Customer Reviews (1)

Quick read, quick plot- left in the dust
'He was "The Visitor"... In a society revolutionized by a transportation device that let you walk through a door and be anywhere in the world -- instantly.
He was "The Visitor"... At a time when unauthorized travel had caused the violent death of millions and all others quaked in paranoid fear.
He was "The Visitor"... In a world where invasion of privacy was the ultimate crime and an obsession for visiting places he had no right to be led him to a perilous adventure toward his own destruction.'

What was once a novella, Robert Silverberg encouraged Brunnner to make this into a novel. It turned out to be 148 pages, but with spacious gaps between chapters, it's more like 128 pages. Regardless of the hokey synopsis and the familiar plot, Brunner takes the story to a new level. Niven has walked to same shoes before and make a lackluster deal of it all. Brunner forms a plot which is more in depth and has finer nuances than Niven. Still, however, it (predictably because of the length) reads choppy as the plot goes from locale to locale and scenario to scenario with quick succession. It was such a rapid read that I read it in one day and even had time to read 100 pages of another book. Once at the end, the dialogue turns into a rambling monologue and even then some plot-points are left unanswered. It easily could have been an additional 10 pages to draw out the plot and to make a decent ending. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not one of his better collections
Entry to Elsewhen - John Brunner

This slim volume - 172 pages - republished three of author Brunner's early science fiction stories. All three first appeared in British science fiction magazines.

"Host Age" concerns a plague in near future London. Medical science is baffled as to its origins or cure. Promising attempts to find a remedy are mysteriously throttled. The issue is eventually resolved when a man from the future appears and explains it all to the dumfounded readers.

"Lungfish" is the most interesting of the three stories. After 40 years the second generation of colonist, all born on a starship, decide that colonizing an unknown world is too risky and refuse to leave the ship. The first generation, that must return to Earth with the ship, are confounded by this turn of events. I found the ending very contrived.

"No Other Gods but Me" the longest story at 80 pages was a chore to read. The story concerns an attempted invasion by a barbarian-like dictator with "super-powers" from a parallel universe under the guise of a religious cult rally, in of all places, Washington Square, New York City.

This collection by John Brunner (1934-95) is quite frankly not a very good showcase for his considerable talents as a science-fiction writer. Not surprising this book has only been published twice 1972 and 1975. The only saving grace of my 1975 edition is an amazing cover by Josh Kirby.

As a long time admirer of his fiction I was interested in reading some of his early shorter stories. I would only recommend this volume to hard core Brunner fans.

One Masterpiece and two subpar novellas by John Brunner
This collection contains three 1950s short stories/novelettes expanded and modified from their original magazine form for this volume.Although two of the three are average/bad, `Lungfish' (1957) remains one of my favorite short stories of all time and proved very influential for later science fiction stories concerning the effects on children growing up in the restricted stimulus deficient environment of a generation ship...

(2/5) `Host Age', first published in New Worlds SF, 1955.There's not much remotely interesting/above average about this 50 page tale.A plague strikes a near future earth.An unusual burglary with no point of entry occurs destroying a medical research facility.It's up to the doctor in charge of finding the cure to the Plague to piece together the puzzle -- which is somewhat obvious to the reader.There's a semi-twist at the end -- but, it falls short of anything revelatory or impressive. In short, simplistic, straightforward, and poorly written run-of-the-mill 1950s sci-fi...

(5/5) `Lungfish', first published in Science Fantasy, 1957.This has always been one of my favorite short stories and worth the acquisition of this volume.In part, because of the subject matter: generation ships.In part, because of Brunner's delivery.And, in part, because of it's influence on the genre: evidenced by Ursula Le Guin's short story `Paradises Lost' -- in the recent collection, The Birthday of the World -- which expands on Brunner's premise with a few more generations and a more modern delivery.What happens when the offspring of the original generation ship colonists don't want to settle their new world?I won't spoil this one!He should have expanded these concepts into a full length book.It really shows John Brunner's growing interest in social science fiction which later manifests itself so powerfully in works such as Stand on Zanzibar (1969).

(0.5/5) `No Other Gods But Me', first published as A Time to Rend inScience Fantasy, 1956.Colin and Vanessa run into each other late at night in London -- Colin had seen her before in Australia.But, Colin is recovering from a panic attack and its accompanying hallucinations so he doesn't know if what he sees is real.After a bizarre experience together involving hypnosis and a mysterious man, they head in different directions.They meet again in America -- Vanessa is married to a member of the creepy cult, `The Real Truth -- an athropocentric religion which claims that man is the greatest thing in the universe, and anything you can conceive you can achieve.They slowly discover that their lives are being manipulated -- the reader gets bored and asks repeatedly, why does this have to be the longest novella in the collection?It's at this point that I set it down -- no wonder I didn't remember the story the first time I read the collection 6 or so years ago -- and give up.I'll read most Brunner science fiction no matter how bad it is, but this is unacceptable.Feels kind of like a creepy fantasy examination of Scientology...Boring/worthless/silly.

Brief Concluding Thoughts
So, in short, this collection is worthwhile ONLY for `Lungfish' (1957) which is an absolutely wonderful, engaging, though provoking, and well written read.The other stuff is shallow and predictable.I've found that John Brunner excels when discussing the social ramifications of technology.So, read `Lungfish' -- ignore the rest. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Lost in Space and On Earth
The apparent inability of ever achieving FTL (faster than light)travel and manned voyages to the stars has not deterred a legion of writers from exploring this well used science-fiction theme. John Brunner (1935-95) made a living writing books and stories concerning interstellar adventures.

In "More Things In Heaven" an "experimental" technique for FTL travel is used to send the first group of human explores to a nearby star system. David Drummond, ace science reporter and brother of one of the explores, informs us that the FTL drive "somehow" travels in another plane of dimension. It's bogus-scientific mumbo-jumbo but upon this "fact" the plot unwinds.

The story opens with the return of the starship after a voyage of several years. Dave travels to the spaceport to greet his brother and is shocked to see him walking down the street when his ship is still decelerating out by Pluto. Strange news reports are received telling of nighttime apparitions like `Northern Lights" in the form of monsters. Dave's "hot-ticket" Spanish girl friend is freaked out when she sees her brother - also a passenger on the starship. It would be unfair to say anymore less I spoil the story for potential readers.

Brunner keeps you interested in this story by doling out details and revelations until the not too unexpected conclusion. Nicely plotted and recommended.

In 1963 Ace published a double novel paperback with "The Astronauts Must Not Land" by John Brunner and flipped over another Brunner novel "The Space-Time Juggler". Readers familiar with John Brunner will not be surprised that "The Astronauts Must Not Land" at 138 pages was expanded and published under a different title, "More Things in Heaven" (1973) at 221 pages. Brunner has done the many times and those of us that are collectors and bibliographers rejoice.

Some may ask, well, was the upgrade and refurbishment an improvement or was it putting lipstick on a pig. Since I have read both versions I will keep my own council but I can say I am a fan of Brunner and I enjoyed both.

back jacket summary
from the back cover of the of the Daw Feb 1987 paperback edition
Cover art by John Harris
When the exploratory spaceship Starventure had soared to the stars in search of new worlds for mankind, top science journalist David Drummond had been proud that his own brother Leon was part of the crew.Now Starventure was back in the solar system, heading for its long-awaited rendezvous with Earth.
And suddenly the logical, scientific foundations of David's world were falling apart.For though he knew his brother was still millions of miles away, David also knew that he had seen Leon walking the streets of Earth that very day.And before long, the whole world would know what David was about to discover.Something was terribly wrong aboard Starventure, something that could change the entire future of all humankind!

Beyond the veil
John Brunner is an ideas writer. And while this novel is a little lighter -- and somewhat sillier -- than other of his books I've read, the idea behind it is worth considering. Focusing on the return of a spaceflight that had experimented with a new kind of drive that drew on parallel planes (or hyperspace), Brunner's book considers what might happen if such an experiment gently rent the space between the planes. The book takes some time gearing up to the big a-ha and accelerates even faster to the end, but the spiritual/philosophical overtones aren't heavy handed. A quick read, and fun. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Quality Early Brunner
Meeting at Infinity (1961) is a top notch effort which can be read both as fast paced adventure story or a scathing attack on pure capitalism.Likewise, John Brunner successfully turns the cliché of the noble primitive society-prevalent in so many works of the 50s and 60s-completely on its head (a theme he returns to in his masterpiece Stand on Zanzibar, 1969).

Plot Summary (rather minimal spoilers)

The Market looms above a city of twelve million still partially paralyzed by the devastation caused by the White Death. This horrific disease came was introduced through the indiscriminate use of the Tacket Principle.This Principle allows passage between an infinity of parallel worlds (at various stages of development).Because of the contamination brought from another parallel world, The Directors, a group of merchant princes, franchise out the use of the Tacket Principle to trusted individuals.These merchant princes journey to various parallel worlds in search of technology and food (to import back to the home world)The entire world survives ONLY by taking advantage of various peoples they encounter in parallel worlds.The city itself is dominated by various factions who survive by collecting information for various merchant princes who are constantly fighting other merchant princes.

The plot follows a jumble of characters who slowly uncover information about the world of Akkilmar.Akkilmar, a seemingly primitive peaceful altruistic society, supplies technology to Ahmed Lynken, the merchant prince who first "discovered" them.The famous physician, Jome Kenard, purchased a piece of equipment from Ahmed Lynken (from Akkilmar) to treat a serious burn patient (Alyn Vage) who develops peculiar skills despite being completely bandaged.I best not reveal the rest!

My Thoughts

John Brunner adeptly weaves the various narrative threads together (although initially they seem impossibly disparate).I'm still not exactly sure of the point of the bizarre prologue.By far the most interesting concept developed is the purely capitalistic state which utilizes colonialism in its most basic form in order to survive which is, subjected in turn to similar impulses under a drastically different guise.Don't expect well rounded characters.But, there's great action and the plot unfolds nicely!There are also some harrowing images.Tacket, the creator of the Tacket Principle, is completely vilified by the populace since his discovery resulted in the White Death.Despite the fact that the limited use of his principle is the ONLY way which society is maintained, various cults have emerged in opposition to the merchant princes.These cultists pound nails into the mouth of wooden carvings of Tacket!

John Brunner, within the constraints of early 60s pulp science fiction, produces a remarkable (forgotten) little gem. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Uninteresting and Improbable
I have read approximated 20 novels by John Brunner (1934-95) and consider him to be one of finest writers of science fiction and one of the most unappreciated. It is with some regret that, in my opinion, this novel is not one of his better efforts. Frankly it was a chore to read to completion. It was not entertaining which has to be just about the worst thing you can say about a science-fiction novel. The story of a hunt for a kidnapped baby on Mars was just uninteresting and improbable for this reader.

A Weak Effort
I have still yet to find in Brunner's early pulp-ish novels any solid indication of his future brilliance that manifests itself so poignantly in his great novels of the late 60s and 70s(Stand on Zanzibar, Shockwave Rider, the Sheep Look Up, and to a lesser degree The Jagged Orbit).That is not to say that Brunner's future building skills are not all together absent in Born Under Mars for it is a testament to these budding skills that this novel receives any stars at all.The Mars of his future has some great images, cultures, expressions, and recurrent metaphors.However, when the action picks up (and the flimsy and contrived for the future of the known universe plot thickens) Brunner sadly lets the interesting elements and depth of his world die a rating strangling death by "sand drowning."

Some of Brunner's short works function well because they are set either with a small group of people or just on Earth.But when he moves to an interstellar backdrop with interstellar ramifications a hundred and twenty-page book is completely inadequate.He is forced to make peoples monolithic blocks without deviance - for examples, the humans called "Bears" that settled in a nearby star system are anarchic, luck loving, free love practicing, while the humans called "Centaurs" from another system on the other "side" of Earth are autocratic, apparently highly educated (that's hard to tell from the story), strict, and prone to violence.The Martians however, are pretty well rounded and interesting.They are angry that Mars is practically ignored besides as an interstellar space hub; they are interested in heraldry since they are proud of their heritage, and very traditional.Ray Mallin (a Martian) is actually one of Brunner's better characters and the novel is from his perspective.He is a space engineer and it is upon his return to his Mars that the story begins. Unlike many authors, Brunner does not write essays within the text explaining his worlds, rather it is inferred from his characters (this is a much more realistic way of going about it).Ray's observations about the state of his world are the highlights of the text and from these we glimpse the interesting Martian society.They live in the "canals" that have been roofed in and babies are born under Mars because apparently fetuses cannot develop properly without Earth air pressure.The recurrent themes that constantly crop up are related to the lack of water on Mars, death by drowning in sand, taking "baths" with spray detergent, and lack of oxygen - burping into tubes in your suit (kind of like the Freemen moisture collecting gear in Dune).But, when Ray really begins understand the reason for his brutal nerve whipping and the goals of the plots of the Centaurs, Bears, Martians, and Earthlings that happen to surround the ship that Ray had recently been employed on, the contrived science-fiction clichés begin en mass to circulate (sexy Martian women, world encompassing lab experiments, selective breeding, super intelligent peeps, etc) which causes the plot to go down the drain and the tantalizing background to disappear.

Brunner swings with greatness in mind and misses monumentally.Cultures are never monolithic, stereotypes are bad and the cultures on other planets (besides Mars) are more layered then a few adjectives.Thankfully all of this Brunner learns by the time he sets out to write his "Non-novel" format of 'Stand on Zanzibar' where brilliant world building is accomplished through newspaper clips, commercial jingles, computer output, television programs, etc....Born Under Mars still is a pretty fun (ny) read, especially the first half, but is nowhere near his future brilliance.

A farsighted vision
When mankind colonized the stars, it developed into two different, antogonistic types that had left Mars behind. As well, they had left behind the dead-end Mars-born mutations, with which man had once tested his adaptiveness, on a world that had fallen into apathy and decay.
But when secret agents of the two branches of humanity focused their unwelcome attention on the most recent star mission of one such mutation, he had no time to ponder the plight of his home planet.
For Ray Mallin found himself the unwitting key to a secret that could affect the entire future of mankind.
Written almost 40 years ago, John Brunner saw where humanity was heading in the 21st century: gradually Earth society begins to homogenise. More and more groups formerly differentiated by linguistic conditioning and local traditions adopt the universal goal of physical well being and the associated concepts. We have more data than any man could become acquainted with in a lifetime, yet we are unable to deduce novel conclusions from this welter of information.
It all leads to a decline of stimulus.A confortable tendency to conformity supplants the urge to explore. The sum of our vaunted ability to alter our environment has surpassed our ability to reason about what we are doing.
It is a short novel but the implications are staggering. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A minor work by Brunner.
This is not great Brunner, who has written some memorable science fiction novels.Still, this is not bad, it is a suspense novel with a SF explication.The decors are interesting and for a while I thought that it would be a ghost story in the great english tradition.The characters are well drawn although there is a certain sexism in depicting the female characters. This novel was written in the sixties and it shows.Brunner also seems to know well the world of the theater.If you like Brunner, you will not be impressed but you will you be bored either. It could have been better, some ideas could have been developed further.The storyline evokes the classic novella "Vintage Season", by Moore and Kuttner. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Colonial scurvy & delusional epiphanies
Two-hundred and seventy colonists leave earth in three ships (the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria) to populate a once visited planet named Asgard around the sun Sigma Draconis. Once there, the Pinta crashes into the moon leaving 180 colonists to fend for themselves without essential equipment which was on the ill-fated ship. This planet, with 1.08G, thirty-hour days and thirty-six-day months, is dotted with 736 islands (the largest no bigger than Britain). While covered in lush green forests, the animal life has not evolved insects, birds, large land mammals nor sea-life more sophisticated than a squid. Dennis is the only man who has visited the planet twice and is also the one unwilling colonizer. He is sent on a mission to search for diamonds which can be used for industrial drilling. However, when swimming he suffers toxemia from a sting which sends him into a delusional epiphany and discovers a Dionysian truth. With other colonists suffering from scurvy and other deficiencies, will they take his new found truth as their own or will they suffer a worse fate?

One of the best Brunner novels I've read yet (the fifth to date)! It's kind of like his novel Polymath as in colonists land on a planet and must start a new life with limited resources but this novel is much better focused on the planet, its wildlife and its general planet-ness in all. About 40% of the way through the novel is when the mythology begins in a sort of hallucinogenic delirium for Dennis. It seems random and out of place (and completely rambling for someone like myself who isn't interested in mythology), but it ties together very well in the end. Keep note of the racial descriptions of the key characters, as their specific mythologies will be brought to bare upon the pages later on.

DELERIUM SCIENTIFIC[COLUSSION] SPECIFIC, AT ODDS
myth .subconscious origin.. Expedition to colonise a PLANET,MAYBE A MOON OF SATELITE, THERES LOTS OF SCIENTIFIC old style scientific quasi, workmansHip handymansspecific ;..maybe obvious humdrum everyday pratical attention, theneed to fill pages up, this is workmanship cagey cratmanship specific you get WHAT YOU READ SUMMER ESCAPE READING, tough no nonsence pratical get it over with and write the next book, keep the electricity paid to feed the electricity feeding your living writer AS producer pulper ofcommerce chain of command easily disgestible churned out Its VERY RATIONAL reasoningEASILY ponderous at times in its pedestrian stategim., FACT MATTER.bottom lineness, itis also science fiction ... once you wade pass the waves of hard core hack cliches meaning dissposableAs, an intriguing premise just starts to jump/start the ordinary unfolding of STORY. the irritating the numb raking psuedo science , i tend to skim over OR grow weary of,HUMDRUM TO GET TO POINTs where the burden off digesting boy scout eagle scout workmanship, credos start to wear thin and wear me out and i find my subconsious telling me my head will, soon be giving me a headache and i will need some asprin to chew on. THE bitter and sWeet,ITS aal done PRATICALLY, NOT OBSURELY SURELY LIKE SOME ITS NOT PONDEROUS IN ITS PRETENTOUS FLAMES OF RED HERRINGS GENUIS.....claimstheres no parading PERCOCIOUS CONTEMPT pimping theres a very genuiness FRESH INSIGHTFUL contemptuouss, not in the least, in WITHIN , mans needs to COLONISE, explore the FAR OFF, to venture and conquer, THERES SOMETHING horrendous in OUR VANITY; revealed IN stark chiarosco, relief, and its far off as the nearest STAR IN TERMS of light years and OUR fears,A LITTLE MINISCULE,lost of attention to DETAILS can unravel OUR COLLECTIVE stupour,Conscious, ITS THE SIXTIES, DEJA vu, ALL OVER AGAIN READING THIS, written in 1967,our folly still resonates any progresses, and its clearly revealed ALMOST LIKE a REVELRY, narcotic in the home origin PULSE within our bodies if we LISTEN.SCURVY AND ITS LACK OFF, human vanity and ITS ATTACK, ... Read more

Product Description
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, July-August 1978, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Whole No. 8); Editor: George H. Scithers. 196 pages, cover art by Frank Kelly Freas. Contents: It's a Funny Thing, essay by Isaac Asimov; The New Magazine, essay by Isaac Asimov; On Books, essay by Charles N. Brown; Cautionary Tales, by Larry Niven; The Great Ring of Neptune, by Martin Gardner; Horseless Carriage, by Michael A. Banks; Frank Kelly Freas, essay by Ginger Kaderabek; Message to Myself, by Diana L. Paxson; Public Relations, by Ginger Kaderabek; Dance Band on the Titanic, by Jack L. Chalker; And One For My Friend Here, Please, poem by John M. Ford; On the Way, by Conway Conley; But Do They Ride Dolphins? by Frederick S. Lord, Jr.; The SF Conventional Calendar, essay by Erwin S. Strauss; When We Come Down, by Stephen Leigh; In Re Literati, poem by John M. Ford; Fragger's Bottom Line... Line... Line... by Sherwood Springer; One Rejection Too Many, by Patricia Nurse; The Suicide of Man, by John Brunner; Letters; Leigh Brackett Hamilton: 7 December 1915 - 18 March 1978, essay by Randall Garrett. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great classic sci-fi.
Terrific early issue with Larry Niven's "Cautionary Tales" as well as stories by other great authors including John Brunner, Jack L. Chalker, Martin Gardner and other, a tribute to Leigh Brackett (screenwriter of The Empire Strikes Back and many classic movies in addition to sci-fi stories) by Randall Garrett.Plus cover art by the great Frank Kelly Freas! ... Read more