Heroics

by George Alec Effinger

In HEROICS, Irene--like everyone in the future--struggles with boredom. Food, clothing, and all the necessities of human life have been taken care of. But, what does that leave of life itself? At eighty-two, Irene sets out on a pilgrimage across America hoping to find the answer. Along the way, she becomes transformed, both physically and by her interactions with other civilians all trying to cope with this new world. Filled with wry humor and fantastic symbolism, HEROICS mixes adventure and philosophy in a way both engrossing and entertaining. Of this book, friend and fellow writer Harlan Ellsion said, "It is the best Effinger yet...and for those of us who have been watching with amazement that is about as rich a compliment as you can expect from other envious authors. Damn him, he's good!" George Alec Effinger was a true master of satirical Science Fiction. Before his death in 2002, Effinger was a prolific novelist and short story writer, earning acclaim from his fans and peers, including a Nebula Award nomination for his first book WHAT ENTROPHY MEANS TO ME. In HEROICS, he revisits some of the themes and characters of that first book for startling, funny and poignant results.

194 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heroics is an absurdist science fiction novel that examines what people who have little to do can find to do. It's similar in theme to Michael Moorcock's Dancers at the End of Time, but is quite solidly American in tone and flavor. The story is told in the form of a quest, featuring elderly Irene in search of the author of a book about her passion, depression glass. She meets a character from Effinger's first novel, What Entropy Means to Me, who puts her through several transformations of age and gender to try to help her reach her goal. She meets a progressively odd series of characters and learns how they cope with existing in this world that seems to alienate their humanity. Effinger gives his humor free range, and I think that detracts some from the satirical points he was trying to make. For example, the Great Plains have been converted into a Teflon-surfaced billiards table... how can you entertain serious thoughts of existentialist philosophy after that? It's a very inventive, fun book to read, but I don't think he hit the mark of serious commentary for which he was shooting.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...

"George Alec Effinger’s What Entropy Means to Me (1972), a complex and intense homage to the act of literary creation, ranks among my favorite SF novels. Heroics (1979), a deconstruction of myth and heroic quest, treads similar ground but in a more light-hearted manner. The sheer intensity [...]"

[Bruce Warren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fairly awful.