doesn't take long to grasp the ideas behind each group, but we are given it over and over again, much as if we were forced to watch a long TV commercial again and again.
It's also a pretty talky book, though often this is quite interesting. The two main characters, Royce and Carlotta, work as a team. She is the current ruler of the planet, and he is 2nd in command. Her position is fragile, and a vote of confidence in her can be requested at any time. She needs to stay up on her toes to remain in power. Spinrad shows a lot of power broking and behind the scenes wheeling and dealing occurring, and his grasp on such material is virtually perfect. Many of the scenes ring true. Humour is sometimes provided by the goings on in Godzilla Land, a jungle area on the planet where dinosaurs roam, sort of. I loved anything to do with Godzilla Land.
Spinrad overdoes the rabidness of the feminists somewhat, though I daresay the main woman who is really in charge of the landing party is quite believable. By the end of the novel, when their defeat is assured at last, it seems possible that they will have to change and adapt to different ways. Same with the Transcendental Science folks. Their system has been stolen from them, and they no longer have unique control of science.
There is a lot to like about this book, and had it been 70 or so pages shorter I would definitely have given it an even higher rating. Spinrad tackles some pretty difficult sexual politics in this story, the first such SF novel I have come across since I began reading SF again in earnest in June 2016 (I am only reading older authors, though many wrote on into the 90s). He does not back down from some very difficult issues and questions, and I congratulate him for that. His view of feminism is skewed and too extreme, and many women might be as easily offended by this as by books that treat women as subservient. However, it is not extreme enough to spoil the book, but it might open up some fun discussions with women. I am going to search for reviews on-line by women and see what they have to say. As to his views on men, they are pretty much right on. I feel qualified enough to vouch for Spinrad's veracity on this issue, at least.
All in all a very readable book, and worth the effort to find a copy and read it.
*** stars. Reviewed Dec. 14th/17
SONGS FROM THE STARS
Cover art by Catherine Huerta.
From 1980 comes this 275 page SF work of great originality. In essence it is the story of humanity's first contact with alien intelligence. The difference here is that humans are living after the Smash, a war that destroyed much, but not all, of the world. Colonies of karmic-conscious people are living in Aquari, the forested remnants of western California. They thrive on wind and solar power, and have as little as possible to do with pre-Smash technology unless it is clean. On the other side of the mountains live the Spacers, people with dark karma that use atomic energy, and even petroleum, despite where those dark powers led humans in the past.
A few hundred years later, however, the Spacers have made plans to revisit a large orbiting space station, up there since the end of civilization. As our two heroes, Clear Blue Lou and Sunshine Sue learn, aliens have left messages up there for humanity. A mission to fly there and learn more about this is undertaken, and three astronauts (Lou, Sue, and Harker, an intense Spacer) set out for the satellite.
The book is slow to get going. I usually like to think about the book I am currently reading when I am not actually reading it, but going about my daily life. For a large part of the beginning of this book, there wasn't much to think about. The hippy society based in La Mirage, California, is pretty much just that, and it doesn't take 100 pages or more to show us how things work there. However, once Lou and Sue set out for Spacer country east of the mountains, the book gets much more interesting. And all of the space station section is excellent. If you have trouble getting into the story at first, it is worthwhile to stick it out and keep reading.
There are two approaches to learning about people who are much more highly advanced than ours. One is through understanding them and learning how they think, move, and live, and the other is to take notes on only their technological advancements. Spinrad makes a good case for the former, and doesn't think much of pure knowledge in itself. Knowledge without the right spirit is not going to be of much benefit. Unfortunately the book becomes a bit of a downer near the end. The author overdoes it with the Spacer who only wants the equations. And the revelation that a black hole will eventually eat up our galaxy really shouldn't have had any part of this story. It is hard to imagine that people that have survived for 5 million years could not foresee and find a way to escape such a fate. The black hole currently chomping through our Milky Way galaxy is not really doing much damage on a galactic scale, and so our own galaxy will still be quite healthy even a billion years from now. I don't know who the science consultant was on this one, but Spinrad used some bad science at the end.
There are some lovely passages as Lou and Sue get to experience alien life, and it appears that the galaxy is mostly populated by wise, benevolent hippies. That is a good thing, right? Much better than Death Stars traipsing around bullying everyone, at least. The author has some fun translating alien thoughts into English, and does a pretty fine job of it.
There is a somewhat positive ending, though like most good stories, there seems much more to tell after this one ends. There is a fair amount of sex, and an overuse of the word mindfuck. Other than that, the book is highly recommended.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 28th/18
THE VOID CAPTAIN'S TALE
Cover art by Mick McGuinty
From 1983 comes this 216 page adult novel. While required reading for true fans of SF, most people will probably miss out on a very good story, well told. I say this because the writing style is not conducive to reaching your average space fantasy fan. Though the main subject of the story is sex, it is a very cerebral book. Mixing yogic practices with the erotic arts allows the author to explore some interesting territory.
Captain Genro Kane Gupta has command of the jump ship Dragon Zephyr. The way to nearby stars has been discovered, and ships are able to jump about 3.8 light years at a time. The Zephyr is bound for some of the furthest star systems yet explored and settled, requiring multiple jumps. Jumps are undertaken by Pilots, always female, who are hooked up to the machinery of the ship. Orgasm is induced, and in the blink of an eye the ship has been transported several light years towards its goal. The plot is very simple, yet complications arise due to on-board ship life. Like a vast ocean liner, the Zephyr is geared towards paying customers who expect a constant party involving entertainment, gourmet food, sex, drugs, and other stimulating experiences.
The Domo is in charge of designing the pleasure centers of the ship, and of providing the traveller with lots of fun things to do. She and the Captain are supposed to be at one, and their relationship sets the tone for the voyage. This time, things do not go so well. The Captain inadvertently meets his pilot on the shuttle craft that takes him to his ship just before departure time. Pilot and Captain are never supposed to meet, and if they do they should never speak to one another. What happens on this ill-fated voyage is that they do meet and speak, and soon the Captain is consumed with the well-being of his young and beautiful pilot. The Jumps take a lot out of the pilot, so sufficent recovery time is allowed before the next jump.
Spinrad is in new territory here, though Farmer was the first to use orgasmic powers to make space ships fly, back in the 1960s. Spinrad has thought things through completely, though I do have problems with some of his writing. For one thing, he spends a lot of time explaining everyone's name. Pages and pages are taken up with being introduced to a new character, and learning how they got their names. This wears thin quickly, though there is far less of it later in the book. A second irritation is how long the book takes to really get going. Many readers will drop out long before the story becomes interesting. The Captain is supposedly writing his story down in his cabin, after the calamitous event that he makes happen. But Spinrad spins his wheels for a very long time before we get anywhere. Also, he freely mixes French, German, and Spanish words and phrases, weaving them into the natural language of the time. I enjoyed this, but it may not be to everyone's taste.
The story is filled with colour, but little action. There is dialogue, but mostly the writing depicts inner dialogue, as the Captain questions everything that happened to him prior to his fateful Jump. For me the most interesting bits include the downhill relationship between him and the female Domo, and the developing relationship between him and his female Pilot. The ending is ambivalent and incomplete, but by now we should have been expecting it. The book ends with no definite answers, but there is hope for both the Captain and the stranded passengers. Required reading for serious SF fans. Stick with things; it gets better and better. And if you think you know everything there is to know about sex and orgasms, my guess is that you still have a lot to learn.
This is Spinrad's 2nd tale of the Void (see "Riding the Torch," above).
**** stars. Reviewed April 15th/18
THE MIND GAME
Cover art by Catherine Huerta
From 1985 comes this 342 page chiller thriller, from the same man who wrote Passing Through The Flame in 1976 (see above). Since then Spinrad has become a much better and more focused writer. This story concerns a man who tries to get his wife back, after she has been sucked into Transformationalism, a cult bearing strong resemblance to certain actual cults. Not only is the story plausible, the part about losing one's wife to such an attraction has probably happened more times than people would care to know. I really like the cover art, which perfectly captures the charismatic leader of the cult, and a woman totally mind warped by the indoctrination she has received.
Jack and Annie Weller live in L.A., and are trying to make it in Hollywood. Jack directs a Saturday morning TV show called "Monkey Business," and Annie keeps trying to get acting breaks. Neither person is going anywhere, fast. They are invited for free drinks to a local celebrity lounge set up by the Transformationalists, who are trying to attract creative types, especially in Hollywood, hoping to get the word spread into pop culture faster. It doesn't take Annie long to fall hook, line, and sinker for the scam, and soon she is refusing acting jobs and spending small fortunes on her "personal growth" through the Transformationalists. Soon she and Jack are having violent arguments, and then suddenly Annie ups and leaves him, heading deeper into the cult. Soon Jack isn't even able to contact her, or even learn where she is.
There aren't a lot of people who can help Jack. He is mostly on his own. He decides to enter the expensive courses in an attempt to get to his wife, hopefully to rescue her and bring her back to sanity. With the aid of a deprogrammer, he is able to withstand the training they give him and keep his personality and his main goal. Whereas in his previous book about Hollywood Spinrad really lost focus and dwelt on too many different people, in this novel he sticks to his guns. Jack is the only character we see events through, and he stays focused and hopeful about bringing Annie home.
The book just takes off and sucks you in, much like Transformationalism itself. Spinrad has written a mighty fine book, one that is hard to put down. One of my main complaints about the previous one, Flame, was its length. 100 pages less would have made a much better novel. While this one is long, not many words are wasted. I am glad it wasn't any longer, but I find myself with no serious complaints about any part of the novel. There is no physical violence in the entire book, though there is plenty of psychological hanky-panky. The ending is quite good, too, if perhaps just a wee bit on the optimist side of things.
If you have ever wondered about cults and how they lure people into their web of deceit, this is a book you must read. If you have ever known anyone brainwashed into joining something wonky, then this is required reading. While Spinrad offers no answers to the main problems created by these organizations, he offers plenty of reasons to stay completely clear, free drinks or not. A very powerful and very well written book.
***1/2 stars.
Jack and Annie Weller live in L.A., and are trying to make it in Hollywood. Jack directs a Saturday morning TV show called "Monkey Business," and Annie keeps trying to get acting breaks. Neither person is going anywhere, fast. They are invited for free drinks to a local celebrity lounge set up by the Transformationalists, who are trying to attract creative types, especially in Hollywood, hoping to get the word spread into pop culture faster. It doesn't take Annie long to fall hook, line, and sinker for the scam, and soon she is refusing acting jobs and spending small fortunes on her "personal growth" through the Transformationalists. Soon she and Jack are having violent arguments, and then suddenly Annie ups and leaves him, heading deeper into the cult. Soon Jack isn't even able to contact her, or even learn where she is.
There aren't a lot of people who can help Jack. He is mostly on his own. He decides to enter the expensive courses in an attempt to get to his wife, hopefully to rescue her and bring her back to sanity. With the aid of a deprogrammer, he is able to withstand the training they give him and keep his personality and his main goal. Whereas in his previous book about Hollywood Spinrad really lost focus and dwelt on too many different people, in this novel he sticks to his guns. Jack is the only character we see events through, and he stays focused and hopeful about bringing Annie home.
The book just takes off and sucks you in, much like Transformationalism itself. Spinrad has written a mighty fine book, one that is hard to put down. One of my main complaints about the previous one, Flame, was its length. 100 pages less would have made a much better novel. While this one is long, not many words are wasted. I am glad it wasn't any longer, but I find myself with no serious complaints about any part of the novel. There is no physical violence in the entire book, though there is plenty of psychological hanky-panky. The ending is quite good, too, if perhaps just a wee bit on the optimist side of things.
If you have ever wondered about cults and how they lure people into their web of deceit, this is a book you must read. If you have ever known anyone brainwashed into joining something wonky, then this is required reading. While Spinrad offers no answers to the main problems created by these organizations, he offers plenty of reasons to stay completely clear, free drinks or not. A very powerful and very well written book.
***1/2 stars.
CHILD OF FORTUNE
Cover art by Lee Chea Lin.
Typography by Mark Watts.
From 1985 (a busy year for Spinrad) comes this 467 page epic SF novel about a young woman wandering through different planets, making both a physical and a spiritual journey to help her transition from young adult to full adulthood. Since Medieval times and perhaps earlier (think of the Aborigine Walkabout, or the Native American Vision Quest), young people in Europe and elsewhere have taken a year or two to go backpacking across the continent. Usually undertaken between high school graduation and the start of university, it is done so the student can see something of the wide world before deciding what to do with his/her life. It is sometimes called "Gap Year" in more modern times. The fact that Spinrad writes from a female perspective is admirable, and is enough to recommend the book on its own. But he seems to do it so well, and his writing is so wonderful, that this is a book that should not be overlooked. It is his finest piece so far.
The true Child of Fortune takes little money, living on wits to survive, and the good will of others who did their version of it when they were younger. There are usually three ways to carry on: steal money or food; work; or beg for money. Our young heroine, Moussa, is not a thief or a beggar. She would prefer to work her way from planet to planet.
This is Spinrad's 3rd tale of the Void, and the future humans that travel through it from planet to planet. The first two chapters of this story outline in some detail Moussa's early years at home. Together these chapters form a brilliant essay on growing up in the best possible way. Moussa lives in Novelles Orleans, a fine city on a fine planet, and enjoys her time there until late in her 18th year, when she finally begins to grow a thirst to see more of the galaxy than her home planet and city.
The 3rd chapter of the book is also a lot of fun, as she begins to plan for her wanderjahr (year of wandering). Negotiations with her parents do not go that well, and their discussions are very honest, frank, open, and hilarious. More brilliant writing makes us feel as if we know this small family very well. Her parents agree to give her enough money (credits) to live for 8 weeks in standard comfort on any standard planet. However, they will not pay her passage in first class comfort, but only for her to be in suspended animation as she travels. She is not impressed with any of this. She wanted money for two years (her parents do have funds), and to travel as an honoured passenger between worlds. They do give her a special credit card which will allow her to return home at any time, thus ending her adventure whenever she wishes. She is determined to never use this option.
The 4th chapter sees her set out on her first big solo adventure, to the planet Edoku. Of all the planets to choose from, this is the one her parents do not want her to visit. She insists, digs in her heels, and more battles of word and wit ensue. She does finally win this one, and is allowed to proceed. Her arrival on this planet is Spinrad's chance to describe it to us in extreme detail, much as he described Novelles Orleans earlier. His descriptions are vivid and full of life and colour; it is as if he is standing in a Virtual Reality system and describing everything he sees. Everything is amazing, too! I have not come across such great descriptive writing since E. R. Eddison's incomparable Mistress of Mistresses.
Spinrad has created a major masterpiece of vast importance; this book should be read by every 18 year old who is undecided about their future. The fact that it happens to be SF has no bearing on the spiritual and humanistic message the book contains. Moussa spends a lot of the book on Edoku, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single page of it. I feel as if I have spent time here. More importantly, however, the lessons Moussa learns can be transferred to any time or almost any place, despite the uniqueness of the topography and geography of Edoku. For Moussa is taking two journeys; the physical one through time and space, and the spiritual one as she begins to learn about herself, others around her, and what it means to be human and having to survive on her wits.
A second planet is eventually visited, sparking one of the greatest adventures I have ever come across in any media. It outdoes Homer's Odyssey. Really. Much of her adventure here is inspired by Ullysses' visit to the Land of The Lotus Eaters. A third planet is visited, and Moussa's journey, her unique and amazing wanderjahr, comes to a fitting and fine conclusion.
There is a truly amazing quote by Timothy Leary on the back of my hardcover dust jacket, and I feel I must include it here; in one short paragraph Leary says everything that needs to be said, and he does it like a true master of words.
"Norman Spinrad has written a sublime comedy--an epic, an extended narrative in the heroic tradition with grandeur and sweep. It's a Homeric space voyage, a Joycean interstellar trip, a Huck Finn saga of humanity's next adventure. It's a literary masterpiece."
Timothy Leary.
This is one of the most amazing books I have every read, and will undoubtedly loan it to as many people as I can. In addition, I will likely read it again soon. And then hopefully one more time. It really is that good.
****+ stars. Reviewed July 25th/18
LITTLE HEROES
Cover art by Todd Schorr
From 1987 comes yet another pop culture epic by Spinrad, this one going on for 563 small print pages. It was 11 years since he wrote Passing Through The Flame (see above), and 17 years since Bug Jack Baron. I had a lot of problems with Passing Through, and though Spinrad is by now a much better writer, there are still problems. The biggest problem is once again the length of the book. Cut 150 pages from it, easily done, and you would have a much tighter narrative and better paced story. Most writers think that what they write is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and don't want anyone to touch it. This is especially true of modestly successful writers, and even worse for successful ones. Fine. Don't let anyone else tamper with it. But perhaps take a course in editing, and then feel better qualified to do it yourself.
Overall, as in Passing Through, I liked the story and I liked the characters. I like the setting in a slightly futuristic LA and NYC, where the effects of constant recessions and depressions have left most people unemployed and switched on to both drugs and the wire. The wire is a device that one attaches to ones head, then plugs it in for stimulation. The wire is so crude that it can easily do permanent damage, and often does. However, a new battery driven wire, which gives both better highs and far less serious lows, comes on the market during the narrative, and plays a very important role in the plot.
The characters are all outsiders, and form one of the most diverse group of heroes of any book up to this time. Though many of the main characters are white, one of them is in her 60s, one is fat and ugly, and one is weak willed and mean spirited. Others are represented by Paco, a Hispanic male from Puerto Rico, and very much into machismo, and a black male. Essentially they are all good people.
The bosses of the music industry are portrayed by stressed out white males. The industry is dominated by MUZIK, an MTV clone that produces the musical equivalent of Word Wooze (a fantastic expression coined by Fritz Leiber in The Silver Eggheads), or Muzak. Rock and Roll has become predictable and mostly boring, and is churned out without any great musicians or musical idea behind it. The company desperately needs a gold record or two, and a small cadre of employees are hired to reach that goal. Add to the mix a counter-revolutionary group that essentially sells viruses that allow access to criminal records, bank machines, school grades, etc, and watch what happens as their cause gradually brings them all together in a gritty New York City setting.
The ingredients are here for a smash HBO adult TV series, and I think it could still be done. It would certainly make a much better movie than it does a book. The Crazy Old Lady of Rock and Roll has two underlings to work with. Bobby is a wizard at visuals, and Sally can play the "Voxbox" better than anyone else. Personal friction between Bobby and Sally continues throughout the novel, until (unwholesomely) resolved in the final act. The climax chaos that takes place in The American Dream dance club is loosely based on the ill-fated Altamont concert of 1969 (Gloriana, the Crazy Old lady of Rock and Roll, was there as well). However, this one turns out better, with no one getting killed.
For me, the best part of the novel is when things are really unravelling at the end, inside the club. Each time a new disaster seems to take place, the suits (referred to as the pinheads) always come up with a way to turn it into a money making scheme to their advantage. This is quite funny, and certainly exposes a way of survival thinking of most CEOs and their ilk.
Unfortunately, Spinrad overuses certain words in the extreme, for example in describing Sally as fat and pimply, with heavy, pendulous breasts. We get it the first time, but we get it at least 100 times more. Same with Gloriana; she's old and wrinkly, we get it.
With some choice cuts this could have been a great novel. Spinrad loves to hear his own voice, however, and sometimes does not know when to quit. I still have several very long Spinrad novels ahead of me. I will (hopefully) get through them all eventually. His writing seems to have peaked with 1985's Child of Fortune. A better SF novel I have never read. The author's dip into Cyberpunk could have been its equal, but alas it just runs on too long.
If you are really into pop music, rock and roll, and gritty, grimy settings, you will undoubtedly really like this novel. I am not into any such things, but I still managed to finish the book and grab some enjoyment from it. I'd have to say that Paco is my favourite character, and I love it when he switches on his wire and becomes Mucho Muchacho! Some great stuff there!
*** stars. Reviewed September 13th/18
From 1987 comes yet another pop culture epic by Spinrad, this one going on for 563 small print pages. It was 11 years since he wrote Passing Through The Flame (see above), and 17 years since Bug Jack Baron. I had a lot of problems with Passing Through, and though Spinrad is by now a much better writer, there are still problems. The biggest problem is once again the length of the book. Cut 150 pages from it, easily done, and you would have a much tighter narrative and better paced story. Most writers think that what they write is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and don't want anyone to touch it. This is especially true of modestly successful writers, and even worse for successful ones. Fine. Don't let anyone else tamper with it. But perhaps take a course in editing, and then feel better qualified to do it yourself.
Overall, as in Passing Through, I liked the story and I liked the characters. I like the setting in a slightly futuristic LA and NYC, where the effects of constant recessions and depressions have left most people unemployed and switched on to both drugs and the wire. The wire is a device that one attaches to ones head, then plugs it in for stimulation. The wire is so crude that it can easily do permanent damage, and often does. However, a new battery driven wire, which gives both better highs and far less serious lows, comes on the market during the narrative, and plays a very important role in the plot.
The characters are all outsiders, and form one of the most diverse group of heroes of any book up to this time. Though many of the main characters are white, one of them is in her 60s, one is fat and ugly, and one is weak willed and mean spirited. Others are represented by Paco, a Hispanic male from Puerto Rico, and very much into machismo, and a black male. Essentially they are all good people.
The bosses of the music industry are portrayed by stressed out white males. The industry is dominated by MUZIK, an MTV clone that produces the musical equivalent of Word Wooze (a fantastic expression coined by Fritz Leiber in The Silver Eggheads), or Muzak. Rock and Roll has become predictable and mostly boring, and is churned out without any great musicians or musical idea behind it. The company desperately needs a gold record or two, and a small cadre of employees are hired to reach that goal. Add to the mix a counter-revolutionary group that essentially sells viruses that allow access to criminal records, bank machines, school grades, etc, and watch what happens as their cause gradually brings them all together in a gritty New York City setting.
The ingredients are here for a smash HBO adult TV series, and I think it could still be done. It would certainly make a much better movie than it does a book. The Crazy Old Lady of Rock and Roll has two underlings to work with. Bobby is a wizard at visuals, and Sally can play the "Voxbox" better than anyone else. Personal friction between Bobby and Sally continues throughout the novel, until (unwholesomely) resolved in the final act. The climax chaos that takes place in The American Dream dance club is loosely based on the ill-fated Altamont concert of 1969 (Gloriana, the Crazy Old lady of Rock and Roll, was there as well). However, this one turns out better, with no one getting killed.
For me, the best part of the novel is when things are really unravelling at the end, inside the club. Each time a new disaster seems to take place, the suits (referred to as the pinheads) always come up with a way to turn it into a money making scheme to their advantage. This is quite funny, and certainly exposes a way of survival thinking of most CEOs and their ilk.
Unfortunately, Spinrad overuses certain words in the extreme, for example in describing Sally as fat and pimply, with heavy, pendulous breasts. We get it the first time, but we get it at least 100 times more. Same with Gloriana; she's old and wrinkly, we get it.
With some choice cuts this could have been a great novel. Spinrad loves to hear his own voice, however, and sometimes does not know when to quit. I still have several very long Spinrad novels ahead of me. I will (hopefully) get through them all eventually. His writing seems to have peaked with 1985's Child of Fortune. A better SF novel I have never read. The author's dip into Cyberpunk could have been its equal, but alas it just runs on too long.
If you are really into pop music, rock and roll, and gritty, grimy settings, you will undoubtedly really like this novel. I am not into any such things, but I still managed to finish the book and grab some enjoyment from it. I'd have to say that Paco is my favourite character, and I love it when he switches on his wire and becomes Mucho Muchacho! Some great stuff there!
*** stars. Reviewed September 13th/18
OTHER AMERICAS
I read the Kindle edition.
From 1988 come four novellas about a possible future America. The book is 273 pages, and contains not only short introductions to each story, but a longer essay by the author at the beginning. I wish he'd left out the essay, which is an overblown, highly sentimental view of America by an American. It nearly turned me off to reading the stories.
Street Meat: I felt like I needed to shower after reading this disgusting story, from 1983. Not that it's a bad story; it's just disgusting, another Spinrad look into the underbelly of an American city. Gonzo sees his big chance for several meaty meals when he captures an escaped doggie. A female armed guard is sent after the dog to retrieve it. You may never be the same after reading this story, and your appetite for dog or rat will likely be completely ruined.
*** stars. Reviewed June 18th/20
The Lost Continent: This is the third time this story has appeared in a Spinrad collection. Enough, please. See the Star Spangled Future volume, above.
World War Last: From 1985, this novella is an R-rated updating of Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove movie. In Spinrad's version, a petty Arabic dictator acquires 5 bombs and plans to use them to nuke Israel. The Russian party leader, dead for ten years, is now preserved and run by remote control. The newly elected American president is an insane sex maniac. What could go wrong? This is likely the author's only attempt at strictly comedy writing, and it's pretty good. It reminds me a lot of some of John Sladek's writing. If you loved the Kubrick film, you will probably like this story. The president's choice for chief of staff and other key aides is priceless.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 21st/20
Le Vie Continue: From 1988, this novella was the only thing written especially for this publication. It stars Norman Spinrad, writing from Paris in the near future. He is virtually an exile from the US due to their harsh censorship of writers, but is always looking for a way back home. In the meantime, he has started a successful left wing newspaper in his adopted city, one that has enraged the CIA and American government, but played right into Russian hands. This is classic Spinrad, as deals within deals are spun out for the movie rights to his earlier SF book Riding The Torch (see above). It's all very fun and clever, and makes a good exit for me, as this is the final Spinrad fiction that I read.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 22nd/20
THE CHILDREN OF HAMELIN
Cover of my Kindle edition, uncredited.
From 1991 comes this 350 page non-SF novel about living in NYC, reported to have some autobiographical material enmeshed within it. Do you remember the long, heavy discussions you had with friends when you were really stoned? If so, you will probably enjoy this book as much as I did. Tom Hollander has a day job reading manuscripts that people send in and pay to have read and critiqued. His best friends Ted and Doris are becoming more and more involved in meetings of the Foundation for Total Consciousness, and they drag him to a meeting to meet their fearless leader, Harvey Brustein. Tom instantly recognizes him as the devil incarnate, a phony crazy man who is manipulating people for their money and their minds. However, Tom is unable to convince anyone involved with the Foundation that such is the case.
He becomes involved with two women. Arlene is introduced to him by Tom and Doris. She is a university student totally hung up on not doing things on instinct. She must first discuss everything in group sessions at the Foundation. One of her main hangups is sex, of course, as she cannot let go of herself to freely participate. The second woman is a young street girl who he meets on a rainy night and invites her back to his place. They hit it off well, and some of the most enjoyable parts of the novel involve their discussions and interactions. Robin turns out to be a small time pusher, something that Tom isn't very pleased about. However, she always has good cannabis, hashish, and acid. Their trips are always interesting, and their discussions meaningful but often hilarious. Tom's advice to NASA regarding space suit usage is almost too funny to bear!
Somehow Tom is able to build up tension between him and everyone else he knows. His boss is trying to interest him in taking a job in LA to help run a magazine, but he wants nothing to do with it. Ted, Doris, and Arlene are trying to interest him in moving to San Francisco, to where the Foundation will likely be moving. Tom is desperately in search of himself, and it is quite a fascinating journey.
In Chapter 12, when things are really going downhill for Tom at the moment, he stays home and decides to have a TV dinner. Here is his description of it: "Plastic peas, library-paste mashed potatoes and a few slabs of well-rotted shoe leather, drenched in diluted motor oil." Yes, that does seem to sum up early TV dinners. He ends up losing his appetite when he sees it, and throws it out. However, he comments, it did take care of his appetite. Good stuff!
Later in the same chapter Robin has stayed overnight with him at his flat, where they both slept solidly after smoking way too much hash the night before. Tom awakens at 1 pm. Robin, who has been awake for an hour, walks in and offers him the hash pipe. "It's too early in the morning to smoke," he groans. "Early? It's one o'clock in the afternoon!" she replies. He takes the pipe. To his surprise she also hands him a cup of coffee and tells him that she has some scrambled eggs going in the kitchen. "Man, it's a groove getting up stoned," she says. "Think I'd be making breakfast if I was straight?"
If you enjoyed this book as much as I did, you will also love "Crow Road" by Iain Banks, also one of his non SF stories, and somewhat autobiographical. They would make a good pairing for a reading group. Highly recommended reading.
**** stars. Reviewed October 29th/18
RUSSIAN SPRING
Cover art by Bruce Jensen
From 1991-2 comes Spinrad's longest novel yet, and quite possibly the longest single book I have ever read. It is 643 pages long. Trying to be contemporary and a bit of a soothsayer, Spinrad pinned his hopes on Russia joining forces with the European Union and becoming a member. Unfortunately, his soothsaying skills did not foresee Vladimir Putin, a former KGB agent, becoming leader and who would turn back Russia's progress under Gorbachev and return it to a brutal military regime. He also did not foresee Russia and the USA working together in space, despite some pretty heavy differences. And he did not foresee the economic powerhouse of China, developing into the world's 2nd biggest economy. So before the book even reached paperback printing, the entire premise of the novel was removed by events of the time. Russia still has no hope of ever becoming part of the EU, and they have not gone on to collaborate with ESA, the European Space Agency. And the ESA has certainly not left NASA far behind as it advances manned expeditions to space. And even the Star Wars program never got off the ground in the USA. Thus proving it is very hazardous to write a contemporary novel where you try to guess what might happen in the near future. As a result of all the unpredicted political changes, Spinrad wrote a new 3 1/2 page intro to the paperback edition, not included in the regular pagination. So what are we left with? Fiction.
Despite having some very good female characters, especially Sonja and her daughter Franja, Spinrad still gives us a world controlled by white males. There are no high-ranking women in any of the space programs, nor are there any in politics. And of course, none in the military, either. This is a bit tiresome for a novel of the near future.
The novel is broken down into 3 main sections: American Autumn; Russian Spring; American Spring. I will review each section as I complete them. If the book seems too much of a task to read, try it as three separate books in a trilogy. It is much easier to approach this way.
American Autumn is 153 pages long, thus being as long as the average SF novel of the golden age. It serves as the exposition, introducing main characters, plot points, conflicts, and locations. It also allows Spinrad to show off Europe a bit to Americans who are hopelessly less travelled, and have no idea what European cities have to offer, compared to most American cities. Jerry Reed is a mid-level engineer working in California for NASA, which is mostly running errands for the military Star Wars program (called Battlestar America here). He has realized that his dream of going into space is dead as long as he remains in the USA. They have given up on manned projects, and switched to robotic missions.
I, too, was convinced that one day I would visit space, at least getting as far as the moon, and possibly Mars. However, I now differ from Spinrad in that I think that the robotic missions are the way to go as far as exploring our solar system, which is rather hostile to humans. The effort and expense of sending humans to Mars would provide dozens of robotic missions instead. Humans are simply too fragile, and require too many necessities. Robots seem to fare much better on alien worlds.
Jerry Reed has vital information needed by the ESA, and they send a man to woo him in Paris. Jerry takes a two week vacation at the expense of the European Space Agency, and gets his first look at a major European city. Of course he soon falls in love with Paris, and before long meets Sonya, a Russian translator working for Red Star, a Russian conglomerate company. She lands a job in Brussels, but meets Jerry at a party in Paris. They hit it off very well. Jerry has to decided whether to return to his dead end job in the States, or remain in Paris and possibly have a real chance to get into space. Not much of a choice, is it? If he stays, however, the Americans are going to take his passport and possibly charge him with giving away state secrets. Yup. Who sounds more like the old Russia now? This first section ends with Jerry having made his decision. Now he has to live with it. On to part 2....
Russian Spring is 274 pages long, and contains an awful lot of plot and development. The story resumes about 16 years after events in the first section. Jerry and Sonya live in Paris with their two teenage children, who are bitter rivals and enemies. Franja is like her mother, and wants to be Russian. Bobby is like his father, and wants to go to university in the States. But Franja wants to become a cosmonaut, influenced by her father's background. But dad does not want her going to Russia to study, and mom does not want Bobby to go to America. And so the family slowly becomes torn apart, as Franja goes to Russia, and Bobby to the States. Jerry and Sonya argue constantly and grow completely apart.
The story follows different threads, first following Bobby on his dream summer journey to the States. And what a journey it is, filled with bigots and hatred. His Parisian background makes him an enemy of most Americans, who blame Europe for all their woes. But he finally finds a soul mate when he hitchhikes across the western states, ending up in California. He decides to attend Berkeley, but has to blackmail his parents into paying his tuition. He tells them if they don't pay, then he will simply sell drugs to make the money to attend. This causes further conflict back home, and Tranja never forgives her brother for splitting up their parents.
Then we follow Franja through her university eduction in Russia. However, having an American father essentially black lists her from ever becoming a cosmonaut. She has to go through some pretty bad times before a doorway opens for her. It is a side door, but she takes it. However, she has to become a Russian citizen, something her father forbids. They permanently break apart when it happens. And then Bobby, to his mother's eternal disdain, has to become an American citizen if he ever hopes to get a job. When this happens, Sonja is threatened by Russian bureaucrats, and she has to divorce Jerry to keep everyone happen.
Let's just say that the politics in this novel are totally insane. Spinrad has worked out his master plan very well, however, and traps each of his main characters perfectly. Neither person has any way out except the way politicians and bureaucrats deem. America and Russia both come out as the most despicable countries on the planet (not that far from the truth most days), but as far as average people go, America fares much worse. They are totally brainwashed by their own politicians and right wing media, and are filled with hate for everyone and everywhere else in the world. But they love their flag and their military. That seems to hit rather close to home.
At the end of the section we are 2/3rds of the way through the book. Jerry is depressed and living in a one-bedroom apartment by himself. Sonja has kept her job, and still lives in the family apartment. Franja is enrolled in Concordski school, learning how to become a pilot. And Bobby has a wife and American citizenship, but cannot return to Paris due to restrictions Americans have put on their own citizens. It's a pretty screwed up world for people who have dreams and hope to follow them. So far, Spinrad has written a believable alternate history novel, one filled with passion, lots of sex, and great characters who are as trapped in their existence as birds in a cage. It is pretty much a page turner, too. Fingers crossed for the Reed family in Part 3.
American Spring is 216 pages long. The conclusion of this epic narrative sees the total breakdown of the Reed family, as well as the total breakdown of the world, which is about to be wiped out in a nuclear holocaust. But just when things become darkest, Spinrad switches to a Disney ending, where everything works out perfectly and everyone is happy ever after. Seriously? The USA, which has been reviled throughout the story, is now suddenly the saviour of the world again, once the Trump-like president dies, and the Vice-President takes over and solves all the problems. How can he do that? Well, he used to be a real good poker player, that's how. And Jerry Reed, the father of the family, gets to go to the moon and back, despite physical disabilities up the wazoo due to an explosion at his work site. Honestly, I can understand a sort of happy ending. But after everything that has happened, to suddenly have only goodness and light shining from every page, is really a bit much to take. There is no reality in this final section, only wishful thinking, though the writing is still first class and the characters believable.
And so I was a big fan of this book, until the Disney effect took over. I guess Spinrad felt he would be accused of treason if he allowed America to continue the way he had been depicting it (if only he had foreseen Trump; his Carson president runs along very similar lines). It is extremely difficult for Americans to think of themselves as the evil superpower. So Russia had to be depicted as returning to its old ways near the end, while America reappeared into the sunshine. Nice ending, but just not believable within the context of the story.
Part 1: ***1/2 stars.
Part 2: **** stars.
Part 3: ** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Dec. 30th/18
DEUS X
My Kindle cover only says Deus X; there are no "other stories."
From 1992 comes Spinrad's short (176 pages) tongue-in-cheek cyber punk novel, about the Catholic church coming to terms with clones, and whether or not they have souls. This could actually be made into a pretty effective stage play. A Cardinal from Rome comes to visit Marley (?), a rasta super techie who has chosen to sail his boat and explore the world by sea. The Earth is dying (global warming), and the Church is down to only 60 million Catholics. It is dire times. The Cardinal has a mission for Marley. They have lost a priest into the internet vortex. The priest had been cloned, and was to report back after the death of the original as to whether or not he (2nd version) had a soul. The Pope (Mary 1, the first female Pope), wants him found, as she still needs an answer, so she sends the Cardinal to find Marley, in the hopes that Marley can go "inside" and find the missing priest, who has vanished completely.
It's all pretty strange, but clear enough to follow. Spinrad has not set out to confuse us, but to raise the question of who has a soul, and what is a soul, and such things like that. I lost interest in the Church when I was 12, and I haven't cared much since. P. J. Farmer wrote a small number of semi-religious works, too, one of the most entertaining being "Jesus of Mars."
This story is likely too progressive for most conservative Catholics, but a few forward-thinking ones might get a kick out of reading it. In the end it is harmless enough, and we learn Spinrad's answer to the burning questions (see above.) Personally, I prefer a lovely space opera.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 11th/19
PICTURES AT 11
Kindle cover.
From 1994 comes this non SF story of terrorists taking over a small independent TV station in LA. At 464 pages, it is a long read, and took me 8 days of plodding away. Spinrad is a very good writer, but as is often the case with his work, there is just too much of a good thing. He likes the sound of his own voice too much, and is not capable of editing his length. 100 pages could easily be cut from this story. It would tighten it up and keep it in focus. Having said that, he no doubt did cut it down a bit; just not enough.
We get to spend 8 very long days with a group of eco-terrorists, along with four people held hostage at the TV station. Toby Inman is the news anchor, Carl Mendoza is the sports dude, and Heather Blake is the beautiful weather person. Eddie Franker is the station manager. The two main terrorists are Horst Klingerman and Kelly Jordan. Not only will we get to know each and every one of these people intimately, but we will also have a fairly good handle on the 8 or 9 other terrorists.
Spinrad has done his part for the planet with this story, which pretty much outlines a brilliant way to begin reigning in the amount of desecration of the land, sea, and air that we continue to undertake on an hourly basis. Despite even more warning signs than Spinrad had in 1994, and despite things continually and visibly worsening climate wise, even more crud is being poured into the air and sea. Republicans still refuse to believe that anything unusual is occurring. So Spinrad gives us a pretty good solution, which as far as I know has never been tried. The solution is recognized instantly by Kelly Jordan, the black American female terrorist, and she chooses to act upon it. However, Horst, the German radical, really has not much in the way of brains, and can only see solutions through direct action, which means, in his mind, violence.
The story goes way overboard in what would have really happened, of course, but it is a novel of fiction, not an account of a true event. Poetic license is used freely, and that is fine with me. Being based in LA, the story includes actors, agents, Hollywood dreams, and, of course, TV ratings. One does wonder today, though, where all of the eco-terrorists went. No one seems to realize, as Spinrad points out often enough, that without a planet to live upon, nothing else much matters. Religious wars, political wars, poor versus rich wars; none of these matter in the least without a healthy planet. But we are too stupid to realize it. Even if we do realize it, we do not wish to change our lifestyle one whit to help out. Give up my pick up truck? You kidding me? Stop eating meat? WTF? Stop flying, drive less, or not at all? Boycott things that are harming us and the planet? No way, Jose! And often these are people with kids saying they won't help. Many of the most Earth-friendly people I know are childless.
Despite the length, and the ridiculous amount of detail with camera shots and the like, I really liked the book. Some days it was difficult to pick it up, knowing how much more I had left to read. But each time I was reading, the story moved along, the characters developed (I especially like what the author does with the character of Heather, the weather person). We spend all 8 days inside the TV station with everyone. We get to speak with people on the phone, and near the end one other person is allowed inside the station, but mostly we feel just as claustrophobic as the the hostages and terrorists.
Still, it's a tough book to recommend to people, unless they are serious about the environment. I still wonder why a Kelly Jordan-like TV series never really happened. Or maybe it did, and it died within weeks of airing. That wouldn't surprise me. At least Spinrad made his attempt to help out. That is more than I can say for most people.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 31st/19
VAMPIRE JUNKIES
The cover of my Kindle edition, uncredited.
From 1994 comes this 74 page novella, as Count Vlad travels to NYC after a close escape through Europe from Romania. He gets considerably more than he bargained for when he meets up with Mary, "Little Mary Sunshine," and extracts a blood donation from her. She is a heroin addict, and soon they are teaming up to stay high and stay sane. This is a very funny book, though not so much when the very old, suave, and conservative Dracula is narrating. However, when Mary is narrating the story it really begins to come alive, and it just gets better and better as things progress from horribly depraved to much worse. The description and location of the last heroin victim left in New York is a fitting and proper conclusion to this tale of madness and lust. Not to be missed! The under belly of NYC has never seemed so scummy. A very funny story, with many quotable quotes.
**** stars. Reviewed May 9th/19
JOURNALS OF THE PLAGUE YEARS
I read the Kindle version.
From 1995 comes this 143 page novel, Spinrad's take on the Aids epidemic. Spinrad's novels are often bloated affairs of 500 or 600 pages, and I have always wondered how he would do with something along the length of a story in an Ace Double, for example. Well, I now have my answer to that question. Really, really well.
The story is given over to the journals of 4 people in California living through the plague. One is an infected mercenary soldier, hell bent on wrecking the lives of as many people as needed to thoroughly enjoy his remaining days on Earth. The second is a young woman who gets infected after her boyfriend lies to her about his status. The third person is total nutcase Christian nearly paralyzed by his belief in the devil and Jesus, always trying to decide who is talking to him at that moment. The fourth person is a research doctor searching for a plague cure.
The story switches back and forth between these four people every few pages, and allows the author to bypass long explanations and resist repeating himself. He also skips the long character development passages that often weigh down his epic narratives. If you think that Spinrad is incapable of writing a fast, action-packed adventure in the manner of P. J. Farmer, for instance, then this novel will change your mind. Certainly in the pulp tradition, I enjoyed almost every minute of the story. This, along with the previous Dracula novella, has proven that Spinrad can undertake shorter projects and be highly successful at them.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed June 24th/19
GREENHOUSE SUMMER
Cover design by The Chopping Block.
From 1999 comes this 310 page novel about one of the main topics of discussion here in 2019--global warming. In Spinrad's not too distant future, the Earth has continued to heat up, while capitalist corporations work hard to sell technology that will cool the planet. By now, so many different things have been done to alter the climate, that it seems inevitable that life as we know it will soon cease to exist.
The story opens in Libya, where we see first hand was has happened to the African desert, and what is proposed to make life bearable there. Monique Calhoun works for Bread and Circuses, an organization that helps countries adapt to the new way of life. This is a good exposition, as it allows us to meet Monique on a major assignment, and it allows us to see what has already happened to the planet.
Spinrad, ever since Bug Jack Baron, has developed a writing style that encompasses vast territory, focusing on several main characters. The plot usually involves sex, media, and several layers of probability. Never satisfied with a mere double-cross, Spinrad goes for the triple or quadruple cross. His plots can become thick, the conversation heavy, the politics brutal, and the characters exposed down to their raw bones.
I have come to enjoy reading Spinrad, though as usual a large block of time has to be set aside to read his epic novels. This one seems to be a good length, though the ending is very abrupt. I would have liked a follow up chapter, perhaps immediately afterwards, or several years from now. But is is a good ending.
This is a book that would benefit from a reprinting, and of course it would make a fabulous movie. Spinrad always writes enough dialogue so that a screenplay could easily be extracted, and many of his characters and situations are quite theatrical. The thing that makes this book really relevant is how the companies and corporations jumped in to make money selling doodle dads to help control global warming. Of course they will be only too happy to help, providing they get rich doing so. So many very ugly things go on out there beyond the view of us little people. Spinrad cuts right to the heart of the matter, however, showing us a future world that is in the making as we read. Highly recommended, both for the message and the entertaining way it is presented. This is not a light read; this is real.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed August 22nd/19
HE WALKED AMONG US
Cover of Kindle edition.
Any author that consistently writes books of enormous length (this one is 540 pages, folks, and it isn't light reading) had better have a lot to say, and not say the same thing over and over and over and over and....Unfortunately, Spinrad is usually saying the same thing again and again. So many of his longer books might actually get read, or finished if started, if they were cut down to an intelligent size. Some authors love the sound of their own voice, and Spinrad is one of these. After 300 pages my eyes were glazing over, I was getting sick of the mostly uninteresting lead characters (mostly white, and mostly bland), and I never would have finished the book unless I was immersed in this reading project. It will do little harm if you skip from page 300 and just read the last 20 pages or so, and this is my strong recommendation.
The book had a difficult history reaching publication, but it was written in 2003. Dexter D. Lampkin is the main character. He is a SF writer who knows and sometimes quotes Spinrad; he tells stories about Timothy Leary, Philip Jose Farmer, Harlan Ellison, and others, and he has written a great book called "The Transformation," which has not been very widely read. That fictional book details how the planet can be saved from dying, and this becomes the main theme of Spinrad's novel. It kind of makes a loose trilogy with Pictures At 11, and Greenhouse Summer (see both, above), being ecological books detailing ways and means of saving the planet. Spinrad thus becomes a cliched SF writer, trying to save the world through his writing. I do applaud him for his attempts.
Other major characters include Texas Jimmy Balaban, an LA talent scout and agent who discovers Ralf in a divey club in upstate New York, and Amanda Dunstan, a person seeking truth and redemption in a more or less flaky way. Of all the characters, she is the most interesting, and I enjoyed the parts with her in it. In fact, the entire story of building Ralf up into a major TV presence by Texas Jimmy, Dexter Lampkin, and Amanda, is quite fantastic. It is one part of the story, and it is the best part. Ralf was written with Robin Williams strongly in mind.
The other part of the story, however, virtually destroys the book. Foxy Loxy is a junkie, and we follow her descent into hell in way too much detail. We get the fact that she represents the planet and where it is headed without serious intervention. Spinrad writes in "junkie talk," like he did all the way through his excellent novella called Vampire Junkies (see above). But the part given over to Loxy, who transforms into Rat Girl, is longer than that novella was, and I soon found myself quickly skimming over the parts with her in it. It's not the fact that she is possibly the most disgusting character in all of fiction, a goal I'm certain Spinrad was attempting, successfully, but that we just hear far too much of her. Cut 3/4 of Loxy from the book, and it would improve dramatically. We get it. We aren't stupid. And it stops being funny after a time, and we get sick of reading "Hee hee hee," and "Scree scree scree," more times than I could count.
Spinrad really goes to town on SF cons and their fans. Overweight, crazy, but he is careful to mention that they are intelligent. He brings up Ellison and Malzberg as authors who are cruel to their fans, and tries not to skewer SF fans too much himself. Within the story he also mentions Ward Moore's incomparable Bring The Jubilee as a fine example of time travel SF, and mentions Spinrad's The Iron Dream, though not by name (the fictional author in the story, Dexter Lampkin, knows Spinrad). Both of these books are in the Avon/Equinox series, and are reviewed in this blog. If you've never been to a major SF con (me), you will know what they are like after reading this.
Ralf presents himself as a comedian from the future, sent back in time to try and make humans amend their ecological mistakes. His era is the worst of the worst because of what was bequeathed to the future by us. He was aiming for Woodstock in 1969, but ended up in upstate NY, 2003, instead. Ralf is an enigma to everyone from the first time we meet him until the last, and after 500 pages it becomes very tiresome hearing about his strange eyes, and what he might be about, etc. Imagine watching a 5 hour movie, and seeing the same character do the same things over and over, and the mystery never becoming clear as to who he really is.
There are some fine quotes in the book, and some excellent, laugh aloud humour. This quote is from page 318: "For the Earth was but a glob of lava cooling in a pitiless black void, and all that lived upon it but lichen clinging precariously to bits of floating rock." That, folks, is a brilliant description of just exactly who and where we are in relation to the universe at large.
Spinrad makes a glaring error in his description of the Santa Ana winds, saying that they bring negative ions and good vibes, when in fact it is exactly the opposite. The Santa Anas, along with other strong desert winds, bring dust and positive ions, and make people suffer from migraines, depression, and many psychosomatic symptoms. I guess fact checking wasn't as easy in 2003? Or perhaps he heard it from a reliable source? Anyway, Dexter Lampkin's love for the Santa Anas makes no sense, and should have been cut from modern editions. Forgetting that SF fans are intelligent, perhaps the author thought no one would notice his error.
I'll end with a final quote, though I could choose a dozen of them. On page 406 we read "...laughter, the immaterial, trans-temporal Universal Solvent itself." And while there is plenty of humour and laughter in the book, there is just too much of everything. Do not take on this reading project lightly. There are rewards, but there is also pain and glazed over eyeballs. I seriously wish Spinrad would learn to love his own writing just a little bit less.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed November 23rd, 2019
THE DRUID KING
I read the Kindle edition.
From 2003 comes this sweeping 427 page historical novel, based on the author's screenplay for a 2001 movie called The Druids. The movie gets 2.8 *s on Rotten Tomatoes. Spinrad did the screenplay, and then two years later this book came out. By the sounds of things, the book is considerably better. I will say at the outset that I am not a huge fan of historical fiction, books based on real life events. I prefer the facts alone, rather than have some writer spin out characters that we really do not know much of anything about. The rare exception to this was Harry Harrison's excellent book on Atlantis and Stonehenge (Stonehenge: Where Atlantis Went To Die). Though Spinrad does an admirable job of telling a complicated story, I found myself counting pages as I went, hoping to get to the end.
Vircingetorix vs Julius Caesar might be a better name for the book, but since no one can pronounce that first name, The Druid King is a good 2nd choice, and likely sold a few more copies because of it. Knowing the outcome before the book commences also turns me off to historical fiction, especially since the outcome is negative for the Gauls. And the horses. So many horses are slaughtered in battle in these pages that it might cause actual trauma among horse lovers. And since we already know that Caesar will win the war against the Gauls, than what is the point of belabouring that fact for over 400 pages?
Besides Caesar and Vircingetorix, other main characters are the head druid, Guttuatr (another not very popular name these days), and of course the love interests, furnished by warrior maiden Rhia, and the more soft and chewy Marah, a friend of Vircingetorix since childhood. I suppose the book could be read as pure fantasy by those who know nothing, nor want to, of history. But then it becomes a tale like A Game of Thrones, filled with the same cruelties and tragic deaths, often of people who are good, and whom we have come to like.
For what it is, it's a good enough book, and we do gain some sense of Roman battle tactics, Caesar's cleverness (after all, his is the only known version of events), and the virtual impossibility of uniting the Gauls. There fate was similar to that of the Native Americans, who were also unable to maintain a united front against the US cavalry. It is not a book I highly recommend, nor would I be tempted to reread it. I wonder how Spinrad ever got involved with this project. Most likely by his hunger to write a screenplay that would be produced. But from what I have read about the movie, he did himself more harm than good. the movie is said to be nearly incomprehensible. That may not be a fault of Spinrad, but it still does not make him look good. If you must do one or the other, read the book (which is the usual correct answer to that eternal question).
*** stars. Reviewed January 10th/20
MEXICA
Cover art from a folding screen by Roberto Cueva del Rio.
Location of screen unknown.
From 2005, this 506 page historical novel comes on the heels of Spinrad's less successful attempt at writing this type of fiction. Like the Druid King, there is very little actual written evidence to support what Spinrad writes about, especially from people on the spot, as it were. As to what really occurred as Cortes made his way to Tenochtitlan, eventually conquering the Mexica (as they were called; Aztec was a later, insulting name for the people) in several bloody battles costing thousands of lives, and destroying the incredible city, this account is probably as good as it gets.
Spinrad writes himself (or one of his early ancestors) into the story as Cortes' s scribe, writing down for posterity what occurs before and after the great explorer leaves a Spanish outpost in Cuba. This is a very thorough account, but never tedious, as the author goes step by slow step through the entire process of first contact, first skirmished, first major battles, and then the first long march to the high country to see Montezuma in person. In fact, Cortes does not leave for Tenochtitlan from the coast until page 200, and then it takes a further 75 pages before we arrive there.
Spinrad does not spare either the Spaniards or the natives in telling it like it was. While numbers may be exaggerated to some degree, it is agreed that he killed most of the Mexica, including women and children. The ultimate irony is that this was done in the name a peaceful and loving God, who did not require human sacrifices. Spinrad writes as a closet Jew pretending to be Christian, frequently remembering the recent atrocities of the Spanish Inquisition. He befriends Montezuma, as well as Cortes' translator and consort, Dona Maria, and thus we get "inside" information on what really took place. For an author of historical fiction, there is a tricky path to follow, using the best facts available and trying to keep the narrative as close as possible to these facts.
Spinrad succeeds admirably. While I read the book in 7 days, it could easily be spread out over a longer period of time. Having visited Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico City) three times, and many other ancient New World sites as well, I always had an incomplete and disjointed idea of what really happened. If you are curious about this period and the people who lived then, and how hundreds of thousands were eventually conquered by so few soldiers, then this book will answer all your questions, and more. Highly recommended.
**** stars. Reviewed April 5th/20
From 2005, this 506 page historical novel comes on the heels of Spinrad's less successful attempt at writing this type of fiction. Like the Druid King, there is very little actual written evidence to support what Spinrad writes about, especially from people on the spot, as it were. As to what really occurred as Cortes made his way to Tenochtitlan, eventually conquering the Mexica (as they were called; Aztec was a later, insulting name for the people) in several bloody battles costing thousands of lives, and destroying the incredible city, this account is probably as good as it gets.
Spinrad writes himself (or one of his early ancestors) into the story as Cortes' s scribe, writing down for posterity what occurs before and after the great explorer leaves a Spanish outpost in Cuba. This is a very thorough account, but never tedious, as the author goes step by slow step through the entire process of first contact, first skirmished, first major battles, and then the first long march to the high country to see Montezuma in person. In fact, Cortes does not leave for Tenochtitlan from the coast until page 200, and then it takes a further 75 pages before we arrive there.
Spinrad does not spare either the Spaniards or the natives in telling it like it was. While numbers may be exaggerated to some degree, it is agreed that he killed most of the Mexica, including women and children. The ultimate irony is that this was done in the name a peaceful and loving God, who did not require human sacrifices. Spinrad writes as a closet Jew pretending to be Christian, frequently remembering the recent atrocities of the Spanish Inquisition. He befriends Montezuma, as well as Cortes' translator and consort, Dona Maria, and thus we get "inside" information on what really took place. For an author of historical fiction, there is a tricky path to follow, using the best facts available and trying to keep the narrative as close as possible to these facts.
Spinrad succeeds admirably. While I read the book in 7 days, it could easily be spread out over a longer period of time. Having visited Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico City) three times, and many other ancient New World sites as well, I always had an incomplete and disjointed idea of what really happened. If you are curious about this period and the people who lived then, and how hundreds of thousands were eventually conquered by so few soldiers, then this book will answer all your questions, and more. Highly recommended.
**** stars. Reviewed April 5th/20
OSAMA THE GUN
Cover to my Kindle edition, uncredited. Why is the cover red and not green?
Another interesting concept by the author, but, as usual for him, the book is way too long and bloated, and ends up wandering aimlessly for far too long. Written in 2007 but not published until 2016, after being refused by all major publishing houses, it was finally released. Various page counts put it at 288 pages up to 450 pages. As it took me five days to read it, flat out, I would go for the 450 pages, making it about 200 pages too long.
Spinrad chose to write the book from a first person perspective, which is a very odd choice for a tale of a suicide bomber and jihadist. How could Osama be telling the tale right up to the final moment? It makes no sense.
The book is in four parts, as far as the plot is concerned. We are in a near future. The opening segment shows a cold blooded young man from the "Caliphate" being sent to Paris to spy on other agents already there. His baptism into Western culture and decadence is very well done, and the entire Paris segment is highly readable, if not enjoyable due to the subject matter.
Having caused mayhem in Paris, Osama is forced to flee Europe. He makes his way to Mecca, and takes part in the Hadj. Again, this segment of the book is a highlight, as we get a really up close and personal look at Mecca during the largest and most important religious experience in the world. Since this is an event that infidels like me will never experience, I applaud the writer for giving me the next best thing.
The third part of the book begins the decline of the narrative, as we are now led to Nigeria, where a war is taking place between the Muslim part of the county, and the breakaway Christian segment. The Americans are supporting the Christians, but are only interested in the oil. Osama fights as a jihadist there. This entire section, while well written, would have been better off as a separate book. It's just too long, not that interesting, and about 150 pages later we find out that the war and Osama's part in it has all been for nothing. Not only that, but we find out again and again that the Americans do not hate the Muslims at all; they just want the oil. In my opinion, the entire Nigerian episode could have been summed up by the character in one modest chapter.
The final part of the book takes us back to Mecca and vicinity, as America moves in to capture oil interests, and the Caliphate finds itself out gunned and out manoeuvred. Jihadists are called in from around the world to fight the Great Satan. Osama remains undercover for the last segment, as he tries to find out his purpose in life. Again, we are led nowhere for page after page, and this segment could have easily been shortened.
It's interesting how America has become the symbol of Satan for Islamists, when Russia and China are much worse enemies to Islam. Spinrad runs with it, too, demonizing America and making it appear much worse in this book than it ever would be. And he continually makes whatever appears in Osama's head to seem to come directly from Allah. Any thought at all. This may be true for some misguided followers, but it begins to grow very weary after a time, watching a man with no self direction. When we finally get to the point where it seems that "Allah" is telling him to explode a nuclear device in Mecca, and make it seem as if the Americans did it without cause, we have been driven off the deep end. No doubt Spinrad's point about listening to Allah goes zooming over the heads of not only potential terrorists, but average American readers, too. The only way for Islam to survive, it would seem, is to do something so unholy (in the name of God) that the brotherhood (there is no sisterhood in Islam) would unite worldwide, and overthrow all infidels at last.
But what would be left? We are never told. Would it be the Caliphate's version of Islam, with its secret police and stark and lifeless form of medieval existence, far short of humanity's potential? Or would it be the version we experienced in Paris, with Muslims drinking alcohol and living decadent lives. Wouldn't the next war be Muslims against themselves, trying to figue out who has the real version of religion?
Which brings up a final point, not once mentioned in the book. Muslims kill more Muslims than anyone else. I'm not talking about street crime, but of wars. Where, in reality, is this brotherhood we hear so much about? Like Christianity, there are simply too many factions, too many interpretations, too many followers to remain a brotherhood for long. Suppose Osama achieved his goal, and all believers overthrew Western countries, and made everyone a Muslim. Would that solve the problem? I think not. The next war would begin again, Muslim versus Muslim.
In conclusion, I really don't think Spinrad knew what the hell he was doing in this book. Whether the book causes more damage to society by inspiring some lunatic to do as the character in the book does remains to be seen. I recommend the first two parts of the book. The Paris section goes a long way to explain the situation in France, and the first Mecca visit, to the Hadj, is also required reading. But the rest is just a nearly aimless wandering, page after page, as if the author was being paid by the word. Or perhaps the author thinks his writing comes from above, and that not a word should be skipped over.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 20th/20
Another interesting concept by the author, but, as usual for him, the book is way too long and bloated, and ends up wandering aimlessly for far too long. Written in 2007 but not published until 2016, after being refused by all major publishing houses, it was finally released. Various page counts put it at 288 pages up to 450 pages. As it took me five days to read it, flat out, I would go for the 450 pages, making it about 200 pages too long.
Spinrad chose to write the book from a first person perspective, which is a very odd choice for a tale of a suicide bomber and jihadist. How could Osama be telling the tale right up to the final moment? It makes no sense.
The book is in four parts, as far as the plot is concerned. We are in a near future. The opening segment shows a cold blooded young man from the "Caliphate" being sent to Paris to spy on other agents already there. His baptism into Western culture and decadence is very well done, and the entire Paris segment is highly readable, if not enjoyable due to the subject matter.
Having caused mayhem in Paris, Osama is forced to flee Europe. He makes his way to Mecca, and takes part in the Hadj. Again, this segment of the book is a highlight, as we get a really up close and personal look at Mecca during the largest and most important religious experience in the world. Since this is an event that infidels like me will never experience, I applaud the writer for giving me the next best thing.
The third part of the book begins the decline of the narrative, as we are now led to Nigeria, where a war is taking place between the Muslim part of the county, and the breakaway Christian segment. The Americans are supporting the Christians, but are only interested in the oil. Osama fights as a jihadist there. This entire section, while well written, would have been better off as a separate book. It's just too long, not that interesting, and about 150 pages later we find out that the war and Osama's part in it has all been for nothing. Not only that, but we find out again and again that the Americans do not hate the Muslims at all; they just want the oil. In my opinion, the entire Nigerian episode could have been summed up by the character in one modest chapter.
The final part of the book takes us back to Mecca and vicinity, as America moves in to capture oil interests, and the Caliphate finds itself out gunned and out manoeuvred. Jihadists are called in from around the world to fight the Great Satan. Osama remains undercover for the last segment, as he tries to find out his purpose in life. Again, we are led nowhere for page after page, and this segment could have easily been shortened.
It's interesting how America has become the symbol of Satan for Islamists, when Russia and China are much worse enemies to Islam. Spinrad runs with it, too, demonizing America and making it appear much worse in this book than it ever would be. And he continually makes whatever appears in Osama's head to seem to come directly from Allah. Any thought at all. This may be true for some misguided followers, but it begins to grow very weary after a time, watching a man with no self direction. When we finally get to the point where it seems that "Allah" is telling him to explode a nuclear device in Mecca, and make it seem as if the Americans did it without cause, we have been driven off the deep end. No doubt Spinrad's point about listening to Allah goes zooming over the heads of not only potential terrorists, but average American readers, too. The only way for Islam to survive, it would seem, is to do something so unholy (in the name of God) that the brotherhood (there is no sisterhood in Islam) would unite worldwide, and overthrow all infidels at last.
But what would be left? We are never told. Would it be the Caliphate's version of Islam, with its secret police and stark and lifeless form of medieval existence, far short of humanity's potential? Or would it be the version we experienced in Paris, with Muslims drinking alcohol and living decadent lives. Wouldn't the next war be Muslims against themselves, trying to figue out who has the real version of religion?
Which brings up a final point, not once mentioned in the book. Muslims kill more Muslims than anyone else. I'm not talking about street crime, but of wars. Where, in reality, is this brotherhood we hear so much about? Like Christianity, there are simply too many factions, too many interpretations, too many followers to remain a brotherhood for long. Suppose Osama achieved his goal, and all believers overthrew Western countries, and made everyone a Muslim. Would that solve the problem? I think not. The next war would begin again, Muslim versus Muslim.
In conclusion, I really don't think Spinrad knew what the hell he was doing in this book. Whether the book causes more damage to society by inspiring some lunatic to do as the character in the book does remains to be seen. I recommend the first two parts of the book. The Paris section goes a long way to explain the situation in France, and the first Mecca visit, to the Hadj, is also required reading. But the rest is just a nearly aimless wandering, page after page, as if the author was being paid by the word. Or perhaps the author thinks his writing comes from above, and that not a word should be skipped over.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 20th/20
THE PEOPLE'S POLICE
I read the Kindle edition.
From 2017 comes Spinrad's latest novel, a modest 271 pages. It concerns the city of New Orleans, and how the city comes to make peace between the Mardi Gras revellers and the local police. It is a fantasy and gets itself tied up in local and state politics, along with voodoo.
Keeping the length down to a reasonable page count made reading this novel much more of a pleasure than the author's much longer ones. It did not get sidetracked with minor characters, with the focus remaining on one policeman and one saloon/brothel owner. There are any number of minor characters, all fully fleshed out and given important roles to play. Overall, the story is readable and enjoyable, quite funny in places, and shockingly violent only once.
Spinrad seems to have a very good understanding of not only New Orleans and how it operates, but also the state of Louisiana. He also seems to know a lot about police unions. The story is silly, about a young woman who becomes a "horse", or home base, for several voodoo spirits, and ends up being the governor of the state. The mix of voodoo, local politics, and comedy and drama work well overall. Published when the author was 77, it shows that he can still produce readable fiction.
The only downside is that the book really goes nowhere with its plot. In earlier fiction the author tackled major topics such as Nazis, global warming, and cult religions. If Spinrad is really advocating "no victim no crime," then I wish him well with that. Imagine if crowds of people could be trusted to that extent. It would truly be a wonderful world. The truth, as usual, lies somewhere between the ranting Republicans who wish to establish martial law and send in the national guard, and Spinrad's vision of police partying alongside the Mardi Gras crowds. Which is probably what cities with major festivals have anyway. And if he really thinks that housing foreclosures would be ignored by any law agency, I also wish him well with that, too.
Keeping in mind that the book is fantasy, it can still be a fun read and a nice break from serious political drama. Just don't take it too seriously, or expect any of its nice ideas to bear a lot of fruit.
*** stars. Reviewed May 11th/20
Page proof read March 31st, 2019
Mapman Mike
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