Scroll down for a recent review of "Detroit Massacre", reviewed December 6th/24. 68 books reviewed by Malzberg, some with coauthor Bill Pronzini, in this segment, and one other (Ace Double) by John Rackham.
REVELATIONS
Cover art by Michael Presley (uncredited). My copy is autographed!
Equinox printing March, 1977.
Equinox printing March, 1977.
Only one more book to go!
I read the Kindle edition. 
A very recent release! I read the Kindle version.
**** stars. Reviewed August 6th/19
Barry Malzberg is an American writer, mostly of SF, who was born in 1939. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1960. He wrote under many pseudonyms, especially his erotic novels. He has been very prolific, and it will be a challenge to read most of his oeuvre. He continues to live in New Jersey.
Revelations was written in 1971, and is 140 pages long. The Equinox edition contains an afterword by the author written in April, 1976, raising the total page count to 152. This is a very different kind of novel from those previously published in the Equinox series, and I am a bit surprised that it was chosen at all. At first glance, Revelations isn't even a true SF story, though a main thread does revolve around the 29th astronaut to walk on the moon, presumably sometime in the 1970s. The hero is not this astronaut, however, but the man who recommends him for the TV talk show "Revelations". Hurwitz is the real focus of the story, the person who is subservient to the TV interviewer Marvin Martin. The plot is very thin; the astronaut Walter Monaghan is coming apart at the seams, and he wants to be on the popular TV show and expose all of the corruption regarding the flawed and failed space agency to the world at large. That's basically it.
The story was lifted directly from E C Tubb's short story called Sense of Proportion, written in 1958 and published in his collection called Ten From Tomorrow (republished more recently as 12 From Tomorrow). Tubb's TV show was called Resurrection. No other review of this book mentions this fact.
Before we go any further, I wish to discuss Orson Welles. Welles made some of the finest movies ever to grace the big screen. The list is long, but I will mention only a few: Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Journey Into Fear, The Lady From Shanghai, Touch of Evil, and the film he thought was his greatest one, The Trial. The Trial was based on a story by Franz Kafka, and it is a truly bizarre but fabulous film. As soon as I began reading Revelations, the large character Hurwitz reminded me of Orson Welles, who starred in The Trial, and the story even began to resemble that film and Kafka's tale somewhat.
Revelations belongs in the "literature" section of a library, and not in the SF section. But here we are, so I must continue. Rather than review the book, which has its moments, I wish to review Malzberg's attitude to the American space program. He feels strongly (see his Afterword to the Equinox edition) that the program was ruined by bureaucracy and the militarized training of the astronauts. It is certainly true that several astronauts who did visit the moon, or orbit it, developed mental health problems, or at least experienced a total change of personality. There are likely many reasons for this, but I wish to forward my own reason: humans do not belong in space. Remember, I love SF, and as a kid the thought of going into space was often uppermost in my mind. But my mind has changed.
Very few people could withstand a year in Antarctica without going slightly crazy. And believe me when I say that a year in Antarctica is like a picnic at a great National Park compared to a long journey in space. Combined with a visit to a hostile planet such as Mars, I don't see anyone returning from such a voyage staying remotely sane, or even being close to the same person that left. If there were issues going to the moon for a few days, just imagine the effects of a long space voyage. Forget Star Trek, and certainly forget Star Wars. If the 80s, 90s, and 2000s have taught us anything about space travel, it's that robots are the best we are going to do. And we have done pretty well by them, too. A moon base for humans? Why? Mars? Why? I think what ruined the space program is a very complex issue. Money, for one. The Void, for another. How many people are ready, or can be trained, to encounter nothingness? It took the Buddha a few years to prepare, and we aren't too sure how he is managing. The ISS orbiting the Earth is not the same as deep space. For one thing, they have an escape pod ready to launch in a dire emergency. What do you do halfway to Mars during a dire emergency?
Anyway, the book isn't even really about the moon, since the astronaut who wants to appear on the TV show hasn't even been there. The novel is mostly about three men slowly going crazy, and how they manage their lives as a result (very poorly). On one level I found the book quite fascinating, and kept reading because I thought that some major truth or revelation would be forthcoming. But the joke is on us. Just as the human space program died a quick and painful death, so this story just sort of goes away, too. We are left wondering what it is we have just read, and why. Malzberg answers no important questions, gives the reader a hard time (much of the book is like a very long, tedious dream from which we cannot awaken), and ends up by copping out with a far-fetched, very clumsy CIA plot to put an end to the TV program once and for all.
I will press on (for now) with more Malzberg, but he and I are not off to a good start. Read at your own risk. Lovers of literature may like this more than SF readers. I love both, but find this a difficult book to recommend.
** stars. Reviewed February 4th/19
I read the Kindle edition.
ORACLE OF THE THOUSAND HANDS
Cover design by Alise Koylan
From 1968 comes this bizarre little novel, running for 216 pages. I wouldn't call it a pornographic book, though many would do so. It certainly has eroticism at its heart, though a different kind than most people would sanction in an adult. A mysterious writer helps a man with his biography, which is basically his sexual history as it relates to his obsession with masturbation. D'Arcy, the one whose history is being recorded for posterity by his scribe friend, never really makes the connection between women and sex. Rather, it is the glossy girly magazines that he associates with his sexual release--not even the women depicted, but mostly just the look and feel of the magazines themselves.
The one writing the biography, we eventually learn, is institutionalized, and has been for nearly 18 years. And of course we learn that D'Arcy and the writer are one and the same. Though there is certainly a lot of humour in the proceedings, after a while we realize that we are laughing at a murderous psycho. That tends to the spoil the joke pretty quickly, and the book becomes even more disturbing.
Malzberg is continually interested in probing around the minds of psychopaths and just plain crazy folk, and here he has a field day relating the sexual history of D'Arcy, and the mind that remains afterwards, as his biographer. While D'Arcy's character is certainly exaggerated and not totally believable, it is very easy to believe that sexual arousal, and what form it will take when a man grows up, forms early in puberty. Marie-Jean's fatal mistake was forcing D'Arcy to confront his problem at a crucial instant during their copulation. He could never face up to the truth about his masturbation, because he never really understood it. D'Arcy was more animal than human, but even knowing this, it is difficult to sympathize with him and his actions. Malzberg tests his readers' limits with this character, hoping that our fascination with him will overcome our scepticism that such a character could ever exist.
I can safely say that this is not a book I will ever reread. However, once read it is not likely to be forgotten. It has its moments, once we begin to figure things out. And I did laugh quite a bit, for the first third of the novel or so. Published by the same company that produced Nabokov's Lolita, and the novel Candy, it is sexually provocative and very daring writing. But if you're looking for the sexual thrills of a Cassanova, please look elsewhere. This book is not smut, but an experiment in honest writing that perhaps could have been left in manuscript form. Be warned.
*** stars. Reviewed December 28th/19
The one writing the biography, we eventually learn, is institutionalized, and has been for nearly 18 years. And of course we learn that D'Arcy and the writer are one and the same. Though there is certainly a lot of humour in the proceedings, after a while we realize that we are laughing at a murderous psycho. That tends to the spoil the joke pretty quickly, and the book becomes even more disturbing.
Malzberg is continually interested in probing around the minds of psychopaths and just plain crazy folk, and here he has a field day relating the sexual history of D'Arcy, and the mind that remains afterwards, as his biographer. While D'Arcy's character is certainly exaggerated and not totally believable, it is very easy to believe that sexual arousal, and what form it will take when a man grows up, forms early in puberty. Marie-Jean's fatal mistake was forcing D'Arcy to confront his problem at a crucial instant during their copulation. He could never face up to the truth about his masturbation, because he never really understood it. D'Arcy was more animal than human, but even knowing this, it is difficult to sympathize with him and his actions. Malzberg tests his readers' limits with this character, hoping that our fascination with him will overcome our scepticism that such a character could ever exist.
I can safely say that this is not a book I will ever reread. However, once read it is not likely to be forgotten. It has its moments, once we begin to figure things out. And I did laugh quite a bit, for the first third of the novel or so. Published by the same company that produced Nabokov's Lolita, and the novel Candy, it is sexually provocative and very daring writing. But if you're looking for the sexual thrills of a Cassanova, please look elsewhere. This book is not smut, but an experiment in honest writing that perhaps could have been left in manuscript form. Be warned.
*** stars. Reviewed December 28th/19
SCREEN
I read the Kindle edition.
From 1968 comes another bizarre tale, this one being 188 pages. It has an afterword by the author, written especially for this brand new edition (2020). Concerned a lot with sex, it is not a porno book. The idea came from the publisher back in the day. The publisher put out porno novels, but Malzberg's two contributions were part of a new series, a literary one, that had sex in them a lot. So while this story (not SF) has a lot of sex in it, and was banned in the UK for a long time, it is definitely not something one would read to get sexually excited. At least I hope not.
Martin Miller is a single male, 25 years old, and about to be fired from his job at the NYC welfare office as a social investigator. He hates his job, and mostly doesn't do it. His boss is leaning on him to quit before he is fired, and his sort of girlfriend, Barbara, just wants him to grow up and become a man. Martin seems to be stuck in his adolescent phase.
What Martin does a lot is go to movies, American and foreign. He prefers a nearly empty theatre, and no sooner does the movie start than his gift takes over. He is able to enter a different world, unrelated to the actual movie being shown, and carries on affairs with some very high power female stars. He himself becomes Marcello Mastrianni, and in his world he is married to Sophia Loren. But he is tired of Sophia, and though they continue to have sex, they mostly argue. At a party (all of this is in his head as he sits through multiple showings on the film being presented), he meets Elizabeth Taylor. They leave the party together to go and make love in a rented room.
Martin also carries on with Brigitte Bardot, and many others. He has been doing this sort of thing since he was about 16. Even when having casual sex with Barbara, he is off to his cinema world as they make out. She tries to bring him back to Earth, but he is hopelessly lost. Will Martin ever escape his fantasy life, and get more rooted in the real world? A disastrous afternoon at the racetrack sets him into a downward spiral, that continues until the very last line of the book,which, in Malzberg's essay, he says is the best line he ever wrote.
The most enjoyable parts of the book are when Martin is immersed in one of his fantasies. Other parts are painful to read, because it is obvious that Martin is only happy when elsewhere. However, even his fantasies are becoming mundane and argumentative, and the ladies are beginning to haunt him, as he struggles with himself having to face the real world. This is a very unique novel, one which movie lovers might enjoy more than others.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed August 18th/20
FIRE
From 1968 comes this 95 page novel about a Vietnam War vet returning to the US after being discharged for immoral behaviour. He was caught with a prostitute, and interrupted at a very crucial moment. Once back home, this failure to complete the act haunts him. His fiancee wants nothing to do with him any more, and a two couple party set up by a friend and coworker turns into a relationship disaster. He is ultimately rescued from himself by a young prostitute, but scars from his time in Vietnam remain with him.
Like many pulp writers at the time, Malzberg wrote soft core pornography to earn a living, while trying to get more literate works published. But many of this soft core books, published under various pseudonymes, are more literary than many straight literary books. This one was certainly ahead of its time in many ways, and someone looking for cheap thrills would be rather disappointed in much of Malzberg's writing in this style. Which is why a lot of it is being reexamined today and republished.
Malzberg wrote a 2020 intro to this double volume, as well as an afterword for each story.
*** stars. Reviewed June 9th/23
MACHINE
This short novel from 1969 is about 65 pages long (35,000 words). It's another soft core porn novel with a heavy dose of Malzberg thrown in. Malzberg's characters are usually small time men who are big losers. "Mike" is no different. He invests heavily in a pinball parlour in Syracuse, New York, only to be raided by the cops and have his machines destroyed (based on real incidents in New York city in the 1940s. Heavily in debt, at age 37 it was his last chance to make ago of things. He's been sleeping with a university girl, and his ex wife from ten years ago appears on the scene and wants him back.
Mike is telling his story in a city bar to someone buying him drinks. Though the book has its fair share of sex scenes, mostly focused on Mike's breast obsession, it also has its fair share of vibrant storytelling and biting psychology. Obviously much more than a sex novel, this is another of such stories by Malzberg (using a different name at the time) that can be easily elevated to quite good literature. Not to be missed by Malzberg fans (are there any out there besides me?).
*** stars. Reviewed July 9th/23
FINAL WAR AND OTHER FANTASIES
Unsettling cover art by Panos Koutrouboussis.
Frontispiece by Gray Morrow.
Frontispiece by Gray Morrow.
Published in 1969, 11 stories were published as one half of an Ace Double. There is a lead-in introduction by the author, as well as very short intros to each story.
Final War is from 1965, and is 32 pages. Written the same year as Harry Harrison's Bill The Galactic Hero (one of the Avon/Equinox SF Rediscovery novels), Malzberg dedicates this collection to Harrison. Written much in the same absurdist vein as that novel, this novelette purportedly came close to winning a Hugo. I, for one, am glad it didn't. For one thing, it isn't SF, and for another, the type of writing and humour involved does not have mass appeal, if that counts for anything. I quickly got bored with the thing, and like a bad nightmare was just wishing it would end. A soldier caught up in a useless and endless war asks for leave. He is insane, the new captain is insane, and the poor sergeant who has to deal with both of them soon goes insane. Who would read this twice?
** stars. Reviewed July 15th/20
** stars. Reviewed July 15th/20
Death To The Keeper is from 1968 or 1969, and is 22 pages long. Virtually every lead character Malzberg writes about is insane. Not SF, this story concerns a Christ-like figure trying to end the guilt of Americans over the death of JFK by killing himself on live TV. Chilling.
*** stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
*** stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
A Triptych is from 1969, and is 7 pages long. The beginnings of the author's novel Beyond Apollo (see below) are here, as three men in a lunar space capsule contemplate life if the retro rockets fail.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
How I Take Their Measure is from 1969, and is 6 pages long. A social investigator for the NYC welfare department screens a new applicant. Harsh and bitter. Not SF.
*** stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
*** stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
Oaten is from 1968, and is 9 pages long. One of the very few actual SF stories the author ever wrote, it is an apparent parody of a typical Astounding story from back in the day. Told through communiques between a scout sent to observe aliens and his headquarters star ship. Quite enjoyable.
*** stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
*** stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
The Ascension is from 1967, and is 5 pages long. Written just before Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, Malzberg gives a moody story that seems to fit Nixon much better.
*** stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
*** stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
The Major Incitement To Riot is from 1968, and is 6 pages long. Not SF, but could easily fit the bill. Assassinations and enormous masks provide a dream-like state throughout this serious tale of a troubled young man's leap into adulthood.
*** stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
*** stars. Reviewed July 16th/20
Cop Out is from 1967, and is 10 pages long. This is a pretty strange story, even for this collection. Two reenactment employees (actors?) are lured into a fatal publicity trap.
** stars. Reviewed July 17th/20
** stars. Reviewed July 17th/20
We're Coming Through The Window is from 1966, and is 3 pages long. This is quite a funny story, about a writer desperate to sell his very unique time travel story.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed July 17th/20
The Market In Aliens is undated, and is 5 pages long. With the market saturated, it's getting harder and harder to sell a good alien. Also an unintentional story about trying to sell a good story.
*** stars. Reviewed July 17th/20
By Right Of Succession is undated, and is 6 pages long. The President undergoes a gruelling ritual in order to keep fit for the job.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed July 17th/20
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed July 17th/20
The Market In Aliens is undated, and is 5 pages long. With the market saturated, it's getting harder and harder to sell a good alien. Also an unintentional story about trying to sell a good story.
*** stars. Reviewed July 17th/20
By Right Of Succession is undated, and is 6 pages long. The President undergoes a gruelling ritual in order to keep fit for the job.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed July 17th/20
TREASURE OF TAU CETI
Stunning cover art by Kelly Freas.
From 1969 comes this fine planetary adventure, lasting for 134 pages. This is the third Rackham novel I have encountered on the flip side of Ace Doubles while collecting books by Avon/Equinox authors. Rackham is very accomplished writer, and in some ways his stories are similar to ones by P. J. Farmer. However, Rackham's writing is more measured and less frenetic than Farmer, and he seems better able to pace himself. Though the ending to this story is abrupt, there are no loose ends and it concludes in a highly satisfactory manner.
Three adventurers, two males and one mostly unclothed and very shapely female (sigh; well, at least there is a female lead character, and a pretty tough one, too), land on a distant planet seeking long lost treasure. Their expedition is planned carefully, they have adventures along the way, and the journey itself to the tropical island they are seeking is fraught with danger. Once on the treasure island, a long time is spent figuring out how to gain the treasure, which is well hidden and protected, both by natural means and man made ones. On top of this, the bad guy is also there at the same time, trying to get the treasure for himself.
This has all the makings of a great pulp planetary adventure, and the author succeeds admirably. By including a female who is up for any danger, and can handle herself well in most situations, the author is light years ahead of his day in this field. She does wear some clothes for a short time in the story, but as we all know now, most women will be virtually naked in the future. A fun read, perhaps even for females.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed July 20th/20
Three adventurers, two males and one mostly unclothed and very shapely female (sigh; well, at least there is a female lead character, and a pretty tough one, too), land on a distant planet seeking long lost treasure. Their expedition is planned carefully, they have adventures along the way, and the journey itself to the tropical island they are seeking is fraught with danger. Once on the treasure island, a long time is spent figuring out how to gain the treasure, which is well hidden and protected, both by natural means and man made ones. On top of this, the bad guy is also there at the same time, trying to get the treasure for himself.
This has all the makings of a great pulp planetary adventure, and the author succeeds admirably. By including a female who is up for any danger, and can handle herself well in most situations, the author is light years ahead of his day in this field. She does wear some clothes for a short time in the story, but as we all know now, most women will be virtually naked in the future. A fun read, perhaps even for females.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed July 20th/20
THE EMPTY PEOPLE
Another less than thrilling e-book cover. Cheapskates.
After reading this 159 page novel from 1969, I am now 1 for 3 with Mr. Malzberg. Have you ever wondered what it might be like to go mad? Or to have an inoperable brain cancer? Well, neither have I. But apparently this author has given it some thought. It makes for pretty fascinating reading, even if the reader doesn't really know what is going on most of the time. There is probably nothing more fascinating, or more frightening, than a brain that is seriously deranged. It's bad enough dealing with people from day to day whose brain is functioning more or less normally; add a deep psychosis and stand back and watch the fun. Which is what we get to do in this short novel.
My first, and to date best, encounter with this theme is The Bridge, a novel by Iain Banks. A man with a damaged brain from an accident lies in hospital and goes through a series of visions that stretch the limits of storytelling to the maximum. If you found Malzberg's story fascinating, you must check out this one by Banks.
Four characters seem to inhabit this tale of woe. James Archer thinks he has been going crazy, but discovers too late that he has a massive and embedded tumour in his brain. He is going to die soon, and nothing can be done. Enter a doctor from Switzerland who ends up scooping out most of Archer's brain, leaving a barely living something in the hospital bed. Archer's wife Della gives her side of the story, and either she goes mad, too, or Archer is giving us his version of what his wife must be going through.
On the very first page she is kidnapped by aliens and held prisoner, along with a male poet. They are eventually given instructions on fulfilling a task, and find themselves in an unpopulated New York City. The poet is chasing Della, and she is searching for another man. While I found most of the book interesting and readable, the New York parts were the best. I have no doubt that Iain Banks read this work at some point, and many parts of Malzberg's tale give strong reminders of Banks' story.
We do find out what really happens by the end of the story, and the author even includes an epilogue as an afterthought, perhaps requested by his editor. What remains unclear is how many actual characters there are. I think there are only two, Della and her husband. She is driven off the deep end by her husband's condition, especially after the Swiss doctor performs his surgery, at her insistence. We follow his demise right up to the surgery, and even a bit beyond. It's a very strange adventure, and the book's relationship to SF is based only on Della's hallucinations. There are no aliens invading Earth, other than the ones that can get inside your head and create havoc. This was a good read, and my faith in Malzberg has increased.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 12th, 2019
DWELLERS OF THE DEEP
I read the Kindle edition.
Published as one half of an Ace Double in 1970, that version ran 113 pages. Malzberg used many different pen names when he wrote, and it was only when the Kindle book was published in 2011 that his correct name was attached.
Original Ace edition.
Cover art by Jack Gaughan.
Most people who read a book and then see a movie version of it prefer the book. This is one of many older stories that would make a fabulous movie, and could easily surpass the book. The plot concerns one Iziniess Fox, a collector of SF pulp magazines. He reads them religiously, but does not consider himself a fan of them. Rather, he keeps to himself in his apartment, spends all of his disposable income on acquiring old magazines, and loves to just sit amongst his collection.
However, he is soon bothered by aliens, who keep kidnapping him and bringing him to their spaceship. They want his assistance in conquering the Earth (for its own good, as things are rapidly going downhill with the human race), but he is reluctant to help them. He resists, and it causes a great deal of stress amongst the aliens, especially their Arch-Leader. He needs to get Fox's cooperation in order to receive a promotion. The aliens use persuasion to try and win him over, but to no avail. The one time they do resort to torture, Fox thinks he can handle it because it is only psychological torture. He soon finds out otherwise.
The novel is quite funny, especially in its depiction of warring factions of pulp SF fans. Fox has allies. Susan lives in his building and often drops by to read his magazines. Stuart sells Fox the magazines from his shop, and they get to know one another, too. Susan listens to Fox when he finally tells her what is going on, and she offers to help him work things out. She tries to seduce him, but the aliens intervene, at least the first time. The second time is more successful.
It is amusing to read this story and realize that Ace published it. Of course by 1970 most SF magazines were long dead, but people still did (and do) collect them. And SF fans can be rather factious, too. Just think of Star Wars versus Star Trek and you will get some idea of this. I thought that the book could have been considerably more outrageous and funny, but Malzberg seems to treat everyone respectfully. There are certain similarities between this story and The Empty People (see above), but they are really quite different. As I said earlier, I think a fantastic movie could be made from this story.
Of course the aliens are real and not imagined, and Fox is eventually won over to their side in a Kafkaesque scene with a 400 pound Miles Graffanitis convincing Fox that it is the right thing to do. The book is a bit hefty on the bizarre side of things, but makes for a very different and fun novel to read.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 1st/19
The novel is quite funny, especially in its depiction of warring factions of pulp SF fans. Fox has allies. Susan lives in his building and often drops by to read his magazines. Stuart sells Fox the magazines from his shop, and they get to know one another, too. Susan listens to Fox when he finally tells her what is going on, and she offers to help him work things out. She tries to seduce him, but the aliens intervene, at least the first time. The second time is more successful.
It is amusing to read this story and realize that Ace published it. Of course by 1970 most SF magazines were long dead, but people still did (and do) collect them. And SF fans can be rather factious, too. Just think of Star Wars versus Star Trek and you will get some idea of this. I thought that the book could have been considerably more outrageous and funny, but Malzberg seems to treat everyone respectfully. There are certain similarities between this story and The Empty People (see above), but they are really quite different. As I said earlier, I think a fantastic movie could be made from this story.
Of course the aliens are real and not imagined, and Fox is eventually won over to their side in a Kafkaesque scene with a 400 pound Miles Graffanitis convincing Fox that it is the right thing to do. The book is a bit hefty on the bizarre side of things, but makes for a very different and fun novel to read.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 1st/19
MALZBERG AT LARGE
Cover art by Bob Adragnal
Published in 1979, this 259 page volume contains one novel and 5 stories. The author offers a general introduction, and a brief intro to each of the offerings. The novel and two stories have already been read and reviewed on this page.
Dwellers of the Deep is a novel from 1970, previously discussed above.
The Final War is a novelette. See Final War and Other Fantasies, above.
Death To the Keeper is a novelette. See Final War and Other Fantasies, above.
Gehenna is from 1971, and is 8 pages long. It has been called Malzberg's Rashomon. A very brief and tragic love story is told from 3 different perspectives, with a coda. Interesting story telling.
*** stars. Reviewed August 17th/22
Notes Just Prior to the Fall is from 1970, and is 18 pages long. A brilliant short story that was to become the opening chapter of the novel Overlay. The short intro explains a lot about the author's horse racing stories.
**** stars. Reviewed August 17th/22
A Soul Song to the Sad, Silly, Soaring Sixties is from 1971, and is 7 pages long. This little story sums up so much of Malzberg's writing. Very powerful. If you have no time or patience to read any of his assassination novels, this story would be a good substitute.
**** stars. Reviewed August 17th/22
UNIVERSE DAY
I read the Kindle version.
From 1970 comes this depressing but highly readable account of a different perspective on human space flight. My version ran for 160 pages, though I wish it had been longer. Still, the author said everything he wanted to, many different ways. Essentially humans are not built for space travel or exploring other planets. It would seem that NASA figured this out just a little after Malzberg, as there has not been any manned flights to other worlds since the early 70s.
Instead, robots have taken on the tasks instead, and have been doing a very fine job of it. Orbiting the Earth in an artificial satellite is one thing; traipsing around the Moon and Mars is quite another set of problems. And not just technical ones. Malzberg is convinced that once we leave the home planet, we become less human. Here are two similar quotes from the book that I like:
"The further we go the more limited we become." And
"The further we go the less we are."
I would whole-heartedly agree with these statements, Star Trek episodes not withstanding. Humans have evolved to live on our own planet. Even so, Earth can be a very hostile environment, without any aid from humans. However, compared to Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, Earth is a picnic ground. The more we wrap ourselves in technology--space suits, livable domes, space ships--the less we can do on our own. Which is why Earth is best for us, allowing us, if desired, to reach our full potential. What would be our full potential on a Moon or Mars base? We would be spending most of the time maintaining the life support system, growing food, obtaining water. In other words, we would be living even worse than primitive humans, focusing all of our resources into survival. And why? To prove we can do it. Big deal. Why climb Everest? To see if I can do it. Big deal.
As Malzberg says repeatedly, it is the journey inward that really matters, not the journey outward. So very few people realize this essential fact--that exploring who and what they are is much more important than anything else in their lives--that humanity will never know what to do once external boundaries are realized. No true progress can be made without contemplation and realization of self, no matter how many planets we attempt to send humans.
As Malzberg says repeatedly, it is the journey inward that really matters, not the journey outward. So very few people realize this essential fact--that exploring who and what they are is much more important than anything else in their lives--that humanity will never know what to do once external boundaries are realized. No true progress can be made without contemplation and realization of self, no matter how many planets we attempt to send humans.
In other sections of the novel, which is really a series of short stories, Malzberg explores what happens to human minds when they are faced with isolation, or living with the same very few people every day in small, confined spaces, and knowing there is no escape plan if something serious goes wrong. Apollo 13 taught us some very good lessons, and they were eventually heeded.
The novel begins with a humourous piece of fiction that not only pokes fun at the pulp SF industry, but at the way humans might react if they successfully conquered other planets. Then the stories change over to more realistic versions of what might happen. The most devastating story of them all is called "Interview with an Astronaut," and would upset a lot of SF readers. I found it refreshing, reminding us that astronauts were physically prepared for their dangerous missions, but woefully unprepared psychologically. And whatever did happen to all those astronauts in training when the Apollo missions were suddenly shut down, seemingly forever?
A highly recommended book, though somewhat painful to those who hope that the days of the star ship Enterprise are just around the corner. Good for Malzberg for being that lonely voice in the wilderness of SF.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 18th/19
The novel begins with a humourous piece of fiction that not only pokes fun at the pulp SF industry, but at the way humans might react if they successfully conquered other planets. Then the stories change over to more realistic versions of what might happen. The most devastating story of them all is called "Interview with an Astronaut," and would upset a lot of SF readers. I found it refreshing, reminding us that astronauts were physically prepared for their dangerous missions, but woefully unprepared psychologically. And whatever did happen to all those astronauts in training when the Apollo missions were suddenly shut down, seemingly forever?
A highly recommended book, though somewhat painful to those who hope that the days of the star ship Enterprise are just around the corner. Good for Malzberg for being that lonely voice in the wilderness of SF.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 18th/19
A BED OF MONEY
Usually, Malzberg's porno novels (written under various pseudonyms) are less about sex and more about literature. This one has more graphic sex than the other two put together, but still manages to come out strongly as literature. From 1970, this 141 page novel, only recently re released, concerns a certain Mr. Foster, another in the long line of losers who devote their life to the racetrack. Malzberg's racetrack stories are incredibly detailed accounts of the psychology of players, getting so far into their heads that we end up knowing literally everything about the person involved. The author's gift for black humour is also on full display here, and Foster relives many of his past sexual experiences, besides being involved in his current round with Dolores, a woman he picked up at a bar after finally winning big at the track. She goes back to a hotel room with him, but of course has two male accomplices who soon make it clear that they want his $23,000.00 in winnings for themselves. The novel has a certain madcap keystone cops element to it, but the rapid deterioration of Foster's mind after he wins is the real story. Most people, myself included, might profess a dislike or disinterest in racetrack stories. But Malzberg, if no one else, might convince you otherwise. At least I am a full convert.
*** stars. Reviewed December 13th/23
IN MY PARENTS' BEDROOM
Written in 1971, this 125 page non SF novel was the author's way of telling some of his personal story to readers when he turned 30. And while the tale is autobiographical, it is also so much more. Rather than tell a straight forward story of what it was like growing up with his parents and sister in the 1950s and early 1960s, he takes us on a guided tour of his former apartment where they all lived. The apartment is now a National Historic Site, and the Westerfield family has become the picture postcard of a bygone era. All of the family's rooms are preserved as they were, as well as many of their personal belongings. Though Michael, as a family member, is not supposed to visit the home, he takes his girlfriend on the half day tour. There are no surviving photos of him, so he is not recognized.
The tour begins in the main living room, then proceeds to the kitchen, bathroom, and three bedrooms upstairs. By the time we finally get to the gift shop and restaurant (a totally hilarious experience), we have come to know the small tour group and guide as well as we now know the Westerfield family and how they lived. There are many priceless moments along the way, though most people who don't get Malzberg's dark humour and cast iron irony will be left thinking that the book is shallow, with too much sex.
The book was accepted by a publisher who specialized in soft core sex literature. In the afterword Malzberg is till amazed today (2020, from the afterword) that it was accepted for publication). People in 1971 who purchased this book thinking it was going to be erotic must have received a rather unpleasant surprise. There is certainly a lot of sex, and many conversations about sex, but the sex cannot be what anyone would expect (unless you have read plenty of Malzberg). In an aside, the author did write many conventional "sex" books, but this isn't one of them.
I am so happy that Malzberg is being republished today. Virtually all of his literary works are again in print and available on Kindle. I came upon this author just in time for my reading project. This particular novel had not been available again until very recently. It is a small masterpiece of storytelling, and besides showing the banality of life "back then", we read it today and ask ourselves, has anything really changed much?
**** stars. Reviewed December 13th/22
CONFESSIONS OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY
A double novel from Stark House. I read Confessions.
Malzberg wrote under no less than ten different names, and it is going to be very difficult to track down all of his appropriate (for this blog) writing. This marks the first time (2018) that Confessions appears under the author's real name. It was first published in 1971. This is not SF, but is a very good and highly recommended read. My version runs to 110 pages, but there is a lot of print on each page. There is also a short postlude by the author, written recently for this new volume. I read the portions pertaining to Confessions.
The author mentions Cheever as a big influence, and I must admit I enjoyed my brief fling with that author's novels and short stories many years ago. But this story is not like them. If anything, it is more closely related to Nabokov's Lolita, if not in theme then in narration techniques and the use of the very blackest humour I have come across since Nabokov. While some of this humour is laugh-out-loud, most of it (like Nabokov) is shudder inducing, such as Luther's visits and thoughts about the Fiend Cafe. His first murder is also quite the piece of prose. There is also a good deal of sex in the book, and some memorable vomiting.
Luther is the adopted son of a Catholic priest. He is now 45 years old, and lives with his father in the church rectory. Luther is a Don Juan character, seducing women from the local suburbs, who seem bored and fed up with their lives. He tells us that he is not really interested in the sex. Instead, he seems to get off on hearing the woman unburden themselves of their feelings post-coitus. He keeps a wordy journal up to date, and often discusses his exploits with his priestly father. We also discover that sometimes, when his father is away from the church, Luther is allowed to hear confessions from parishioners. This whole aspect of the novel would be very unsettling to most Catholics, but it is certainly a highlight of the story.
Things go well for Luther until he comes across Mrs. Lee. Mrs. Lee has her own agenda, and soon has Luther wrapped around her little finger. Once he meets and has sex with Mrs. Lee, Luther begins his long, downward spiral to hell, as it were. Getting there was never so bizarre or funny. There is no saving Luther; we know this almost from the first page of the novel, but what a fascinating journal it becomes. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. This is the third novel by Malzberg that I have totally connected with as a reader. Having read only five books by him so far, that is a pretty high average. Looking forward to many more.
Things go well for Luther until he comes across Mrs. Lee. Mrs. Lee has her own agenda, and soon has Luther wrapped around her little finger. Once he meets and has sex with Mrs. Lee, Luther begins his long, downward spiral to hell, as it were. Getting there was never so bizarre or funny. There is no saving Luther; we know this almost from the first page of the novel, but what a fascinating journal it becomes. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. This is the third novel by Malzberg that I have totally connected with as a reader. Having read only five books by him so far, that is a pretty high average. Looking forward to many more.
THE FALLING ASTRONAUTS
I read the Kindle version.
From 1971, a very prolific year for the author, comes another sideways attack on the mental health of the early astronauts, especially the Apollo ones. The novel lasts for 190 pages, and follows the events that led up to astronaut Richard Martin having a nervous breakdown while circling the moon. His two comrades are on the lunar surface during this time, and he nearly leaves them stranded there. All it would take is one push of a button.
We get the story in bits and pieces, and Malzberg has honed his writing skills to a fine point by now. His insights into mental illness and breakdowns is astounding. While nothing official ever comes from NASA about how the real astronauts coped with the stress of not only spaceflight, but the way they were treated and trained for the missions, along with what happened to their personal lives afterwards, one must read between the lines to get at the truth. These early space men were true heroes in every sense, but their training and follow up monitoring did not account for many of the troubles these men faced.
Malzberg has nothing but praise for the astronauts in his novel, and only scorn for the administration. Nothing too new there. And yet his writing is often met with hostility by some readers, accusing him of being down on human space flight (he is), pessimistic in general about human space flight (he is), and telling lies about astronauts (he doesn't).
Firstly, let me say right off that this is fiction. And really really good fiction. We know some of the real astronauts had some mental health issues as a result of being involved with the space program. Is anyone really surprised? Not me. The way these men had to live together in close quarters under very stressful conditions, with only two inches or so of steel between them and instant death, is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Malzberg's astronaut recalls incidents with Grissom, White and Carpenter, all real astronauts, and claims that admin should have foreseen his own breakdown.
And while Martin's breakdown while orbiting the moon was pretty serious, the very next mission sees an astronaut on his way to the moon have a much more violent and serious breakdown, with earth-shattering consequences. This is a great story, especially for those of us who grew up during the early human space missions. I was alive for the Sputnik launch, and saw it pass over my home in Sudbury. I was a teenage amateur astronomer during the Apollo moon missions, watching them all on TV. But I saw the interest dropping right after the 2nd landing. No one really cared anymore. Other priorities became more important, such as the Vietnam War, and the looming oil crisis. Besides, once the Russians had been beaten to the moon, there was no longer any political will to keep going back. Instead we got saddled with Skylab, and the space shuttle, and now the ISS, none of which is concerned with deep space exploration.
Malzberg obviously cares deeply about people--he is the only SF author I know of that really gets into the mind of an astronaut, and we experience his downfall as if it were a good friend of ours. This is a fascinating book, and could provide hours of discussion about the dangers of prolonged human spaceflight. It does not look promising, and I will be very surprised if this century sees a human expedition to Mars. I think we will return to the moon soon, however. We will have to wait and see if there have been any lessons learned.
*** 1/2 stars.
*** 1/2 stars.
GATHER IN THE HALL OF THE PLANETS
I read the Kindle edition. It was first published as half of an Ace Double, as by K. M. O'Donnell.
From 1971 comes this very short novel, only 121 pages. Not too many people "get" Barry Maltzberg, but once you understand his outlook and his odd but satisfying sense of humour, all is well and a wonderful author is rediscovered. In this novel I couldn't help thinking of a younger Woody Allen playing the part of Sanford Kvass, the has-been SF pulp author who attends the World SF Con in New York.
Aliens have contacted him, and he must find the alien disguised as a human, who is attending the convention. Poor Sanford. He almost has a nervous breakdown several times. Any author that can skewer himself, his colleagues, his fans, his conventions, and hotels that host them, gets an "A" in my book. The humour is very dark and spares no one and nothing. One of the funniest moments involves a hallway conversation with one of the offending aliens, who smokes a cigarette along with Sanford.
Anyone who has attended a SF Con, especially today, must realize how sad and pitiful the entire event is. But no, of course they don't! Tell a Star Wars fan or Star Trek fan that their lives must be pretty sad and humourless if they cannot laugh at themselves, and see where it gets you. Galaxy Quest, one of my favourite movies, does a great send up of Star Trek and conventions, but ends up honouring it at the same time. Malzberg's book honours nothing and no one, but still manages to make me laugh at nearly every page. If you are a SF fan, or writer, or convention organizer, and you can't laugh and have fun with this book, then I suggest that you are taking yourself just a wee bit too seriously.
**** stars. Reviewed August 11th/19
THE SPREAD
I read the Kindle version.
From 1971 comes this 157 page non-pornographic novel about the publisher of a dirty newspaper that puts out articles about sex, along with nude photos of men and women. However, it's mostly about the decline of the publisher himself, which continues until he is reduced to being a character who he always despised and looked down upon--namely, one of his own readers. The last line is one of the best last lines in literature, but of course will mean nothing until the novel has been read. But at the start of the novel he is on top of the world, making good money, his paper is successful, and he has no reason to complain.
Walter has no qualms as to how he earns his living. He has three employees under him, including Virginia, his secretary and lover. He is married, though not entirely happily, but has no intentions of leaving his wife. Instead, he keeps stringing Virginia along. When Walter's world begins to collapse, it's as if he is slowly falling into a black hole. Problems multiply and become so surmounting that we know Walter is in for a bad few years, at least. But we hardly feel sorry for him.
Walter is the worst kind of human being, and delights in making others fear him. A typical Walter move will be to hang around a newstand where his paper is sold, and wait for a buyer. Then he will confront him for purchasing "filth", and make the buyer defensive and so traumatized that he will never buy another paper. By pretending he works for the FBI or similar government agency, who is supposedly observing the perpetrator 24/7, Walter scores a triumph that he can never know within a normal relationship. He will also call up people secretly who advertise in the personals, and sometimes even visit them, pulling the same stunt. As Daffy Duck would say, "You're despicable." I won't even get into his views on homosexuals, two of whom work for him at the paper.
Walter has affairs, problems with his wife, especially when she starts going to women's lib meetings, and also runs errands for "Tony," a guy he has never met in person who helps get his papers distributed in the New York area. The errands involve going to the racetrack and placing bets as instructed. And then it all goes south. Virginia quits her job, his wife leaves him, the paper is being sued for 5 million dollars, and circulation drops drastically. Tony disappears, as does circulation. Walter is left with a blow up sex doll for a companion, though for the kind of person he is, he doesn't even deserve one of those.
The darkest humour I have ever seen in print emerges all the way through the book, but increases exponentially as things start to go wrong for Walter. The scenes where he is a member of a panel for discussions are priceless, and even these get worse and worse for him as the book goes on. Malzberg must believe strongly in "you get what you deserve," or in instant Karma, or in the most ironic of ironies. I continue to greatly enjoy reading this very off-beat author, and look forward to many more of his books.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed February 9th/20
I read the Kindle version.
Cover art by Ron Walotsky.
My poor condition copy of the novel.
Cover artist is not credited.
Cover art by Ron Walotsky. 
I read the Kindle edition.
Cover art by Jim Sharpe
Cover art by Charles Moll.
Cover art by Charles Moll.
Cover art by Charles Moll. 
Cover art by Don Punchatz.
Cover art uncredited. I read the Kindle edition. 
I read the Kindle edition.
I read the Kindle edition.
I read the Kindle edition. 
I read the Kindle version.
Cover of the original edition, by Peter Cross. 
Cover art by Stephen Fabian.
I read the Kindle edition. 
I read the Kindle edition. 
I read the Kindle edition.
Original 1978 publication. Cover art by Gary Friedman.
Cover art by Ron Wilotsky. 
Cover artist not credited.
I read the Kindle edition. No image credit given.
Cover artist not credited.
I read the Kindle edition.
I read the Kindle edition. 
Cover of the original paperback. Art by Barclay Shaw.
The volume also includes the Stone House story collection.
I read the Kindle edition.
Cover art by Charles Bernard. I read the Kindle edition.
Cover artist uncredited.
I read the Kindle edition.
I read the Kindle edition.
Cover by Stephen Hickman. 
"The Lonely Robot," by Mel Hunter.
I read the Kindle editions.
I read the Kindle editions.
I read the Kindle versions.
I read the Kindle edition.
I read the Kindle edition.
I read the Kindle edition.
BEYOND APOLLO
Cover of my Kindle edition.
From 1972 comes this 175 page novel by an author whom I have come to respect and like. It is a different kind of enjoyment one gets while reading Malzberg--very few spills and thrills, though plenty of chills. Written only one year after the Avon/Equinox book Revelations (see above), which got me into Malzberg in the first place, in many ways it seems a rewrite of that previous novel. I did not like Revelations at the time, but it will be reread at some point in the future.
Apollo seems to be written in a much clearer, and cleaner style. The plot, in short, sees one man return from a two-man mission to Venus. He is kept in an asylum until the answer is found, and most of the book is his own inner dialogue, as he tries to remember and rationalize what happened on that ill-fated voyage. The Japanese film Rashomon was a ground-breaking film, in which the director, Akira Kurosawa, has four different people relate their version of what they saw happen before and during a murder. And the stories are all completely different. What Malzberg does is even more brilliant--one fact established is that the captain of the expedition died. But how? The insane returning astronaut gives five or six differing accounts of what really happened. Which, if any, is the truth?
People who think that humans will eventually conquer space will likely hate this book. People who idolize astronauts will probably hate this book. People who like space opera will definitely hate this book. That doesn't leave many SF fans to like it. Happily, I am one who did like it, though not in the same way I would enjoy a good space opera. I don't think that Malzberg is truly against exploration of space; rather, he is writing cautionary tales of what such journeys can do to the human psyche. The book is, like most people, is a bit sex-obsessed. The subject of sex in space, or rather the lack of it has, to my knowledge, never been widely discussed or taken into account. This furthers Malzberg's assertion that astronauts are more like trained machines, rather than human beings. We all know how well that suppressing sexual urges works. Take a look at Catholic priests, for one example.
As I write this review, the world is amidst the corona virus 19 pandemic. Most people are asked to stay home. Do they? Very few could stay at home for 14 days. And home is much more large and comfortable that a space ship, on a journey that could last years (Mars and back). One would have to already be partially insane to even consider such a voyage, crammed into a very tight space with several other people, with no chance of rescue if anything goes wrong. there is no garden to walk in, no window to open for fresh air, and no chance of breathing good old Earth air, or feeling the wind on your cheek. Space travel by humans is virtually impossible. Malzberg warns of this, though very few pay heed.
**** stars. Reviewed March 23rd/20
As I write this review, the world is amidst the corona virus 19 pandemic. Most people are asked to stay home. Do they? Very few could stay at home for 14 days. And home is much more large and comfortable that a space ship, on a journey that could last years (Mars and back). One would have to already be partially insane to even consider such a voyage, crammed into a very tight space with several other people, with no chance of rescue if anything goes wrong. there is no garden to walk in, no window to open for fresh air, and no chance of breathing good old Earth air, or feeling the wind on your cheek. Space travel by humans is virtually impossible. Malzberg warns of this, though very few pay heed.
**** stars. Reviewed March 23rd/20
CINEMA (THE MASOCHIST)
From 1972 comes one of the author's almost porn novels, published at the time by a house looking to upgrade their readership. Published in 1972 under the title The Masochist, then in 1975 as Everything Happened to Susan, and finally in 2020 as Cinema. The 2nd title is the best one, as Malzberg probes the mind of a young and very beautiful 23 year old college graduate named Susan, who wants to become an actress. It is approximately 175 pages long, and includes a 2020 afterword by the author.
I would guess that most people would not get this story, finding it sexist, obtuse, and not very relevant today. I found it highly readable, very insightful, and extremely relevant to any time period, as Susan gets her acting career started by shooting a one-day porn film. She has no trouble having sex several times a day in front of a camera, and is pleased to be paid $100 for her day's work (minus $25 in deductions). Her boss, Phil, then hires her for a "really big" project, a five-day shoot, something unheard of in the porn industry. She is told that this one is an historical epic, and should even make it to mainstream screens.
Malzberg is one very funny writer, if you get on his wavelength, but his characters are always surrounded by darkness, and are usually one step up from being homeless. Most of them are already quite mad, and in this case the heroine is working towards that goal. She has a very brief affair with Timothy, with whom she lives for a short time, and then with Frank, one of the porn actors on her set. Phil always wants to bed her, and his attempts at seduction are laugh out loud funny. Of course he succeeds; anyone can sleep with Susan. We watch in horrible fascination as Susan disintegrates, gradually working towards a major nervous breakdown. While what is happening to her is certainly not very funny, the things that are going on around her are totally hilarious. The "historical epic" that she is being paid $50 a day to star in has to be one of the funniest excuses for a porn film ever imagined, and we are there, up close and personal, as it gets filmed.
I love Malzberg's writing, and this is a great novel!
**** stars. Reviewed September 23rd/20
THE HORIZONTAL WOMAN
I read the Kindle edition.
From 1973 comes this very short (119 pages) novel about a very warped young female, a social investigator, who works for the NYC welfare department. She is still a probationary worker, but already thinks she has the power to help the people with whom she deals. Her unique way of doing this is to have sex with her male subjects, hoping to improve their self esteem and allow them to escape their dependency on welfare. We are introduced to three of her subjects, a Puerto Rican man named Felipe Morales, an 18 year old black student named Willie, and a Jewish rabbi. She has sex with all three of them, some of them more than once. All three cause her great anguish and further problems, but she perseveres in her belief in her system. She thinks of herself as a social worker, though she isn't, getting this job with a simple B.A. degree. She supports her father, jobless, back in Chicago, and lives in a divey apartment because it is cheap.
She does not get along with her black supervisor, who only wants to seduce her. When he finally realizes that he will never get his way, he accuses her of racism and has her transferred. This book is very disturbing on so many levels, and, as usual, the author gets deeply inside a very troubled mind. We learn some of her background, but it's difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint where her unhealthy problems begin. She had a boyfriend who left for California; her mother died and she lived with her father before leaving for New York. Allowing men to have casual sex with her is npot a crime, unless those people are on her caseload for social assistance.
When two of the men start speaking to others about her transgressions, her world begins to unravel. The final denouement is so sudden it even catches us by surprise. Her crimes catch up to her, though she will never see them as anything but unfinished work. She does have limits, those being the old winos who live in two gentleman's hotels. Even she realizes that they cannot be saved by any means, and they are left alone. But she is certain, that, given time, she can lead many of her subjects back to the real world of jobs and a middle class existence.
In addition to getting inside the head of this misguided woman, we also get a pretty good look at how the system thinks of, and treats, the people it is there to help. No one gives a damn about them, and the department sees its only job as uncovering fraud and getting the people disqualified from receiving any income. We also get to visit some pretty crude dwellings, and even meet one of the slum landlords. His conversation with an outraged Elizabeth is quite eye-opening. Malzberg knows what he is talking about here. It will come as no surprise that the author worked as a welfare investigator in New York in the 1960s, and we can take this novel as the fruit of what he gleaned from that job.
As usual, the humour is the darkest imaginable, being almost unnecessarily brutal when dealing with Rabbi Schnitzler, a man with 13 children and another one on the way. Of course he is going to need social assistance. His seduction by Elizabeth is quite painful to read, but as soon as the act is over his guilt takes over, and one has to laugh or cry. I chose to laugh.
There is graphic sex, and the book is certainly not SF. It is gut-wrenching realism at its most comical and perverse. The book is difficult to recommend, but is not hard to read and will, I think, reward most readers with open minds, and who have a need to explore strange new worlds. This world is very strange, indeed.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed June 9th/20
THE MEN INSIDE
This 175 page novel from 1973 is a joining and expanding of two short stories written for earlier anthologies. It is a dark, grim, and very gross novel, and none of the usual humour is present. Once again we get inside the head of a madman, driven crazy by his father, a horse race fanatic, by his environment (raised in the Downside), and by his job. He has become a Messenger, a person who is shrunk by the Hulm Projector to 1/80" in size, enters the body of a person in the early stages of cancer, and cuts it out. Usually he enters and exits by the anus. It gets much grosser, but I'll spare the details (look at the cover art for suggestions).
Now on his 16th or 17th patient, Blount finally cracks, and suddenly realizes that he has to kill his 83 year old patient, Yancy. Blount has successfully removed the bowel cancer from his patient, and while watching over his recovery determines that the old millionaire must die. The novel becomes an inner dialogue about this upcoming event, as well as a look back on Blount's earlier days, such as how he came to be a Messenger.
There are other characters in the story, including Blount's father, who spent his entire life trying to beat the odds at racing; Susan, the granddaughter of old Yancy; and the Priest, a mechanical tool used for confession. All play important roles in driving Blount mad, though, as is often the case, he is his own worst enemy.
The book is frustrating at times, quite sad, and unapologetically savage. I found parts of the novel hard to read. One perhaps begins to wonder about the mind of the author who could dream up such a story. This is a difficult book to recommend, unless you are, like me, trying to read all of Malzberg's writing. Good, but not great.
*** stars. Reviewed October 23rd/20
OVERLAY
Cover art by Ron Walotsky (uncredited).
From 1972 comes this 189 page SF novel about horse racing and pari-mutuel betting. Yup, that's what I said. Not only is the the first SF book I have read based around the races, but it's the first book I've ever read about the races. My only previous experience with such a topic is courtesy the Marx Brothers, in their film Horse Feathers. Leave it to a mind like Malzberg's to come up with this premise: an alien comes to stay within the minds and bodies of four people who play the races. His purpose is evil, namely to destroy the world using these people to get things started.
We first meet Simmons, followed by Mary, followed by Tony, followed by Gardner. All four have their lives totally tied up with betting on horses, and of course they are all losers in the game. There is a gentle balance between how pitiful and pitiable these people are, trapped in a game they cannot escape, and our wish for the alien to just get on with it and destroy everything to do with racing.
The story is filled with the author's usual very dark humour, though there are very few laugh out loud examples in the book. Malzberg is more interested in getting inside the heads of these people to see what makes them tick, and he does a perfect job of it. I doubt that a better treatise of addiction in any form has ever been more succinctly and perfectly explored, but this story goes even further, by showing us the torture that horses are put through, and their fears and anxieties. We also get a long look inside the "tip" sheets sold to bettors. Suffice it to say that I learned a lot from reading this book, as well as being entertained. And I did find out how to bet and win!
You don't have to be interested in racing to enjoy this book, as it seems to apply to other types of addiction just as easily. Perhaps you know someone who bets on horses or greyhounds. But the real interest for readers is not the races, but what is inside the mind of a compulsive gambler. It's a fascinating journey, at least watching from well outside such things. Recommended, and it really is something quite different than I have ever read before.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 1st/20
We first meet Simmons, followed by Mary, followed by Tony, followed by Gardner. All four have their lives totally tied up with betting on horses, and of course they are all losers in the game. There is a gentle balance between how pitiful and pitiable these people are, trapped in a game they cannot escape, and our wish for the alien to just get on with it and destroy everything to do with racing.
The story is filled with the author's usual very dark humour, though there are very few laugh out loud examples in the book. Malzberg is more interested in getting inside the heads of these people to see what makes them tick, and he does a perfect job of it. I doubt that a better treatise of addiction in any form has ever been more succinctly and perfectly explored, but this story goes even further, by showing us the torture that horses are put through, and their fears and anxieties. We also get a long look inside the "tip" sheets sold to bettors. Suffice it to say that I learned a lot from reading this book, as well as being entertained. And I did find out how to bet and win!
You don't have to be interested in racing to enjoy this book, as it seems to apply to other types of addiction just as easily. Perhaps you know someone who bets on horses or greyhounds. But the real interest for readers is not the races, but what is inside the mind of a compulsive gambler. It's a fascinating journey, at least watching from well outside such things. Recommended, and it really is something quite different than I have ever read before.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 1st/20
PHASE IV
This is the novelization of the screenplay, and not an original SF novel by the author. It is from 1973, and is 127 pages long. Many people came to know James Blish from his Star Trek classic TV series' short story condensations, and no doubt a few people came to know Malzberg because of this story. If I ever saw the movie, which I don't think I have, I do not remember it. The original film had a different ending from the screenplay by Mayo Simon, but the original ending was restored around 2012. The newest version can be watched on Youtube for a fee, or purchased.
I do not get along well with ants, and our house has annual outbreaks which take a lot of time and energy to contain. Parts of this novel creeped me out to the max, and did nothing to make me like ants, even a teeny bit. Star Trek took the whole gestalt idea with ants to the max, introducing the Borg, one of the most deadly adversaries encountered in the series. As I have mentioned many times elsewhere in this blog, I do not like seeing animals suffer in stories or film. In this book, there are horrific deaths by ants inflicted on a rabbit, a horse, and two deer mice, not to mention several humans.
Although the story is quite good, and Malzberg does an excellent job of maintaining suspense and developing characters, the story is ultimately undone by the silly ending. In the beginning of the story, a strange energy field is moving through the galaxy, finding itself eventually attracted to Earth (where else?). It sets up shop in the Arizona desert, using ants and queens as its initial attack force, adjacent to a new housing estate. After the first attack the estate is hastily abandoned, and our two scientists arrive to see what exactly is going on. From there on in, the book becomes more horror than SF, as the ants attack. They soon are guided by the overseeing intelligence controlling them to resist ant spray, and even sound waves, both which showed promise in the early stages of defeating the creatures.
Both scientists quickly grow mad, and find themselves isolated from help from outside, left to deal with the problem on their own. There are probably a dozen different endings that would have been more acceptable to the one chosen by Simon, including just having the ants win, period. The one chosen is quite ridiculous. If the aliens really wanted to use humans in its quest for dominance of the planet and their growth, then why did it first have the ants kill them, then somehow revive all the dead people, as they become a form of human ant, awaiting instructions? Ants are quite good at doing the "one for all" things, but humans not so much.
A good story, and recommended reading, but not during ant season.
*** stars. Reviewed November 23rd/20
IN THE ENCLOSURE
From 1973 comes this fascinating though flawed novel from Malzberg, lasting 190 pages. It describes the imprisonment of a group of aliens in a secret bunker somewhere on Earth, and their occasional torture. The book centres around the alien Quir, who, like a king in check, is forced to do something desperate. Over 200 aliens suddenly arrived one day in their star ship. Their only goal was to give freely advanced information that would help Earth to quickly gain major technological, medical, and social change, purportedly to curb the human desire for violence and war. However, they were tortured at first, as the humans did not trust the information, nor the fact that is was given so freely. Eventually an understanding comes to the humans, and though still kept prisoner withing the Enclosure, the aliens are treated better.
However, after nearly three years of captivity and providing all of the information they had, the aliens begin to realize that they are never going to be released, as promised by the humans. They are likely to be killed once their usefulness has expired. And so Quir finds himself organizing and leading an escape from the Enclosure back to their star ship, and thence back home.
The novel is very well written and intriguing, keeping us guessing up till the very end as to what is really going on. This is a book where the surprise ending makes or breaks the story. I found it to be very effective, though to say anything more about it would be to spoil things for the reader.
Gradually, some of the conditioning in the aliens is breaking down, and they are beginning to dream of their past life on their home planet, and remember strange and tantalizing details. This only adds to the suspense, and Malzberg does a good job of teasing readers with just enough new information to keep us guessing until the very last page.
While I highly recommend the book, especially to students of psychology, there is a flaw that more or less negates sending aliens at all. If the alien planet wants Earth (and supposedly other cultures elsewhere) to have this information, why not send androids? Why put their own people through such long voyages and certain mayhem when clever robots could do the job just as well?
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed January 20th/21
TACTICS OF CONQUEST
From 1973 comes this 175 page novel about a five move chess game, one in a series of 41 games played by two grand masters that will decide the fate of the universe. It's David (the narrator) versus Louis, and at the start of the book, and at the finish, it's 10 games to 5 for Louis. David sees himself on the side of good, whereas Louis represents (in David's mind, anyway) everything evil.
Being a Malzberg novel, of course the narrator, David, is stark raving mad. With that accepted, it's easy to sit back and enjoy the novel, which started out as a short story. The expansion into a novel works just fine, though some might say it becomes tedious. It is certainly not an action packed adventure story. First of all, it is about a chess game. Second of all, it's written by Malzberg. The whole interest of the narrative is the on-going inner thoughts of David, as he tours the universe with his arch enemy and rival. The two players were chosen by the Overlords because they were so well matched. However, as things now stand, David is no match for Louis.
David's hatred for Louis, we find out, dates back to when the boys were 13. they were friends, and both up and coming chess players. They had sex together in an old scrapyard, and the event completely traumatized young David, who tried to deny it had ever happened. But with Louis' affirmation that it did happen (like in a chess move, once you have taken your fingers off the piece you moved, yo cannot take it back), David's descent into insanity begins.
There is a prologue, where the chess match is laid out in a straight forward manner. This is followed by five chapters, one for each chess move in the game. Each chapter also contains a sub chapter, called an interregnum, in which David goes deep into his own memories and mind. At the end there is a hilarious glossary, and a short epilogue.
I'm not certain if serious chess players would enjoy the book. I play, but not very seriously. I enjoyed the book immensely, being already familiar with Malzberg and his way of doing things. If you are already a fan of the author, you will probably enjoy this story, as I did. If you don't like the author very much, this won't win you over to his side.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed February 23rd/21
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE
Written in 1972 but published in 1973, this 143 page novel is a mini lesson in the 1960s civil rights war in America. While the Kennedy assassination gets top billing, tribute is also paid to Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and the Freedom Summer murders in Mississippi, all killed by white extremists in the south. The narrator assumes the position of all of these people as they are being killed, putting himself in their place. Cities are now set apart from suburban life, and the lumpen are the people who inhabit the otherwise abandoned cities. The narrator visits the city as part of his history degree, to reenact the Kennedy assassination, using inner city humans to do so. His reenactment is a total failure, and he ends up captured by the lumpen, and later, rescued by the outside Committee.
The novel is really broken up, with no clear sense of which story is being told when. There are three stories: the present tense, where the narrator is first attempting the reenactment, then is captured by the frustrated lumpen; the past tense, where the narrator is getting his project proposal approved; and the various times he assumes the persona of one of the assassinated personages. It can be a bit confusing, and if I were to reread the novel (unlikely), I would try to sort out the correct chronological order, as that is how I prefer things. The most confusing episode, but also the most entertaining to read, is when he is trying to purchase a used limousine in New Jersey, and then drive it to Dallas.
Not a totally successful narrative, and to readers of today, who might know nothing about the civil rights battles of the 1960s, I would say the story would be a write-off. But to those of us who lived then (I was ten when Kennedy was assassinated), the book is a startling reminder of what was going on back then. Though the struggle continues today, it was 100x tougher back then.
*** stars. Reviewed April 26th/21
KUNG FU: 1 THE WAY OF THE TIGER,THE SIGN OF THE DRAGON
From 1973 comes this 173 page novel related to the hit TV series Kung Fu, which lasted for 63 episodes in the early 1970s. A 2021 reboot is forthcoming, too. Howard Lee is, of course, one of many names used by Malzberg when writing. This first volume sets the tone for the rest of the series of books, and is the story of the pilot episode. Divided into two stories, one deals with Caine's first adventures in America, getting caught up in railroad work for a man that cares nothing about the Chinese men doing the physical labour. The second story consists of flashbacks to when Caine was accepted into a Shaolin temple at age 13, to be trained as a priest.
Malzberg can be a smooth writer when he wishes, and his style here is unobtrusive and easy-going. He sticks directly to the story, allowing no complications to interfere with his retelling of the narrative. It's rather hard to find any info on "Howard Lee,"but Malzberg might have written all 4 of the Kung Fu books that were published. Either that, or the name was used by different authors who were commissioned to write the stories. I suspect the latter, for he is only credited with this first novel on bibliography pages that even mention the book.
If you were a fan of the TV series, the book will bring back a lot of memories. I am looking forward to the 2021 reboot, with a female Caine in modern day San Francisco. We shall see.
*** stars. Reviewed March 25th/21
HEROVIT'S WORLD
From 1974 comes this very brilliant story, lasting for 159 pages. Again Malzberg takes direct aim at SF writers, in this case the "B grade" ones who wrote atrocious material for the SF magazines under assumed names. Our hero is Jonathan Herovit, and his name will never appear on any pulp magazine cover. Instead, he is provided a pen name by his first editor, that of Kirk Poland. Poland has so far written 96 novels about Mack Miller, adventurer astronaut and upright member of The Agency, and is trying to write the 97th. Except that he has a block, and it is driving him crazy. Mack's main job is to kill aliens, and he always meets up with the worst of them. He always manages somehow to overturn their evil plans and come out on top.
All of Malzberg's novels deal with someone who slowly cracks up as the novel progresses, and this one is no less so. The author has access to the blackest humour this side of Black Adder TV series, and we laugh as Jonathan goes through the motions of having a life. He lives in a tiny apartment on upper 88th Street, NYC. He is married to a woman he dislikes, and they have a new baby, whom Janet really and truly dislikes. While we laugh, we also cry; for the baby, for Janet, and for Herovit.
It's difficult, and rather pointless, to describe the plot of a Malzberg novel. Suffice it to say that there is one, and it involves the personality of Kirk Poland taking over that of Herovit. Poland thinks he can now turns things around for the alcoholic and on the skids writer Herovit, and lays out plans to do so. First, however, he visits a prostitute. Then he returns home to confront Janet, hoping to save the marriage, and make the baby stop crying. However, his best laid plans are thwarted.
Throughout the novel, Herovit at first, and then Poland later, always compare what the fictional hero Mack Miller would do in situations in which they find themselves. Finally, near the end, Mack Miller makes his appearance, and in turn takes over from Kirk Poland. We are now three characters deep into Herovit's psychosis! The end comes quickly afterwards, and it is a perfect one!
There are so many allusions made to the field of pulp SF that virtually every such author who read this back in the day must have seen themselves somewhere in the story. When Kirk Poland returns to the apartment and tries to decide how to proceed, he gets a peek into Herovit's closet. This is one of the choicest moments of Malzberg's dig at pulp authors--a closet filled with thousands of the magazines where he was published, having bought all available copies from the news stands to make his ratings grow.
This is a priceless novel, and should be read by every SF fan and author.
**** stars. Reviewed December 21st/20 Happy Solstice!
ON A PLANET ALIEN
From 1974 comes this novel of first contact, lasting 144 pages. Malzberg can cram a lot of psychotic self-diagnosis into that many pages, and we get the full treatment. This is a very weird variation on the theme of humans landing on a planet and making first contact with an agrarian tribe. The reasons given for making such contact is to bring alien peoples into the fold of the beneficent Federation of Planets. At least that is what The Bureau claims. And our stalwart Captain Folsom believes every word, much as so many Trump loyalists believe everything he says, too. Folsom's three-man crew, which includes a woman and a gay couple, are a bit more free thinking, and are doubtful that the Bureau has other peoples' interests in mind other than the Bureau's.
Captain Folsom is a complete parody of all the Captain Kirk type of leaders so prevalent in SF literature and pop culture, and Malzberg turns the image of the fearless leader, always in control, always with a suitable plan of action for any emergency, upside down and on its head. Folsom turns out to be the biggest idiot who ever got launched into space. When his crew deliberately sabotages the plan asset out by the Bureau, Folsom gets no backup from the Bureau, either. He is completely on his own, with a crew he cannot understand, and with aliens he really wants no part of.
The full story of the captain's mental breakdown is told in flashback chapters, beginning with his discussion with his superior before flight, and then we also get glimpses of certain events during the flight. Malzberg's failed heroes always see themselves as sane, in the right, and in full control of themselves and those around them. To others they appear completely insane, and Malzberg certainly hits a home run each and every time he introduces and develops such a character. Folsom is a classic Malzberg creation, but this book pushes the boundaries even further. The author is convinced that humans do not belong in space. In this volume he also shows what can happen when alien races are contacted. It's a no win situation, as anyone who has studied our own colonial history will readily recognize. Our greed and insanity have all but destroyed possibly the finest planet ever created; it is probably a good idea to keep our hands off of other worlds.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 21st/21
THE SODOM AND GOMORRAH BUSINESS
From 1974 comes another great novel by this always interesting writer. At a brief 126 pages, the novel is divided into two parts. In the first part, two cadets from the Institute go awol, deciding to experience the dangerous Network. The year is 2053, and inner cities have been left to the criminals and other disenfranchised people, while a military rules outside the limits, keeping a boundary between safety and civilization. The cadets are shown continuous films of violence from earlier days, to convince them that the current status quo must be maintained.
The book, at least the first part, owes a lot to Anthony Burgess' (and Kubrick's) A Clockwork Orange. The violence is similar, as is the treatment of women. In a scene inspired by American road movies, the two male cadets leave their sanctuary in a 1964 Cadillac. After encountering and murdering three innocent dwellers of the Network, they carry on until their car is wrecked by a booby trap. They are soon in the hands of the enemy.
Part 2 looks at the story from the viewpoint of the leader of the group that captures the two cadets, a nice twist of storytelling. And though the new perspective reveals a different personality and character, he shares much the same way of thinking as the main cadet, whom he enlists to help him overthrow the militaristic Institute.
I am certain that this book continues to shock readers, many of whom might even stop reading after the cadets encounter the three people near the beginning of their joy ride, or possibly even sooner, when homosexual acts are brought to the forefront. Kubrick's film shocked a lot of people, two, many of whom walked out on the movie. I have only seen it once, not really knowing if dare watch it a second time. Perhaps someday. So Malzberg's book, carrying on in much the same vein, is likely to spook any number of readers. The book is about violence, sexism, male sexual prowess equated with guns, keeping people in their place, indoctrinating others to believe half truths, and also that with great change must come a revolution, often a violent one. In other words, the book is about life today as much as about 1974. Not a masterpiece of literature, but pretty close.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 24th/21
THE DAY OF THE BURNING
From 1974 come this 166 page novel on a favourite theme of the author's, namely an inner voice guiding a crazy main character. It's usually easy to figure out why the character is going crazy. Mercer works as a social worker at the Center, and he is currently hitting brick walls with a certain case, the Dawsons. Lucas is his inner voice, also manifesting itself as an alien, sent by the overlords. The novel is yet another variation on a theme of Malzberg's, and though we've more or less read it all before, it is fun to read about it again.
It is bureaucracy that is driving Mercer insane, and so it would seem that Lucas is also a mere pawn in the greater one provided by the overlords. There is no escaping red tape, decisions from above, and pointless and endless paperwork. We first encounter mercer and Lucas just as Mercer had finally landed a large breasted female co-worker in his bed. The banter that Lucas provides as poor Mercer tries his hardest to enjoy an experience that has, in his words, taken him months to achieve. Of course Lucas spoils everything. Not only that, but Dolores, the busty female, hates to be touched on her breasts. This encounter is one of the funniest moments, black humour at its best. Malzberg's sex scenes are always the best!
Once Lucas informs Mercer that the world will be burned up by the Overlords unless he is able to resolve the Dawson case within twelve hours, Mercer's downward spiral accelerates. There is another very funny scene in the Center washroom, and of course a classic encounter with the Dawson family in their home, filled with steaming from mysterious pots on the stove. Malzberg continues to refine his writing skills at our expense, for which we can be very grateful.
A sub-theme that continues throughout the story is a two-man mission to Venus, which does not go very well. What is most amazing about Malzberg's story is that it can be read as a straightforward SF novel by simplistic readers, if so desired. Does the world burn up in the end? Read and find out for yourself. You won't be sorry, once you catch on to Malzberg's unique style of writing.
*** 1/2 stars. reviewed July 19th/21
UNDERLAY
From 1974 comes this 255 page novel, reprinted in 2015 at 149 pages. The reprint includes an afterword by the author, in which he expresses his high regard for the novel. The novel is easy to read, consisting of about 60 mostly very short chapters. there are few characters, but a lot of interactions between people, most of them filled with tragic comedy. Like his previous novel, Overlay, this one takes place almost entirely at the racetrack, following a group of losers once again. However, there are no aliens this time, but the mob has enlisted the aid of a player who owes them money to do a small job for them. He is told to dig up the remains of a previous player, one who shot himself but was held in high regard by the regulars. He was buried beneath the track on the back stretch.
However, the emanations from the body is causing mayhem with the mob's system of controlling the races, so his remains must be removed. And so the hero is enlisted to do the job. Though the novel is very funny at times, in the end we discover that there is only one way to escape the betting life at the track. Filled with inside information at how to win at the races, it is amazing how much Malzberg knows about this sort of thing. And though the two novels are completely different, they both contain similar messages; the races cannot be predicted with any certainty, and this is no system that will aid the bettor. The addiction is just that, and though players realize deep down that they will never beat the odds and continue to win enough money to break the habit, they continue to suffer the outrage of losing again and again.
There is so much in this book to do with human nature, and the fact that Malzberg can cram so many human trials, tribulations, pearls of wisdom, insights, unfairness, and hard feelings into so few pages is quite amazing. The main story continues its steady march every few chapters, with the rest being flashbacks to earlier events, including the life of the person now buried beneath the track (underlay). The main story takes place over one long day at the track, a day never to be forgotten by readers. No SF here, but some very strange goings on.
***1/2 stars. Reviewed August 26th/21
GUERNICA NIGHT
From 1974 comes this short novel, published at 127 pages and 140 pages, in different editions. In addition to the story, there is an essay about Malzberg's writing, though this book is never mentioned. Called simply "An Appreciation," it was written by Jeff Clark. This is definitely worth reading if you have read a lot of Malzberg before now, and less so if you are new to the author.
The novel is Malberg's peek into the world of suicide, and it is perhaps more strange than many of his other novels. A second reading might give more insight into exactly what he was trying to achieve by writing the story. The narrative seems to jump around and take the viewpoint of different characters, something that is not helped by Gateway's awkward layout. They never seem to indicate a break in the story by skipping a line or using asterisks as a bottom dividing line. So sometimes the story continues on, but something has changed drastically without us being aware of it.
The main character (it would seem) lives in some type of pod, in a very small room. He lives with a group of people, and they attend group sessions with a group leader often enough. This main character (Sid) has hankering for sex in old cars that he sneaks out of storage, making it with a girl from his circle. In fact, unless he is in a car, Sid can't seem to perform.
The second most important character is Jagway, who has announced to the group that he is going to kill himself. A few people try to talk him out of it, but without success. Sid goes after Jagway wot talk with him further. Now, in this future world there are transporters all over the planet, and anyone can simply enter one, dial a destination, and voila, there he is. We seem to spend a lot of time in Trinidad, which is where people can go for supreme experiences, whether religious/spiritual, physical, or pure pleasure is the doers choice.
The third character, and the least interesting one, is a government agent who comes down hard on anyone trying to kill themself, or anyone aiding and abetting them, despite it being legal and a personal choice.
Getting back to Sid for a moment, he has conversations with dead people, including Kennedy and Beethoven, as well as with the inventor of the transporter. These conversations are classic Malzberg inner dialogues, and are the most interesting part of the story. I wish there had been more of them.
This is a pretty strange novel of a pretty strange future, but it's short and not very difficult to read. Whether you enjoy it or not probably depends on how much of Malzberg you have read so far. Don't take this novel as anything close to a standard Malzberg outing. But if you do like it, then I hope you continue on to read some of his much better stories (see reviews, above). I liked it, but realize that I should reread it.
*** stars. Reviewed September 27th/21
THE GAMESMAN
From 1975 comes this short novel about a man, Papa Block, who has chosen to play the Game. The Kindle edition claims it is 188 pages, but I doubt if it is much over 100 pages. It's not hard to read, but challenging to digest, and though the main character whines considerably, there is less of it than in most Malzberg heroes. There is also less humour, and even more claustrophobia. The main events take place in small rooms with very few characters. Typically there is Block, playing the Game, a woman who he must successfully have sex with, and a Gamesman who grades his performance on a pass/fail scale.
Poor Block; he just can't seem to perform, and though he gets ten chances to successfully have intercourse, he just can't get it right. The rooms where events and discussions take place are simple and bare. There are chairs, a desk, some papers, and not much else. Only one time does Block venture outside, and here the book briefly alludes to the same world that Guernica Night inhabits, as he visits a Transit station, and we learn elsewhere that 50% of the population has committed suicide by age 25. But the people at the Transit station not only reject him as a Game player, but become violent towards him, and he is forced to flee. So the two halves of the world don't get along well, and it's back to the Game for Block.
The novel is mysterious as to what the Game actually is, and why it exists. We hear some questions being asked of contestants at one point, and we know that Block chose intercourse as one of his Game threads. As part of his agreement, he must play the role of Gamesman as well as contestant, and this is where he runs into big trouble. His own Gamesman agrees to pass him on to the next level, even though Block was unable to achieve intercourse with a woman. Then Block in turn as a Gamesman (or referee, if you like), decides to pass on a pair of players who have not yet succeeded at their level. The pressure is on everyone now. Will the Game be played fairly, or will cheating ruin everything?
Without the deadpan black humour that Malzberg is capable of incorporating into his story, this one comes across as almost too earnest. The seriousness of it all holds the reader in place, rather than let him soar above the narrative as is other novels by Malzberg. After all, it's only a game, right? Though the author is getting towards the core of human belief and motivation, the ending seems to indicate that this endeavour is a circular process, and leads to nothing but mental anguish and foolish waste of time and energy. The woman who wants to stop the Game by not participating anymore is the one who gets closest to the truth, and to the solution. But her voice is lost in the void, as her wishes are trampled beneath tradition and sanity.
Definitely worth reading for Malzberg fans, but like his previous novel, it may not be the place for first time readers to start.
*** stars. Reviewed October 22nd/21
GALAXIES
From 1975 comes this 128 page novel about writing a novel. It's subtitle could be Notes on Writing a SF Novel. Malzberg was a very prolific writer, and he must have had his moments when thinking up a new story and a new way to tell it stumped him for a time. The present novel is one of the more original ways of telling a story that I have ever come across, not just in the SF genre.
Malzberg talks to his readers as if he is writing notes concerning an upcoming novel. The story is about Lena, aboard the good ship Skipstone. The ship has faster than light travel means, and carries the dead bodies of the many rich patrons who paid for the space program. They have been told that UV rays could bring them all back to life, and so they fund the whole idea willingly. Lena is the only live person aboard. When her ship is captured by a black hole (known as a dark galaxy in 1975), the essence of the tale looks at her position and how she might come out of it. Even though the author is writing "notes," we still get the complete essence of the novel, including the ending. In fact, Malzberg postulates several different ways the novel could end, before relenting and giving us the actual one he might use. He claims that the notes might be as far as this story can go, since the current form of a SF novel cannot deal with what is happening inside of a black hole.
Though Lena is all alone, she can call on various pre-recorded AI-type of helpers, which she does. Not only does she have conversations with them, but the dead people come back to a form of life in the dark galaxy, and her most memorable conversations are with them. And Malzberg hasn't lost his sense of humour--he even takes time to explain to us all about the speed of light:
"The speed of light is one hundred and eighty-six thousand miles a second, which would seem to be fast enough, and yet in astronomical terms, in terms of space exploration, it would be the Seventh Avenue local with brake trouble." (opening paragraph of Chapter XLI).
Malzberg has come up with a unique way to tell a tale, and to comment on the telling of the tale at the same time. This would be a good novel for SF fans to try, if new to Malzberg. Recommended.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed November 20th/21
CONVERSATIONS
From 1975 comes this fascinating novella, loosely linked to several recent tales by the author. We are in a very dim and restricted future time, the year 2169. Children are being raised and educated in a vast building called Domicile, which has 40 levels, each level with 1500 rooms. Dal is the main protagonist. He is twelve, and is learning things about the past from a 14 year old called Lothar. Lothar has a scrapbook of earlier days, of which nothing is ever taught or mentioned in Dal's official education. In fact, there is no mention of any history before the year 2155. Lothar claims the Elders are afraid of the past, specifically how much better it was than the present. Children are separated from their parents, and don't really get to know them. Instead, they are grouped in small enclaves, and are supposed to look out for one another.
The Domicile inhabitants are never allowed outside, and are told tales of how terrible and wild and savage it is out there, as well as being heavily polluted and radioactive. People who are exiled never return. The story mostly concerns Dal's slow awakening to the fact that he has been lied to all his short life, and that the people who are supposedly in control of him actually fear him and his rebellious attitude. While it never seems like an actual child speaking, there are some amazing moments in this very off beat story. If it is your first Malzberg, you may think that nothing special has happened here. You would be mistaken. Recommended reading.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed December 15th/21
SCOP
Published in 1976, my small print edition is 128 pages. The novel is divided into 4 books, the first three seen from the perspective of three different characters. Book 4 returns to the original character.
Scop is the original main character, a man obsessed with the murderous past of our civilization. He refers to the assassination of John F Kennedy in 1963 as the beginning of the end, also calling it at one point "original sin." Scop, like all of Malzberg's main characters, is completely insane and on a mission. His mission is to somehow change history, so that flowers will grow in large fields, instead of the sadistic games that are played there to the death in his own time, the year 2040. Scop is short for Scopolamine, a drug that has psychoactive properties, and was used early on ass a truth serum. We know that Scop is in an institution, and that he somehow manages to get a transporter used to go back and witness historical events. He fixates on the 1960s assassinations of the Kennedy brothers, King, and Malcolm X, and believes that by stopping them from happening "the present may live again," meaning that we will live in less violent times.
The second book is told from the perspective of his girlfriend, Elaine, who is actually an agent sent to keep an eye on him during his time wanderings. The third book is seen from the viewpoint of the Master, one of the elders who passes judgement on Scop.
This is a very strange and somewhat disturbing story, like most of classic Malzberg. Its appeal will be limited, though in many ways the book does not date itself at all, and can be read as easily today as when it came out. Though many people know very little about the Kennedys and Malcolm X, at least Martin Luther King's legacy lives on. But the book deals mostly with John F. K., and to some extent Abraham Zapruder and Lee Harvey Oswald. The book lacks the dark humour often necessary to make the author's books more palatable. This story is serious throughout, and can be confusing at times as the perspectives change, not only in each separate book, but within a book. The sexual element is again present in Malzberg's story, and though Scop is not impotent, he is otherwise ineffectual sexually.
His madness, though recognized by the administrators, is not treated seriously when he claims that he will go back in time and change history. Of course he is as ineffective there as he is elsewhere. He makes one last futile attempt to save humankind at the end of the story. The book is readable, and a highly original and unique look at the 60s assassinations, as seen by a madman.
*** stars. Reviewed March 16th/22
THE RUNNING OF BEASTS
From 1976 comes this 319 page murder mystery collaboration about a serial killer in upstate New York. As a rule I avoid novels about serial killers, but what is a reviewer to do when Malzberg dips his hand into the blood? It's impossible to tell how much Malzberg contributed, but the main character is a professional horse track better. And though there is no whiny character bemoaning his own fate, there is Cross, an immature man who works at the small town local weekly newspaper. He sounds like a creation of Malzberg. And there is sexual dystopia, often a main feature of Malzberg tales.
The story is a real page turner. It is set up in short mini-chapters, intended to move the story along at a brisk pace. Events transpire by date, and each day many different characters take the lead in moving the story along. While it's relatively easy to discern who the killer really is, there are enough roadblocks thrown into the proceedings to keep most people second guessing. There is Keller, a demented local cop, determined to find and lock up the killer all on his own, without help from the State police who are now swarming his village. There is Smith, head of the investigation, slowly dying of an ulcer he does his best to ignore. There is Hook, the horse race better. There are too many characters to name, several of whom are red herrings intended to draw one away from the real culprit.
There are enough murders to make one wonder why the FBI never appears. One good thing is that the murders are never described in clinical or sensationalized detail. We learn what the killer does to women, and it isn't pretty. But each murder isn't held in front of us as an abomination, like slasher films do. I detest those kinds of films and books, where the writer assumes that readers get off on such details. The ending is very well handles, and an awesome surprise. Maybe we were wrong about who the killer really was, even though the very slight and circumstantial evidence points towards that person.
The authors take quite a few liberties with reality, however. Why is there no evidence anywhere of the crime? Why no bloodied clothing, nothing left behind (except some used tissues, which may or may not be evidence). And why do women keep going out alone at night, knowing what they know about the local crime scenes and ongoing violence? Why does Hook go out alone at night for walks or long drives, knowing he has no alibi or reason to be out there? Despite the glaring use of writers' privilege, this is mostly an intelligent whodunit, and worth checking out if you like murder mysteries.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed January 19th/22
ACTS OF MERCY
From 1977 comes this 252 page easy read crime thriller, from two authors again combining their talents to try and write a best seller. This murder mystery is far less complicated than their first effort (see above), and is broken down into many easy to read very short chapters. Who is murdering the opponents of the current President? Is it the First Lady? Is it the President himself? Is it a secret service agent? A friend? Read and find out.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed September 17th/22
CHORALE
From 1978 comes this 186 page novel about Reuter, a Traveler in time. It takes place in the late 23rd Century, in the same universe as The Men Inside (see above). The underclass is ruled by the Department of Reconstruction, headed by a Director and Board. Kemper, a scientist who went mad earlier in the century, thought that the present time is merely a speculation, and must constantly be reinforced. And again he says "The past is the present's creation." Malzberg takes this theme and runs with it. Our Traveler, Reuter, is trained to reenact important parts of history. His job is to be Beethoven in Vienna, jumping between 1803, 1805, and 1823. Malzberg's dark humour is present again, as Reuter doesn't speak German (he uses a translator), doesn't like music, and doesn't like the way he has to interpret the composer. He does not get along with the Director or any of the bureaucrats, and tries to prove his individuality at various points. Fruitlessly, of course.
Of all the books on Beethoven I have ever read (I am a classical pianist) or heard about, this one wins the prize of being the most bizarre. While I believe it to be a failure in most ways of trying to make a strange theory have a life, it does succeed in many ways, especially in illuminating the era in which Beethoven existed. The author's descriptions of life in early 19th C Vienna are priceless and dead on the mark, and some of his observations on the composer are true as well. The poor diets, the lack of consistent and proper hygiene, and the distance between the aristocracy and commoners are all true to the times, and worth contemplating.
Malzberg's choice of Beethoven for a historical character to be the center of his novel is an interesting one (Reuter also pays a short but hilarious visit to Tchaikovsky). Beethoven is an enigma to most people today, even to some experienced musicians who perform his music. He is also a person who has many myths surrounding him. Malzberg doesn't do a half bad job of giving us a decent and realistic portrait of him, better than many historical accounts. But the novel is so cluttered in feeble attempts at Existentialism that it becomes somewhat of a chore at times to continue reading. Beethoven epitomizes the struggle of the individual against a society that recognized his genius but could not accept him because he was a commoner. But Malzberg transfers this struggle to Reuter, and we see the Traveler himself railing against his own society. It is like beating his head against a brick wall. And so the two stories become confused and muddled. Beethoven gets left behind, and Reuter dares to change history. The ending is not clear as to what kind of chaos is about to ensue, and I doubt any writer could describe what might happen next.
It's fun to contemplate how music, and society, might be different today without Beethoven, but it is truly impossible to imagine. So read the book to learn about a great composer and the time and place in which he lived. Parts are very funny (sausages), and parts are purely eye-opening (infections and love grade fevers). If you are one of those romantics who often thought they would love to live in earlier times, this might make you think again.
*** stars. Reviewed February 18th/21
THE LAST TRANSACTION
From 1977 comes this 163 page novel, about a former president dictating his memoirs. William Eric Springer, born 1910, became President of the United States in 1980, at the age of 70. He lost his bid for re-election in 1984. At the age of 80, a very sick man, he began his memoirs, which are really a jumbled collection of half memories and half musings. He has advanced arteriosclerosis, his blood pressure is through the roof, and his doctor is trying to keep him alive as long as possible. But Springer is near the end, and becomes very paranoid. Married twice, with one child, they all died before he did.
Written four years before Ronald Reagan became president, this has some uncanny resemblances to that man and his presidency. Malzberg has given us a novel as strange as any he has ever conceived and written. Besides the personal failures of his relationships with his two wives and son (he doesn't seem to have any friends whatsoever), he had one major controversy to deal with as president. So much of the time here has him reflecting on the people he was close to, and to that one major event with which he had to deal as president.
I'm not certain that a person under 50, or perhaps 60, would find anything of interest in this novel. How many young people are interested in the ramblings of a dying 80 year old man? And with good reason. But I found much to like about the novel, not the least of which is the way the story is told, in a jumble of unsorted memories mixing with the present situation. What we are left with is a very empty man, a man who realizes his own worthlessness, and is helpless to do anything about it. In many ways he is an Everyman, even if he was President for four years. We all have achieved something in our lives, whether it be landing a job we wanted, or buying a home, or having a family. But have we lived? That is what this book is about. Even a man who was a senator and then president hasn't really lived very much, if his memories are anything to judge him by. He seems to be one of the many who have come and gone from the planet without leaving very much behind in the way of spiritual connections. He never really did want to be president. What did he want? Apparently nothing, except to serve his country in the way he thought best.
My only objection to the book was the poorly conceived Epilogue. A simple obit would have been much preferred. Recommended to older readers, especially if interested in politics and politicians.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 16th/22
LADY OF A THOUSAND SORROWS
From 1977 comes this 142 page novel, similar in style to the previous book, above. This one is also a memoir, dictated by a person who thinks she is about to be murdered. That person is not even thinly disguised, but is Jackie Kennedy/Onassis. Though the novel is a work of fiction, it is filled with facts from the 1950s through 1978, the year these memoirs were supposedly dictated. The book deals with the major events of Jackie's life, including her marriage to John Kennedy, his death by assassination in Dallas in 1963, her close relationship to his brother Bobby, assassinated in LA in 1968, her marriage to Aristotle Onassis, the Greek shipping millionaire, the publication of nude photos of her, and her period of paranoia when she was convinced that someone was out to kill all the Kennedys.
I don't have a clue as to how or why Playboy published this novel. Apparently it received scathing reviews. Why? Because Malzberg (using a different name, of course) dared to imagine what it might be like inside the head of Jackie, for a time one of the most fascinating women on the planet. I must say, he does a damn fine job of it, too! His version of reality, as Jackie is breaking down and telling her story, is as fascinating as the reality. And who is to say that his is wrong? It is a very plausible version of events, and the method of storytelling is quite brilliant, even more effective and highly tuned than in The Last Transaction, above.
The Kennedy events are still one of the more fascinating historical stories of the 20th C., and certainly the most fascinating of the latter half of it. While Malzberg's novel might be one of the more "out there" theories about what really went on, I enjoyed every minute of this book. Jackie's way of dealing with the world was certainly criticized by many people at the time, and even so today. But the author here manages to tell her story in a way that makes perfect sense. Her actions were often based on self preservation, a pretty strong instinct in humans and animals alike. Malzberg writes a fascinating novel, no doubt very shocking in its time. Why the publisher wasn't sued by the Onassis family is beyond me. There is a short postlude by the author from 2017, which is an interesting read as well. Highly recommended. Brilliant storytelling.
****+ stars. Reviewed May 19th/22
NIGHT SCREAMS
From 1979 comes this 270 page murder mystery, with the added attraction of a group of psychics getting murdered, likely by one of their own. The book takes a date and time approach to story telling, thankfully in chronological order. The first two murders attract the attention of the FBI, and two agents are sent to a small village in New England during a cold and snowy January. Even with the FBI in town, there are still several more gruesome murders.
This could have been a decent enough novel, but for several facts. First, there are just too many murders, and despite this there are never any clues left behind. Second, there are just too many suspects. Armchair detectives will have no clue (literally) to who is behind the murders, and too many red herrings thrown at them. Nearly everyone could be doing it, except for the FBI agents and Leslie, one of the psychics who is threatened. Third, there are just too many murder mystery story tropes thrown into the mix, such as the snowstorm which shuts down the village from any outside help, and then entire final chapter. I wont say what the tropes are, but let's just say that the hero is out of commission and unable to help the heroine. As expected, of course.
Murder mystery fans can find much better material elsewhere. There isn't much to recommend this novel, I'm afraid. A quick read on an airplane journey, perhaps.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed January 17th/22
THE CROSS OF FIRE
From 1982 comes Malzberg's final solo SF novel, lasting for 168 pages, and without chapters. Harold Thwaite of Denmark is undergoing an administered hypnotic procedure, in which he is able to step into the shoes (sandals) of historic religious figures. The year is 2219. The problem with Harold is that he has a martyr complex, and when it is time to come out of his trances it becomes more and more difficult. Eventually he refuses to come out, wishing to remain, be crucified, and to rise again a few days later. Besides scenes of Jesus with the apostles, and Jesus with Mary Magdalene, and Jesus with Lazarus, we also have Harold as God, disputing and wrestling with Satan. In addition there are scenes with Moses and Aaron, including the parting of the Red Sea, scenes with the suffering of Job, scenes of his being the Lubavitcher Rabbi (an old testament judge), and various conversations with his wife, Edna, back in real time.
The book is totally fascinating, and of course very sacrilegious. It is often quite funny, as we get a future man's version of some of the great men of the Bible. But as the book goes on, and it becomes more and more obvious that Harold is deluding himself into believing everything that happens to him, I begin to get reminded of present day fanatics. Not so much the religious ones, but more like the ones who deny certain events every happened, such as the Sandy Hook massacre, or Trump's inability to come to terms with his election loss. To him, the only way he could ever lose is that the other side cheated. Reality holds no hope for such people, and Harold is similarly doomed.
This is one of Malzberg's finest books, and would pair nicely with a reading of Moorcock's Behold The Man, though they have very little in common. Recommended.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed June 18th/22
PROSE BOWL
From 1980 comes this 172 page romp through the world championships of writing pulp stories. Two writers face off, with tens of thousands of fans in the stands and millions more watching at home. At the coin toss, the winner gets first pick of two genres of pulp storytelling. Then the two writers are off to their typewriters in four quarters of tight and thrilling action. They have to create a complete story in exactly 8,000 words, and the first to finish wins the prize. In the Prose Bowl final, the story lasts for 10,000 words.
There is much to like about this silly story, though I would have gone about the final competition story much differently. Our hero, young Rex Sackett, is the youngest person to ever make it to the final showdown, and he is up against the old pro, a 57 year old writer who may be past his prime. When he wins the semi-final he is approached by crooked gamblers who want him to throw the final match. He will be amply rewarded. When he refuses, his girlfriend is kidnapped. Within a week, before the final showdown, he must rescue her, bring the culprits to justice, and prepare for his big competition.
In this wild future existence, real sporting events have had their day, and stadiums are now filled with "pulpateers." They are celebrities, highly paid if they are good, and receive perks above the ordinary citizen. The future world is described in more detail, and the picture drawn from the words resembles some of the pulp magazine covers showing futuristic cities. This is a tribute to all the hack writers and the good ones that churned out story after story after story, mostly for one or two cents per word. By making it into a competition sport, the authors elevate pulp writing into a mass cultural event. It is a brilliant concept, very funny, and an easy read. Recommended to anyone who has read a lot of pulp fiction.
*** stars. Reviewed Nov. 20th/22
THE REMAKING OF SIGMUND FREUD
Written between 1979-1984, and published in 1985, this 275 page novel will make you think about Sigmund Freud in a whole new way. A most unusual addition to Malzberg's SF oeuvre, in this one we go to outer space, and even meet aliens. Aliens that need psycho-analysis. From the man.
Malzberg must have had some fun with this one, even though it took him years to complete. It was not a novel I sat and read through in one of two sittings. I took my time. Each chapter has its rewards, and the book should not be rushed.
Malzberg plays on the word "alienist," which was used to describe Freud and his methods for going deep inside a patient's mind in his time. Well, apparently aliens are looking for a doctor to cure them of their psychosomatic illness, and when they found out that Freud was alienist, as in one who can cure aliens, then they thought they had found their doctor.
Though the book has a dark humour, it does not permeate the story, but rather makes appearances now and then. Mostly the book is quite serious. We meet many famous characters besides Freud in the story: there is also Carl Jung, Sam Clemens, Gustav Mahler, and Emily Dickinson, for starters. We meet Freud in his late 19th C Vienna. Then we meet him in 2176 on Venus. He has been 'reconstructed' to deal with a problem the crew of a Venusian colony is having with one of its members. We meet him again late in the 24th C, this time called upon to deal with a star ship crew and its captain, all going bonkers as they approach the area where they believe Vegan civilization is waiting for them to wipe them out. Instead, he ends up helping the Vegans, who are badly in need of his services.
All three eras are fun to read about, each with its own adventure and set of problems. Though I am uncertain what Malzberg hoped to achieve with this novel, I'm sure that he achieved it. On a first reading I did enjoy my time with the book. I think he took an idea and tried to see where it would take him. A most interesting and unusual case study!
**** stars. Reviewed July 19th/22
THE MAN WHO LOVED THE MIDNIGHT LADY
This 188 page collection contains over 30 stories and essays by the author. It was first published in 1980. This Kindle edition is from 2021, and is 249 pages. Most stories have a short afterword by the author. A few stories were written with Bill Pronzini.
On The Air is from 1976, and is 7 pages long. Malzberg can get inside the head of crazy people better than anyone else. Here he tackles a lonely man making his twice weekly call to a late night talk show personality. Perfectly done.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 18th/23
Here, For Just A While is from 1978, and is 6 pages long. A man plans the assassination of 3 returning astronauts, while his wife has an affair with a real murderer. A shiver inducing tale of madness twicefold.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 18th/23
In The Stocks is from 1977, and is 8 pages long. A gay man begins to dream about having sex with a woman. He is then exiled from his gay community.
* 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23
The Fifties is from 1978, an essay by the author, is 8 pages long. Malzberg bemoans how much great SF writing came out of the 1950s, and most of it totally forgotten. Some was as good as 'regular' fiction, but was totally ignored by the establishment.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23
The Man Who Married A Beagle is from 1977, and is 10 pages long. Harlan Ellison wrote "A Boy and His Dog" in 1975, so this story of a man divorcing his wife so he can live with his dog is really not that original. The man is a sick puppy, so to speak. The author considers it one of his best stories. I don't (and neither did the New Yorker).
** stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23
Big Ernie, The Royal Russian and The Big Trapdoor (Writers' Heaven) is from 1978, and is 5 pages long. Writers' Heaven is a gathering place for dead authors, with a 24 hour open bar. Hemingway meets Tolstoy. An interesting concept.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23
Ring, The Brass Ring, The Royal Russian, And I (Writers' Heaven) is from 1978, and is 5 pages long. Another episode of this mini series, which the author explains at the end of the 4th story that he wrote them during a particularly difficult summer for writing. We also find out in the final short afterword that the observing character is Damon Runyan, though many hints are dropped during the telling. The Ring is Ring Lardner, who, along with the many other great writers that make up this version of Heaven, keep us entertained throughout the pages. Fun.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23.
Of Ladies' Night Out, And Otherwise (Writers' Heaven) is from 1980, and is 5 pages long. Female writers, two of them here, make their appearance, and quarrel ceaselessly, eventually getting "eighty-sixed" from the bar. Not as much fun since there are only the two women, the narrator, and the bartender.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23
The Annual Once-A-Year Bash and Circumstance Party (Writers' Heaven) is from 1979, and is 7 pages long. The best of the batch, with the big party featuring many writers, both male and female, in attendance. The reason for the party, and the party itself, is quite hilarious. Unusually witty writing, and the whole affair is beautifully summed up by the end. All four stories are recommended reading.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23
The Appeal is from 1979, and is 7 pages long. A compulsive gambler is in deep debt to his bookie. As a last resort, he goes to his estranged mother's home to get a loan from her. First published in a mystery magazine.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23
Yarhzeit is from 1973, and is 3 pages long. A depraved story of a serial killer going about his business. Short, not sweet, but very well written.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23
Another Burnt-Out Case is from 1978, and is 11 pages long. Another one for a mystery magazine, this one sees the owner of a crude sideshow circus looking for a way out of his financial troubles. A good story, with a ridiculous tongue-in-cheek ending. The story took 8 1/2 years to finally get published.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23
I'm Going Through The Door is from 1976, and is 5 pages long. A SF fan writes to Jim Baen about a previous letter he wrote, which had been published as a story. Quite a funny tale.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23
Cornell is from 1972, and is 3 pages long. Dedicated to writer Cornell Woolrich, these ten brief scenarios give something of the hopelessness that that man's life became. Malzberg loves his writing, and tried to revive his novels. Today, some are in reprint.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 19th/23
On Account of Darkness is from 1977, and is 5 pages long. A salesman tries to sell the historical holographs of baseball to the Agency. Despite a hard sell, it at first appears that there is no sale. However, at the last minute, a small sum is offered for the product. A cynical tale that would not appeal to sports fans. Written with Bill Pronzini.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
Impasse is from 1976, and is 7 pages long. Fuzzy little aliens keep the narrator busy at his typewriter writing his memoirs. He can distract them this way indefinitely, so they won't take over the world. Definitely a Malzberg flavoured story.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
Varieties of Technological Experience is from 1978, and is 5 pages long. Fritz is sent to prison, unless he can come with a universal solvent. The problem being that no container would hold it. But Fritz solves the problem!
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
Varieties of Religious Experience is from 1979, and is 5 pages long. A petty crook robs a used car salesman and a fast food joint. Then he sets out to assassinate a US senator. Sold to Alfred Hitchcock's Magazine, there are some very funny moments.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
Inside Out is from 1978, and is 2 pages long. A man imagines himself as a serial killer in this very amusing murder story. Yes, there is an actual murder. Madness and Malzberg seem to go together so well.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
Line of Succession is from 1978, and is 5 pages long. Scoot
the felon can literally get away with almost any crime in the liberal
society in which he lives. But can Scoot get away with too many
crimes? Will his overseer take offense? What can be done with him?
Amusing crime story, with lessons we have never learned about criminals.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
Reaction/Formation is from 1979, and is 4 pages long. An other assassin story, about a madman who confers with a former senator about which senator to kill when he visits the White House. Another murder-mystery tale, Malzberg style.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
Indigestion is from 1977, and is 7 pages long. A serial cannibalist has eaten 255 people, in the hope that their presence within him will make him less lonely. A grisly but very funny story, and with a very rich and hilarious afterward by the author.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
A Clone At Last is from 1978, and is 2 pages long. A man who has trouble meeting women closes himself as a female, then waits 18 years to meet her. Very funny story, written with Bill Pronzini.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
Backing Up is from 1978, and is 4 pages long. A hit man loses his touch. Another funny tale.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
September 1958 is from 1980, and is 4 pages long. A man who is in contact with threatening Martians tries to date a woman in his college class.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
Into the Breach is from 1980, and is 5 pages long. A 47 year man man goes through a lot of trouble and red tape to return to himself at age 46. The bureaucrats are puzzled. Why just one year? It is a very unusual request. But it appears there is a reason; two, actually.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
On "Revelations" is an essay from 1976, and is 5 pages long. The author talks about his first novel, part of a loose trilogy on the Apollo program and NASA.
*** stars. Reviewed Feb. 20th/23
Thirty-Six Views of His Dead Majesty is from 1980, and is 16 pages long. A very strange piece of SF, as an astronaut is charged with visiting the ruins of a human city on Neptune to gain artifacts and plans they had been making for a star ship. The astronaut is, of course, mad.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 21st/23
The Trials of Sigmund is from 1980, and is 4 pages long. A short story eventually incorporated into the Freud novel, above.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 21st/23
The Man Who Loved The Midnight Lady is from 1977, and is 7 pages long. A man is trained for a bizarre job involving spying and catching criminals. The short inside story about the midnight lady is the best thing about this.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Feb. 21st/23
IN THE STONE HOUSE
A collection of 25 short stories from the 80s and 90s, published in 2000 with a modern afterword by the author. It is 357 pages long. There are no individual afterwards for each story like the book above.
Heavy Metal is from 1992, and is 13 pages long. Not being much for historical American politics, I think this one has to do with the 1968 US election, which Nixon won. I'm not sure of the point, or why it was republished.
* 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 16th/23
Turpentine is from 1991, and is 11 pages long. Again it is the latter part of the 1960s. A radical black group has taken over a nuclear facility, thinking they can bluff their way to getting what they want. But LBJ is losing his grip, and decides to do something radical himself.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 16th/23
Quartermain is from 1985, and is 9 pages long. This story bears a strong resemblance to parts of The Cross of Fire from 1982. It's a great little story from the 22nd Century about a man who thinks he is in a biblical scenario being tested so he can become a cult leader. However, despite the many warnings he is given, he believes in what he is doing, and thinks everyone is out to stop him. Crucifixion, anyone?
*** stars. Reviewed March 16th/23
The Prince of the Steppes is from 1988, and is 8 pages long. A telepathic Russian spy drives a cab in Washington, trying to find information on the infamous "D" bomb that a Russian scientist developed and took with him to America. Fearing it falling into capitalist hands, the Russians want it back. Like many Malzberg short stories, this one is well put together and pleasantly quirky. Told from the telepath's viewpoint, he speaks and thinks English like a Russian, with the proper words missing from sentences. A good story.
*** stars. Reviewed March 17th/23
Andante Lugabre is from 1993, and is 6 pages long. A group of musicians and other creative people get together at the beginning of WW II to see if they can do anything to help the European Jews escape Hitler. The cast includes a centenarian Tchaikovsky. In the end, they leave the Jews to get themselves out of it. A depressing story that pretty much sums up how American dealt with the war in Europe before getting involved after Pearl Harbor.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 17th/23.
Standards and Practices is from 1993, and is 6 pages long. A story about Emily Dickinson in modern times, who is a fan of the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay. Emily pines away about her lack of a love life. Odd.
** stars. Reviewed March 17th/23
Darwinian Facts is from 1990, and is 9 pages long. Jack Ruby tells his story in his own way. I know of no other fiction writer who gets more mileage out of the Kennedy assassination that Malzberg.
*** stars. Reviewed March 17th/23
Allegro Marcato is from 1994, and is 8 pages long. Arturo Toscanini manages the Yankees in the mid-20s, instead of running the orchestra. He has some difficulty with a slumping Babe Ruth. Odd but satisfying.
*** stars. Reviewed March 17th/23
Something From the 70s is from 1993, and is 5 pages long. Aliens question a human about American history in the 60s and 70s.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 17th/23
The High Purpose (written with Carter Scholz) is from 1985, and is 16 pages long. Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet are driving from LA to New York, and being followed by two assassins. Odd but fun.
*** stars. Reviewed March 18th/23
All Assassins is from 1989, and is 7 pages long. Lee Oswald is managing Kennedy's 1972 presidential nomination campaign. However, once nominated Kennedy backtracks on some of his major promises, causing Oswald some distress. Action must be taken. Another variation on a theme.
** stars. Reviewed March 18th/22
Understanding Entropy is from 1994, and is 4 pages long. A variation on the Faust theme, this time involving a man who wishes for something despite the future agony it will cause him.
** stars. Reviewed March 18th/23
Ship Full of Jews is from 1992, and is 9 pages long. Columbus is transporting a cargo of Jews to the New World, following their expulsion from Spain because of the Inquisition. The analogy to slavery is not lost, but these people are due to be sacrificed upon arrival. A disturbing story, which led me to some fact-finding regarding the real Inquisition at this time. Disturbing yeat again.
*** stars. Reviewed March 18th/23
Amos is from 1992, and is 7 pages long. A man goes crazy after being given too much power and say over policies being forwarded by the Institute. Not very fascinating reading.
* 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 18th/23
Improvident Excess is from 1992, and is 7 pages long. A hit man is given one final assignment, which he knows will be his last. But he plans to fight to the end.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 18th/23
Hitler At Nuremberg is from 1994, and is 5 pages long. Hitler is captured, too afraid to poison himself in the end. He is found guilty and imprisoned, despite the fact that, according to him, he didn't know anything about what was going on around him about killing Jews.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 18th/23
Concerto Accademico is from 1992, and is 5 pages long. A truly brilliant story about a rehearsal for the 9th Symphony of Vaughn Williams, involving a 2nd violinist and a dragon. Not to be missed. Written in memory of Sir Adrian Boult.
**** stars. Reviewed March 19th/23
The Intransigents is from 1991, and is 6 pages long. Another thinly disguised Kennedy assassination story, from a new angle.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 19th/23
Hieratic Realignment is from 1999, and is 11 pages long. A Jewish man thinks he has what it takes to become Messianic and become world leader of the Jewish faith. Once in power he begins to ease off some of the age old restrictions and taboos of the faithful. When he calls for a world congress and he must come up with a revelation or miracle, he suddenly becomes the Evil One. Weird.
*** stars. Reviewed March 19th/23
The Only Thing You Learn is from 1994, and is 4 pages long. See "Very Best Of...." below.
Police Actions is from 1991, and is 9 pages long. See "Very Best Of...." below.
Kingfish is from 1992, and is 11 pages long. See "Very Best Of...." below.
Fugato is from 1993, and is 7 pages long. A tribute to Leonard Bernstein, and what might have been had he been drafted and killed in WW II (like so many other artists and musicians).
*** stars. Reviewed March 19th/23
Minor League Triceratops is from 1994, and is 22 pages long. A time travel story, an unusual departure for Malzberg. A TV personality is given permission to go back in time and shoot a triceratops. He does shoot one, but the aftermath was not to be expected.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed March 19th/23
In The Stone House is from 1992, and is 26 pages long. What if Joe Kennedy, Jr. had not died in a WW II plane explosion, and had become President from 1952-56. Would it have caused him to end up assassinating JFK in Dallas in November 1963? Malzberg is endlessly fascinated by the Kennedy family and their doings, real and imaginary. If you think that the subject of politics can't make a good horror story, you have never read Malzberg. A classic.
**** stars. Reviewed March 20th/23
Afterward: The Sprawl of Intensity; The Intensity of Sprawl is 3 pages long.
PROBLEMS SOLVED
Published in 2003, this contains older stories of mystery and crime, as well as an introductory essay by Bill Pronzini, detailing his relationship with Barry Malzberg. There is an afterword by Malzberg, where he gives his side of working as a collaborator. There are 22 stories, most of them quite short. They were written in the 70s and 80s, except for a few that were written for this collection.
I Ought To Kill You mostly takes place in a quiet city bar, where a most unusual confrontation takes place. *** stars. Reviewed April 14th/23
A Matter of Life and Death concerns a man who writes for advice about whether or not there is an afterlife. ** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 14th/23
Multiples is about a man who is determined to kill his abusive wife. *** stars. Reviewed April 14th/23
A Matter of Survival is about two men who should be merging their businesses to stay afloat. However, a woman stands in their way. What to do? *** stars. Reviewed April 14th/23
Problems Solved is about an advice columnist who finally meets his match. A very clever story. *** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 14th/23
What Kind of Person Are You? A business owner shakes down some of his employees to pay off a debt incurred by a member of his family. He doesn't realize the irony in his last statement to the mob's bill collector. *** stars. Reviewed April 14th/23
Night Rider is the story driven to distraction by his wife's TV watching. It has its moments, but the ending is rather juvenile. ** stars. Reviewed April 14th/23
The Last Plagiarism is a clever short tale about a wronged man and his pursuit of justice. But once a loser than always a loser. *** stars. Reviewed April 15th/23
On Account of Darkness is reviewed above in "The Man Who Loved The Midnight Lady" story collection.
Birds of a Feather is told through letters between a man and a woman who correspond after joining a social pen pal sort of club for single adults. They both come to a similar end. ** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 15th/23
Another Burnt-Out Case is reviewed above in "The Man Who Loved The Midnight Lady" story collection.
Rebound is a terrific story about a basketball player who is subbed in during the last quarter and ends up winning the championship game for his team. After that game, he seems to disappear from the face of the Earth, until he is tracked down by the narrator, a sports writer. *** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 15th/23
Clocks is an hommage to Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," only this is the ticking clocks version. As usual, a nice little twist st the end. *** stars. Reviewed April 15th/23
Million-To-One Shot is about a grandfather talking to his grandson, trying to talk him out of murdering someone deserving. *** stars. Reviewed April 15th/23
Final Exam is the story of a modern Fagin trying to train a new generation of pickpockets. He dosns't have much luck with his newest recruit. *** stars. Reviewed April 23rd/23
The Lyran Case is the first story about a lunar customs inspector responsible for only allowing safe people into the Earth system. The inspector is a Sherlock Holmes type, able to solve strange and mysterious cases involving aliens who commit crimes. This first tale involves an alien and a suitcase, and is most amusing. *** stars. Reviewed April 16th/23
Whither Thou, Ghost? An alien tries to create a diversion so he can smuggle precious jewels past our trusty inspector, in this second SF detective tale. As lighthearted as the first. *** stars. Reviewed April 16th/23
Vanishing Point is the third tale of our trusty inspector, this time capturing a murderer who appears to have escaped his jail cell. A SF locked room mystery, with a quote about Sherlock Holmes in it. *** stars. Reviewed April 16th/23
Demolition, Inc. proves that anyone can make an honest mistake. But this mistake is costly to an innocent person. A very good story with a great ending. *** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 16th/23
The Man Who Loved Mystery Stories is about a man who ;loves mystery stories. Of course he ends up living through part of one of them. ** stars. Reviewed April 16th/23
Me and Mitch is one of the best stories in the collection. It takes place mostly in a working class bar in Brooklyn, and perfectly captures the mood of the 1950s in its tale of murder and a double disappearance. *** 1/2 stars. Reviewed April 16th/23.
Afterthought is about a man who cheats on his wife, sending her into suicide mode. ** stars. Reviewed April 16th/23
ON ACCOUNT OF DARKNESS And Other SF Stories
25 stories and a preface essay by the authors are included in this 2003 edition, lasting about 250 pages.
On Account of Darkness is reviewed above under "The Man Who Loved The Midnight Lady", above.
A Clone at Last is from "The Man Who Loved The Midnight lady," above.
"Do I Dare To Eat A Peach?" is from 1982, and is 8 pages long. A humourous story about an alien and a human trapped on a planet awaiting rescue.
*** stars. Reviewed may 8th/23
On The Nature of Time is from 1981, and is 6 pages long. A time travel paradox story. The Sins of the Father, and all that.
*** stars. Reviewed May 8th/23
Night Rider is from "Problems Solved," above.
Opening a Vein is from 1980, and is 2 pages long. A vampire enjoys one final meal before the world ends. Guess who gets to create it anew?
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed may 8th/23
Reading Day is from 1979, and is 4 pages long. Only 700 readers are left. Their visits are celebrated and treasured, though there are fanatics who want to kill them. Once they are gone, there will be no more reading from books.
*** stars. Reviewed May 8th/23
Fascination is from 1980, and is 10 pages long. A game is being played as aliens are landing on Earth to capture us and drag us off to the Pleiades. Or something like that. Classic Malzberg.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed may 9th/23
The Lyran Case, Whither Thou, Ghost, and Vanishing Point are all reviewed in "Problems Solved," above.
Out of Quarantine is from 1978, and is 4 pages long. A man is released from 6 years of being solo in space, and must pass one more test before he accepted back into the arms of humanity.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 9th/23
Shakespeare MCMLXXXV is from 1982, and is 8 pages long. Shakespeare tries to earn a living as a writer in 20th C. New York. He doesn't have much luck.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 9th/23
In Our Image is from 1981, and is 4 pages long. At long last, contact with an alien race is about to begin. How will it go?
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 9th/23
Another Burnt-Out Case is reviewed in "The Man Who Loved The Midnight Lady", above.
Inaugural is from 1976, and is 3 pages long. A man and woman lead a mission to the stars, with varying success.
*** stars. Reviewed May 9th/23
The Last One Left is from 1980, and is 6 pages long. Another Malzberg special, as everyone turns into a tentacled alien except the narrator of the story. Oh wait, he does, too.
*** stars. Reviewed May 10th/23
Coming Again is from 1975, and is 2 pages long. Another alien/crazy person story. An endless theme with Malzberg.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 10th/23
Multiples is reviewed under "Problems Solved," above.
Prose Bowl is reviewed as a full novel, above.
Final War is from 1968. See "Final War and Other Fantasies", above.
Epitaph is from 1983, and is 16 pages long, written by Bill Pronzini. A young man visits his father's gravesite on Mars.
*** stars. Reviewed May 10th/23
Toy is from 1985, and is 6 pages long, written by Bill Pronzini. An alien toy gets quickly out of hand once a young boy puts it together.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 10th/23
The Rec Field is from 1980, and is 9 pages long, written by Bill Pronzini. Two men working alone on a small planet construct a rec field for their own amusement, in their spare time. Or do they? Their supervisor, who visits them, doesn't seem to see it. Or is he trying to cheat the men by declaring them insane. Have it any way you wish.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed May 11th/23
The Hungarian Cinch is from 1976, and is 21 pages long, written by Bill Pronzini. Alien versus human pool shark, in a game played for big bucks. Quite funny.
*** stars. Reviewed May 11th/23
THE VERY BEST OF BARRY MALZBERG
This collection of 37 stories and an essay was published in 2013, and is 307 pages long. The forward essay is by Joseph Wzros.
A Galaxy Called Rome is from 1975, and is 14 pages long. It is the novelette version of the novel Galaxies (see above). It is a brilliant concept, about a story that a writer might or might not actually write, but if he did this is what he would do, and what he would include. Very well done.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 17th/22
Agony Column is from 1971, and is 6 pages long. A very funny, but very devastating, story that contains nothing but various letters written by a Mr. Martin Miller, and the various replies he gets, mostly form letters. A real gem.
**** stars. Reviewed October 17th/22
Final War is from 1968. See Final War and Other Fantasies, above.
The Wooden Grenade is from 2013. It is 13 pages long. A former soldier trainee carries around a hand grenade, following a life altering experience with a live one during his training. Characters who are totally mad has always been a Malzberg specialty, and this one is no exception.
*** stars. Reviewed October 17th/22
Anderson is from 1982, and is 11 pages long. A president, who was formerly an actor in numerous westerns (!) seems to be going quickly off the rails.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 18th/22
As Between Generations is from 1970, and is 2 pages long. What do I owe my father? What does my father owe me? Malzberg pens a unique essay on father/son relationships.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 18th/22
Death To the Keeper is from 1968. See Final War and Other Fantasies, above.
State of the Art is from 1974, and is 4 pages long.
The Only Thing You Learn is from 1994, and is 4 pages long. This SF story concerns an agent sent to take out a certain person. He goes in to a bar, leaves a token that will do the job, but the token does al ittle more than that. This story is dedicated to Cyrus Kornbluth.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 18th/22
Leviticus: In The Ark is from 1975, and is 10 pages long. In the year 5500 (or thereabouts), after a major Holocaust, a man finds himself trapped by the rituals of a Jewish Orthodox sect. He is not a happy camper.
** stars. Reviewed Oct. 18th/22
Police Actions is from 1991, and is 8 pages long. America (we presume) takes over a small country via a police action. A group of people are sent in to settle things down afterwards. Operation Pole Star, however, isn't everything it seems to be.
** stars. Reviewed Oct. 18th/22
Report To Headquarters is from 1975, and is 5 pages long. A man who has been studying the X'Thi on their home planet, and working on a glossary of terms, finds himself in grave trouble due to naturally occurring changes in the planet's cycle of life.
*** stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
The Shores of Suitability is from 2013, and is 2 pages long. An old man who once wrote an Ace Double novel, is having trouble with a college SF course he is taking. A pretty hilarious story.
*** stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
Hop Skip Jump is from 1988, and is 4 pages long. Two people have been sent to destroy New York. They have already destroyed Chicago and San Francisco, as well as a few smaller test cities. It is part of a jihad against sinners and their sins. But they don't complete the New York job.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
To Mark The Times We Had is from 1984, and is 2 pages long. An actor is hired for a role, which turns out to be a snuff role.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
What I Did To Blunt The Alien Invasion is from 1991, and is 4 pages long. A man has been told that aliens are taking over the planet. The story lists 9 things he did to try stop it, and make people aware of the invasion. A very typical Malzberg story.
*** stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
Shiva is from 1999, and is 5 pages long. A man is sent back in time to change history, as a type of learning assignment. He unsuccessfully meets John F Kennedy, as well as Pol Pot and de Gaulle.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
Rocket City is from 1982, and is 3 pages long. The space program is dead, since interstellar travel proved impossible. There is a theme park remaining with old rockets, but its popularity is dying. This is actually a very likely scenario of our future.
*** stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
Tap-Dancing Down the Highways and Byways of Life is from 1986, and is 4 pages long. A man is being trained to survive in a muggers' world, but his lack of cooperation doesn't help him to survive.
*** stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
Coursing is from 1982, and is 5 pages long. An evil king is undone by a female persona. Or is he? Malzberg channels Cordwainer Smith in this odd little oddity.
**1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
Blair House is from 1982, and is 7 pages long. Aliens have landed on the lawn of the White House and President Truman has to deal with the situation. He manages to pass the buck to a near future generation.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
Quartermain is from 1985, and is 8 pages long. An odd take on the Jesus legend.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
Playback is from 1995, and is 5 pages long. Based on a letter by Raymond Chandler, belittling the SF writers of his day. Malzberg uses the silly plot quoted by Chandler and writes a credible SF story based on it.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 19th/22
Corridors is from 1982, and is 11 pages long. Ruthven is an older, tired SF writer from the pulp days. He has finally had some financial success, but it came too late to help with the bitterness he feels about his life and his writing. This is a very moving tale about the "golden" days of SF pulp writing, and its effect on one writer. Recommended.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 20th/22
Icons is from 1981, and is 2 pages long. Robot Hemingways are not performing up to standards, and their owners are angry. They get them replaced with the new John F Kennedy models.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 20th/22
Something From The Seventies is from 1993, and is 5 pages long. Some political writing disguised (very loosely) as SF. A good summary of many notable events from the 60s and 70s, Not without humour.
*** stars. Reviewed Oct. 20th/22
Le Croix is from 1980, and is 31 pages long. This is the novella version of The Cross of Fire, from 1982. See above. A great quote from the story: "Take away the technology and the planet would kill us; take away the institutions and the technology would collapse. there is no way in which we can continue to be supported without the technology and the institutions...."
*** stars. Reviewed Oct. 21st/22
The Men's Support Group is from 2003, and is 10 pages long. Three tales of woe are shared at a men's support group.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 21st/22
Out From Ganymede is from 1972, and is 10 pages long. A lone astronaut has some real and imagined problems on his solo orbit of Ganymede.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 21st/22
Kingfish is from 1992, and is 10 pages long. A somewhat strange political tale taking place in the 1930s. The new president has to deal with the rise of the Nazis, and Hitler's intent to conquer and change the world. One way is to get rid of Hitler, by inviting him to the US and then assassinating him.
*** stars. Reviewed Oct. 22nd/22
Morning Light is from 1981, and is 4 pages long. A story that tries to understand the death by suicide of 51 poets.
** stars. Reviewed Oct. 22nd/22
The Men Inside is from 1972, and is 21 pages long. This is the earlier and much shorter version of the novel of the same name from 1973. See the full review above.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed October 22nd/22
Standing Orders is from 1993, and is 4 pages long. Luke Christmas is given therapy in the loony bin. He is President
one day, then Secretary of Defense on another day, and even Health and
Welfare director on another day. What he doesn't realize is that he
really is the President, and there are consequences to some of his
inactions.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 22nd/22
Most Politely, Most Politely is from 1992, and is 6 pages long. This is a very funny story relating letters to a future Ann Landers sort of person, and the replies given.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 22nd/22
Moishe In Excelsis is from 1994, and is 6 pages long. Satan tries to rise. Or something like that. Pretty hard to read, or enjoy.
** stars. Reviewed Oct. 22nd/22
Heliotrope Bouquet Murder Case is from 1997, and is 3 pages long. A sad little story concerning Scott Joplin.
*** stars. Reviewed Oct. 23rd/22
The Lady Louisianna Toy is from 1993, and is 11 pages long. Malzberg manages to write the worst pulp SF story I have ever read. A dreadful thing, and it took me forever to get through it. Of course he is trying to do much more, but who cares? What a way to end this collection. It does contain one gem-like quote: "There is no difference between what exists and what we would have exist that cannot be patched over by technology, lies, the insistence of our dreams."
* 1/2 stars. Reviewed Oct. 23rd.
READY WHEN YOUR ARE AND OTHER STORIES
A just published collection from 2023, it contains an introduction, 19 stories, and 19 afterwords, all written by the author.
The Twentieth Century Murder Case is from 1980, and is 5 pages long. Though short, these stories are dense with matter. This is an ingenious crime caper, with a most unusual victim.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 11th/23
Reason Seven is from 1985, and is 8 pages long. A different kind of wartime story, from a front we don't usually hear about.
*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 11th/23
Playback is from 1990, and is 5 pages long. See The Very Of B. M., above. Malzberg tries to make something out of trash, via a letter that Raymond Chandler once wrote to his publisher about SF writing.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 11/23
Coursing is from 1982, and is 5 pages long. See The Very Of B. M., above.
Folly For Three is from 1991, and is 7 pages long. A real life kind of live theatre is interrupted by a madman murderer.
*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 11th/23
Posar: With The Aliens is from 1997, and is 5 pages long. Malzberg's tribute to Alfred Bester, a SF author with whom I am currently unfamiliar. Though something tells me that if Malzberg liked him, then I should investigate. However, I found this story almost unreadable.
* star. Reviewed Sept. 11th/23
Demystification of Circumstance is from 1979, and is 4 pages long. A funny story written as a tribute to yet another author. This time it is Robert Sheckley. A lone scout spaceman lands on an asteroid and is kept prisoner by talking and thinking rocks. Or is he?
*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 11th/23
Reparations is from 1982, and is 6 pages long. A cynical tale about a paid assassin getting rid of bad guys one by one, and finally burning out.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 12th/23
The Trials of Rollo is from 1982, and is 3 pages long. A humourous tale of a man travelling back through time to have a second chance at winning the love of his life, since he failed the first time. A calibration problem with the machine brings him back, but now he has a new problem.
*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 12th/23
Tap-Dancing Down the Highways and Byways of Life is from 1986, and is 5 pages long. See The Very Of B. M., above.
What We Do On Io is from 1983, and is 4 pages long. Bored Kinglies try to amuse themselves with a few tried and true methods: invisibility, telepathy, teleportation, and so on. Too boring. But the agency is finally willing to try something different.
** 1/2 stars.
O Thou Last and Greatest! is from 1989 and is 6 pages long. A Writers' Heaven story, with the present author as the narrator. SF is not well represented in Heaven.
** 1/2 stars.
On The Heath is from 1992, and is 4 pages long. A strange mishmash of Aladdin and Lear, with the Fool as the go between. Sometimes the afterword is better than the actual story.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 12th/23
Grand Tour is from 1992, and is 14 pages long. Another genie and three wishes story, a tragic comedy about a divorced man approaching 50 who is at the end of his rope. Even after getting his three wishes, he is depressed and still at the end of his rope. Why? Because he is who he is, and he did not wish for any kind of real change.
*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 13th/23
Ready When You Are is from 1999, and is 5 pages long. A Hollywood fantasy, at least one felt by a young teenage boy. Cynical and dark.
** 1/2 stars. Reviewed Sept. 13th/23
Anderson is from 1982, and is 13 pages long. See The Very Of B. M., above.
Celebrating is from 1987, and is 6 pages long. Quite a charming tale about a man with a gifted young daughter, who teaches him a very important lesson.
*** stars. Reviewed Sept. 13th/23
Rocket City is from 1982, and is 2 pages long. See The Very Of B. M., above.
The Shores of Suitability is from 1982, and is 3 pages long. See The Very Of B. M., above.
Shiva is from 1999, and is 6 pages long. See The Very Of B. M., above.
COLLABORATIVE CAPERS
Published in 2023, the volume contains 25 stories that Malzberg wrote with different authors. There is a short interview at the beginning between the editor and Malzberg. The volume is 273 pages long. Most of the stories are pretty short, with the longest being about 20 pages. It is quite a fascinating collection, with Malzberg's voice sounding very clearly in many of the stories, and more subdued in others. It is a collection probably best read a few stories at a time, rather than as a novel, which is how I read it. Two stories are connected; the rest are individual. There is a story about the Mona Lisa, another two about Van Gogh's painting Starry Night (Stars Nit), one that mimics the writing of Falkner, there is a tie in to Cheever, as well as a story about Mozart. Of course the Kennedy assassination (attempt) is also in there, and a few with Jewish themes. Many stories are light-hearted, though, like the final one, sometimes have a serious underlay. All in all a very worthwhile collection to acquire and to read.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed November 17th/23
THE ENGINES OF THE NIGHT
A collection of essays published in hardcover in 1982, lasting 199 pages. Most of these very short essays were published elsewhere around 1980. Malzberg, as usual, tells it like it is (was), giving a good handle on what it was like to write SF in the 40s, 50, and 60s. There are some fun essays, and some very bitter ones. Both kinds are very well written and required reading for fans of the history of the genre. I have many favourites, among them being the chapter discussing Cornell Woolrich, two essays on the 50s, one called Science Fiction as Picasso, the obit essay for Mark Clifton, and a chapter giving his ten best SF stories of all time (to 1980). I'd only read read two of them! A pretty amazing and wonderful collection. He has an updated collection of essays that I am greatly looking forward to reading. The final essay in this collection, the longest, tells the tale of a typical pulp SF writer from the time. Unforgettable.
**** stars. Reviewed may 14th/24
BREAKFAST IN THE RUINS
Published in 2007, Breakfast In The Ruins is a direct sequel to Engines of the Night. Published in 2007, Engines is included for a total page count of 396. Each book is thus close to 198 pages. More essays on SF can be found here, dating from the 80s and 90s mostly. Often Malzberg's writing does not get to much of a point, while at other times he scores direct hits. His essay on Ballard is an example of both in one, as the text seems to wander about for a while before zeroing in on why Ballard's writing matters, and what effect it had on later writers. However, he totally dismisses the early novels, such as The Crystal World, as being too derivative of early British SF disaster writing. Hmm. Not quite, Mr. Malzberg.
Many writers and editors are discussed, and the name dropping is quite astonishing. It was a small world indeed for SF writers back in the day when almost all stories were first published in magazines. The history of SF writing is not so very complicated, as separate essays on Asimov and Campbell illustrate. Those two writers/editors largely influenced most of the SF that was written in the 50s, for example. For anyone well read in older SF, this book will be a treasure to keep and reread. Highly recommended, especially if you get the edition with both collections.
Engines ended with a fictional short story about a characteristic SF writer from the 50s, as he ages and realizes that what he has done with his life has little or no meaning (written well before Kindle editions of practically everything ever published began to come out). In Breakfast he writes a sequel to that story, taking the writer to his final bedroom scene, where he exits, forever. The two stories neatly summarize what it must have been like to have been a SF pulp writer. One doesn't even need to read the essays to find out. But do read them.
**** stars. Reviewed June 13th/24
THE BEND AT THE END OF THE ROAD
Another good collection of short essays by Malzberg concerning SF writing in the 50s. Lamenting the demise of SF and trying to reason why might drive a person crazy. Tolkien, Star Wars, and Star Trek seem to be the main cause, as well as editors who only accepted certain types of SF for publication. The great comeback in the 60s was due to the British, mostly Moorcock's New Worlds publications, and withing that, thanks mostly to Ballard. This collection, published in 2018 and lasting for 205 pages, contains essays written between 2007-17. It apparently did not help that more than one Hugo was given out to works that were not SF at all.
Malzberg is one of the most creative and funniest writers of SF I have come across in the Avon Rediscovery Series.
After reading even a few of his works, it can be seen why he did not become more famous as a writer--his stuff does not fit the category of SF that editors had been hammering into young minds since day one. However, it is a shame that he did not even attempt to talk about some modern SF writers. Given the dates of the essays, he does not discuss a single contemporary writer. Not good, Mr. Malzberg.
After reading even a few of his works, it can be seen why he did not become more famous as a writer--his stuff does not fit the category of SF that editors had been hammering into young minds since day one. However, it is a shame that he did not even attempt to talk about some modern SF writers. Given the dates of the essays, he does not discuss a single contemporary writer. Not good, Mr. Malzberg.
Still, these essays are essential reading for people interested in 50s SF, and in discovering why SF writing disappeared (think dragons and elves). You'll laugh, you'll cry, but you will continue to read the next essay, until there are no more. Highly recommended for readers of this blog.
*** 1/2 stars. Reviewed July 10th/24
THE LONE WOLF SERIES
BOOK 1: NIGHT RAIDER
From 1973 comes this 166 page first of 14 volumes about a lone man trying to end the drug scene in New York. Good luck with that. One would have to be a murderer, a sadist, and a masochist. Bert Wulff fits the bill. A former Vietnam vet, he becomes a drug cop in New York. But because he tries to play it straight, he makes few friends around the department. He is shipped back to a patrol car, and is called to the scene of his girlfriend, killed by an overdose. He knows that she was not a user, and suspects the cartel of using her to get back at him. Not likely. More likely it was the NYPD that set it all up. That might be made clear later, but in this first volume he goes after the cartel, after turning in his badge.
Malzberg takes us on a journey in this first book, as Wulff begins with the small fry. The street corner pusher has to pay off his collector. Wulff captures them both, tormenting them until they give the name of who they report to. After disposing of them, he goes up the line. And so on, until he gets the top man that we know of so far. Six murders later, he still hasn't done much to clear up the trade. But give him time. Though he is a lone wolf, he gets some help from a black rookie cop who partnered with him for a time.
Wulff is tough as nails, and reminds me a bit of a loose cannon version of Doc Savage. The book is filled with violence of the vigilante kind, and moves along smartly. It is an easy read, and follows a logical path up the chain of command. There are virtually no women in major roles in book one. This is a man's world. It is a guilty pleasure to see the big men squirm under Wulff's unkindly intentions towards them, after acting so self assured and superior prior to meeting him. Not great writing, but I'm sure the style will evolve.
*** stars. Reviewed August 10th/23
#2: BAY PROWLER
From 1973 comes the 155 page sequel to the first book. Malzberg was commissioned to write ten novels in the series within a year. He did! He even managed to keep the series alive for four additional sequels, before finally killing off the hero. It is a strange series, called in the industry "revenge porn." A uniquely American trait is the lone hero battling the bad guys against all odds. Or is it American? What about Lone Wolf and Cub? Zatoichi? Yojimbo? Of course, American westerns featured such lone heroes from decades ago. But this series relies heavily on guns. The body counts are high,and the bad guys often suffer at Burt Wulff's hands. Be he gets the job done. What is the job? To mess up the drug supply chain as much as possible.
Whereas the first novel took place in NYC, the second one moves to San Francisco. Along with the geographical change, a big change comes over Wulff. He calls himself a dead man, since so many people are gunning for him. And since losing his girlfriend to a drug overdose, he has no feelings left whatsoever. But at the very beginning he meets a woman who, by the middle of the book, has reawakened things in him he thought were gone forever. So he is now part way on the road to becoming human again. But how many people can you gun down, self defense or otherwise, and still remain sane? We shall see as the action packed series continues. At least as good as the first book, and perhaps a bit better.
*** stars. Reviewed October 19th/23
#3: BOSTON AVENGER
The book is a direct continuation from Wulf's San Francisco adventure. This time the mayhem he causes happens to be in Boston. A good story, this 155 page novel is from 1973, as Malzberg cranks them out but maintains a unique style and definite narrative flow. Wulf is only able to accomplish what he does through his belief that he is a dead man anyway, so taking huge risks is never a problem if there is a chance they might come off. One of the more riskier tricks he pulls off is to retrieve a briefcase filled with heroin from a convoy of four police cars on their way to the downtown station with a suspect in custody. The entire action scene is a complete movie setup. We have seen so many police chases in movies that it's not difficult to visualize this madcap adventure, which ends quite differently than movie chases. This ends up being one of the better parts of the book, and does convince us at last that Wulf is a madman after all. Lots of killing and shooting, it runs along similar lines to many Samurai gangster films. A good addition to the extended series. At the end of the book Wulf is on his way back to New York, possibly to look for his girlfriend's murderer. Stay tuned for more adventure.
*** stars. Reviewed January 13th/24
#4: DESERT STALKER
Burt Wulf hits Vegas with a bang in this 165 page 1973 thriller. Malzberg hit his stride in this series a while back, and the roller coaster life of the lone vigilante keeps the pace moving forward. Though all the books are loosely connected, they are not tied down to the same characters. In fact, most of the main characters are dead by the end of each novel in which they appear. This time Wulf takes on the Vegas racket, and takes a hotel and its crooked proprietor hostage. Just when it seems like the story will focus round a kind of unusual hostage situation, it explodes into a major pulp fiction action adventure tale. Again the car chase is unique, and the way it is resolved. Hollywood seems to know only one type of car chases; Malzberg is way ahead of them. At one point we see a bit of life come back into Wulf, who has been essentially a machine since the overdose death of his new York girlfriend. He has another female friend from two books ago, whom he met in San Francisco and managed to pull away from drugs. He calls her in a moment of desperation, badly needing to talk to someone. And so we are confronted with at least a trace of humanity reawakening in the man.
The book ends with an afterword by the author, from 2022.
*** stars. Reviewed February 19th/24
#5: HAVANA HIT
From 1974 comes the next book, Havana Hit, in the exciting series of adventures undertaken by Burt Wulf, vigilante. It is 154 pages. Formally of the NYPD narcotics squad, and before that a Vietnam veteran, Wulf is out to single handed take down the drug trade in America. So far he is doing a pretty good job, too. Though this one has its share of murder and explosions, and even a sort of car chase, it is a much more restrained story than the previous ones. Leaving Las Vegas for New York with his valise of recaptured heroin, Wulf's plane is hijacked to--where else--Cuba. Virtually everyone there who comes in contact with the valise becomes instantly corrupted by the financial possibilities. Wulf wants his captured valise back, where he has plans to take it to New York, where it had been stolen from the evidence room at the precinct by a bad cop. But he has his work cut out for him in Havana. There is a lot more introspection and existentialism in this novel, mostly involving thinking about death. Wulf is helped by an American freelancer, before ultimately being betrayed by him. For the second time we see Wulf getting close to someone, but this relationship goes sour at the end. As usual, Malzberg's writing can get the reader's blood flowing quickly and the heart pounding at times. Chapters often fly past without readers even knowing they have begun a new one. A good series so far, and definitely a guilty pleasure. Still, it's not that much different from a good samurai tale.
*** stars. Reviewed March 14th/24
#6: CHICAGO SLAUGHTER
#6 is from 1974 (Malzberg is writing one of these per month) and is 165 pages long. The tone of the books is shifting. Wulf is now sick and tired of killing, and the killings that he does undertake get more and more difficult. He is on his way to Chicago with his now famous briefcase of pure cut heroin. He wants to turn it into the DA there, where a grand jury is trying to get to the bottom of the country's drug problem. But as the story moves along, sometimes over familiar ground and sometimes not, Wulf begins to realize that the system is rotten from top to bottom. The Chicago DA gets his orders from that city's drug kingpin. Wulf goes through an amazing thought process at one point where he realizes that even the Vietnam war is being fought so that the supply of drugs from Asia can continue, rather than be stopped in its tracks by the Communists. And closer to home it appears that the CIA wants the drug trade to continue, though reasons for that are obscure.
His one time partner on the NYPD, Williams, is badly knifed on an undercover operation, and spends much of the book in hospital. But he finally wakes up to the fact that Wulf has been right all along--the system is rotten, and it's rigged. Today we might ask "So what else is new?" There is a short postlude by the author at the novel's completion.
*** stars. Reviewed April 20th/24
#7: PERUVIAN NIGHTMARE
Peruvian Nightmare is from 1974 and is 137 pages long. The story picks up directly after #6 in this series, about a lone wolf out to exterminate the North American drug trade after his girlfriend was killed by an overdose. Burt Wolf lands in Peru, where he is trapped in a large hotel. The bad guy from book 6, Calabrese, just wanted Wulf out of the country and out of his hair, be realizes too late that he should have had him killed instead. Wulf is helped out by the hotel owner, who has a little job for him, and who promises to get him out of the country at the same time. Book 7 includes a narrative recap of many of the events that happened in earlier books, but finally gives us some details about his relationship with his deceased girlfriend. The book spends a lot of time inside Wulf's head, and the killings, though still a goodly number of them, seem to take a backseat to the man's introspective life. In Peru Wulf takes a bus to Cuzco, where his bus is ambushed by Calabrese's men. He is ambushed again at the climax of the novel, on a narrow ledge along a high mountain trail. The death of two horses in this scene is very unpleasant, and is treated in a thoughtless and mostly carefree way. Kill all the bad people that you want, but leave the animals alone, svp. We are now halfway through the series, and so far Malzberg is able to make each story not only different, but interesting and fun to read. Let's hope that Wulf succeeds in eliminating the drug trade, and that in 2024 there will not be anymore overdose deaths (add heavy sarcasm to preceding statement).
** 1/2 stars (down half a star for killing horses). Reviewed August 9th/24
#8: LOS ANGELES HOLOCAUST
From 1974 comes the 152 page continuation of the story of Burt Wulf, as he attempts to single-handedly wipe out the drug trade in America. From its gruesome title, Los Angeles Holocaust, I was expecting a very high body count this time around. Alas, there wasn't. The set up seemed to indicate there would be. Recently escaped from Peru, Wulf makes his way to LA with two million dollars worth of heroin. He's hoping it will lead him to some kingpin who he can wipe out. He gets together with his San Francisco girlfriend, but things don't go well (two bodies so far in the count). He calls up his former police buddy, Williams, who heads west with a virtual arsenal to help out Wulf. Williams is waylaid on a lonely stretch of highway. Two more bodies are left behind. They meet up in LA at a racetrack (a classic Malzberg setting), and hide out in a very constrained trailer park. They don't get along, and soon Wulf wishes he were alone again. After three assassins fail in their attempt at killing the pair (total book body count is seven), they split up and Williams heads east again, with the arsenal unused. So no holocaust. But when Williams is kidnapped by arch enemy Calabrese, Wulf decides its time to head to Chicago and settle the score. A solid entry in the series, as we watch Wulf continue to spiral down into the deepest layers of madness, exploring unknown circles of Hell and seeming to know no other way forward.
*** stars. Reviewed September 15th/24
#9: MIAMI MAURADER
From 1974 comes the approximately 137 page continuing saga of Burt Wulf, and his one man crusade against the American drug trade. Barry has four main characters in this story, and at least five intertwining chapters are devoted to each. Wulf, of course, is the main character. He has finally set out to kill Calabrese, the other main character, a 73 year old Mafia kingpin. He, in turn, is out to kill Wulf. Calabrese holds two trump cards to Wulf's one. Calabrese holds Williams, a black cop who is a friend to Wulf, and a young girl, a former lover of Wulf, as hostages. Wulf himself holds as bag of pure cocaine that Calabrese wants. There is a lot of inner dialogue in this book, as each of the four characters examines their situation, and encounters philosophy along the way.
The violence, or should I say slaughter, occurs near the end of the book, as the four characters finally come together in one geographical location. Unfortunately, one of the two minor characters is killed during the event. And of the major characters is killed at the very end, in a version of cheap justice by the author (hint: it's not Wulf, because there are still several books remaining).
So the book is a bit slow in places, as Malzberg (writing as Barry) tries to fill the required pages for his contract. But when the action begins, it is worthy of the best violent movie scenes ever created. While the Lone Wolf books are hardly masterpieces, they do fill in a lot of info about the Seventies, and the Vietnam War. Though I lived through both, I am always learning more about those times, and often from Malzberg (including in his SF writing).
*** stars. Reviewed October 28th/24
#10: HARLEM SHOWDOWN
From 1975 comes the 168 page sequel we've all been waiting for. Burt Wulf returns to New York to figure out his next move. He has taken out kingpin after kingpin, and lived to tell the tale. Lying low in a Harlem rooming house, he begins to take on small time dealers, before realizing that his game is up. He has done all that one man could ever hope to do. Malzberg, in an afterword, says the same thing. Events could not continue, as they just began to repeat themselves. What to do next? Williams, the ex-friend of Wulf, is back on the NYPD force, this time part of a special unit to find and capture Wulf. They were once patrol car partners, until Wulf left the force. Wulf finally figures out who killed his girlfriend, even though we've strongly suspected it from the start. He goes after the bad lieutenant cop, and the end comes soon afterwards. I won't spoil the ending, but it's got to be either Williams or Wulf, right? Wrong. Mostly. Let's just say that with four books remaining in the series, Wulf likely isn't going to die. I have a feeling I know what will happen to him, and it involves some kind of arrangement with the police. There is a lot of introspection in this story, something that has been happening more and more in the series. Malzberg is good at writing about inner thinking, especially within crazy minds. The series will continue for a bit longer, but likely with a different spin on things.
*** stars. Reviewed November 9th/24
#11: DETROIT MASSACRE
Originally contracted for ten books, the series made it to 14. Detroit Massacre does take place in Detroit, though there is no massacre. From 1975, the novel is 152 pages long. Detroit was still humming in 1975, but one would never know it from this novel. Hudson's was still downtown, and the Ren Cen was being built. Obviously the author had never been there, as the city is so sketchily represented as to be laughable. The absence of a massacre in Detroit (there are two murders, and a man dies in an explosion) left me scratching my head. Who wrote the titles for these books? Malzberg, as noted frequently in this blog, can get inside the head of a crazy person better than almost any other writer. Burt Wulf is going mad, and is beginning to crack at the seams. So is a Detroit police lieutenant, who totally goes off the deep end. Heroin is being smuggled into Canada hidden inside new Cadillacs, but the perfect system gets disrupted when an assembly line worker spots a bag sitting in a half assembled car. From there things go downhill rapidly. Meanwhile back in New York Wulf is being held in solitary until the system can figure out what to do with him. With help from his cop friend Williams he manages to escape and make his way to Detroit. Wulf's method of cleaning up the distribution of heroin there is to blow up the vast Cadillac assembly plant. Go figure. Not the best in the series, but still readable. Three more books to go.
*** stars. Reviewed December 6th/24
Page was proof read on March 13th/19
Mapman Mike
