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Είναι μια συγκλονιστική νουβέλα που περιγράφει ένα πολύ κοντινό μας μέλλον, όπου η ανθρωπότητα καταδυναστεύεται από έναν ιό. Το ανθρώπινο γένος στα όρια της παράκρουσης επιδίδεται στις πιο ξέφρενες απολαύσεις, όπου το σεξ και η βία αγγίζουν τις ακραίες τους εκφράσεις. Οι ζωντανές περιγραφές και η σκληρή γλώσσα εικονογραφούν συγκλονιστικά μια εποχή τρέλας μέσα από τις διηγήσεις των τεσσάρων πρωταγωνιστών που βρίσκονται μπλεγμένοι σε μια απελπισμένη μάχη που θα κρίνει το μέλλον του είδους μας.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
13 people are currently reading
463 people want to read
About the author
Norman Spinrad
366 books217 followersBorn in New York in 1940, Norman Spinrad is an acclaimed SF writer.
Norman Spinrad, born in New York City, is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science. In 1957 he entered City College of New York and graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree as a pre-law major. In 1966 he moved to San Francisco, then to Los Angeles, and now lives in Paris. He married fellow novelist N. Lee Wood in 1990; they divorced in 2005. They had no children. Spinrad served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) from 1980 to 1982 and again from 2001 to 2002.
Norman Spinrad, born in New York City, is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science. In 1957 he entered City College of New York and graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree as a pre-law major. In 1966 he moved to San Francisco, then to Los Angeles, and now lives in Paris. He married fellow novelist N. Lee Wood in 1990; they divorced in 2005. They had no children. Spinrad served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) from 1980 to 1982 and again from 2001 to 2002.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 7, 2019
As a long time fan of Spinrad this book has been on my list for years. As a high concept dystopia written during the height of the AIDS crisis this novel is an important touchstone of how the genre dealt with AIDS. Did anyone else even touch this issue? Who would have the courage? I suspect if PKD had lived longer we might have gotten an AIDS allegory from him. None the less without ever using the A-word Spinrad delivers a truly underrated masterpiece of totally bonkers political speculative fiction.
It is important for those who were not alive at the time to understand what the atmosphere was like in the AIDS crisis. It was a scary time the disease killed so many in the early years it was a death sentence, compared to today when we have famous people like Magic Johnson who have lived with the disease for twenty years. AIDS fiction from the era like the film Philadelphia starring Tom Hanks or the mini-series "When we Rise" paint a picture but it is really interesting to see how Spinrad explores the issue.
Presented with a fictional introduction dated as from 2143 in a place called Luna City. I think the implication Spinrad was going for that these journal entries were compiled far in the future. The fictional introduction was written as if it was history is a tactic NS has used before most notably in his classic The Iron Dream. In the afterword, Spinrad explained that this book is actually what he considered originally as an outline for a novel. Spinrad's publisher told him it was an amazing outline but didn't think he could sell it as a stand-alone novel but offered to publish it in a collection.
It is written as a series of journals entries by four witnesses close to the events during the last years of the Plague in question. It might seem crazy in hindsight but Spinrad jumps off from that scary time to imagine a future where the idea of sex itself is so scary that very few "share meat" as it is disgustingly named in the book. Most have sex with machines until they become infected and then it is free love. San Francisco is one large Quarantine zone and orgy while the streets of the rest of America are patrolled by Sex Police.
I mean the back cover description almost under-states the weird nature of this book:
"The Plague's origins were mysterious, but its consequences were all too obvious: quarantined cities, safe-sex machines, Sex Police, the outlawing of old-fashioned love. Four people hold the fate of humanity in their hands... A sexual mercenary condemned to death as a foot soldier in the Army of the Living Dead; a scientist who's devoted his whole life to destroying the virus and now discovers he has only ten weeks to succeed; a God-fearing fundamentalist on his way to the presidency before he accepts a higher calling; and a young infected coed from Berkeley on a bizarre crusade to save the world with a new religion of carnal abandon. Each will discover that the only thing more dangerous than the Plague is the cure."
I can see why many publishers were afraid to touch this. The conclusions and ideas contained in this novel are by their nature confrontational and at times scary and gross. It is in the tradition of political science fiction like the Handmaid's Tale that takes extreme paths of speculation to make a point. It is a pessimistic novel that also sees the drug companies suppressing a cure, and a congressman with a plan to nuke the free-love Bay area.
Spinrad had a novel with a sex-fueled FTL drive and here magic sex performed by a woman know as Our Lady of Love is spreading the cure by sleeping with those dying from the plague. I am aware that has a weird male wish fulfillment to it, but I got over that. For the most part this is just a strange bizarro political sci-fi novel that deserves more attention then it has gotten. The number of hot-takes and crazy ideas per page are off the charts. This is one of the most gonzo sci-fi novels I have read in some time but it is also tragically thoughtful. I am way into.
Stay tuned for a bonus episode of Dickheads about this novel featuring Longtime activist and journalist Mark Conlon... recording soon not sure when it will drop.
It is important for those who were not alive at the time to understand what the atmosphere was like in the AIDS crisis. It was a scary time the disease killed so many in the early years it was a death sentence, compared to today when we have famous people like Magic Johnson who have lived with the disease for twenty years. AIDS fiction from the era like the film Philadelphia starring Tom Hanks or the mini-series "When we Rise" paint a picture but it is really interesting to see how Spinrad explores the issue.
Presented with a fictional introduction dated as from 2143 in a place called Luna City. I think the implication Spinrad was going for that these journal entries were compiled far in the future. The fictional introduction was written as if it was history is a tactic NS has used before most notably in his classic The Iron Dream. In the afterword, Spinrad explained that this book is actually what he considered originally as an outline for a novel. Spinrad's publisher told him it was an amazing outline but didn't think he could sell it as a stand-alone novel but offered to publish it in a collection.
It is written as a series of journals entries by four witnesses close to the events during the last years of the Plague in question. It might seem crazy in hindsight but Spinrad jumps off from that scary time to imagine a future where the idea of sex itself is so scary that very few "share meat" as it is disgustingly named in the book. Most have sex with machines until they become infected and then it is free love. San Francisco is one large Quarantine zone and orgy while the streets of the rest of America are patrolled by Sex Police.
I mean the back cover description almost under-states the weird nature of this book:
"The Plague's origins were mysterious, but its consequences were all too obvious: quarantined cities, safe-sex machines, Sex Police, the outlawing of old-fashioned love. Four people hold the fate of humanity in their hands... A sexual mercenary condemned to death as a foot soldier in the Army of the Living Dead; a scientist who's devoted his whole life to destroying the virus and now discovers he has only ten weeks to succeed; a God-fearing fundamentalist on his way to the presidency before he accepts a higher calling; and a young infected coed from Berkeley on a bizarre crusade to save the world with a new religion of carnal abandon. Each will discover that the only thing more dangerous than the Plague is the cure."
I can see why many publishers were afraid to touch this. The conclusions and ideas contained in this novel are by their nature confrontational and at times scary and gross. It is in the tradition of political science fiction like the Handmaid's Tale that takes extreme paths of speculation to make a point. It is a pessimistic novel that also sees the drug companies suppressing a cure, and a congressman with a plan to nuke the free-love Bay area.
Spinrad had a novel with a sex-fueled FTL drive and here magic sex performed by a woman know as Our Lady of Love is spreading the cure by sleeping with those dying from the plague. I am aware that has a weird male wish fulfillment to it, but I got over that. For the most part this is just a strange bizarro political sci-fi novel that deserves more attention then it has gotten. The number of hot-takes and crazy ideas per page are off the charts. This is one of the most gonzo sci-fi novels I have read in some time but it is also tragically thoughtful. I am way into.
Stay tuned for a bonus episode of Dickheads about this novel featuring Longtime activist and journalist Mark Conlon... recording soon not sure when it will drop.
August 24, 2011
This is an excellent short novel dealing with AIDS awareness, more specifically examining personal responsibility and social issues. At first glance it's somewhat similar to his earlier story "Carcinoma Angels," but is much more detailed and thought-provoking. The narrative switches between four interesting viewpoint characters, seeking sense and redemption in situations that overlap and resolve convincingly. It's a challenging, intelligent book; hard-hitting despite being short and fast-paced.
February 8, 2022
Having come fairly close to collecting the Spinrad bibliography, I figured this cheap e-book was the best way to check this one off the list.
For any other writer, this would be their most infamous work, but for Spinrad, this is surely down at #3 or #4.
Written in the late 80s, this novella is Spinrad taking the AIDS epidemic to science fiction extremes. Since it’s Spinrad, there’s a lot of sex, drugs and rock and roll (and generally in that order).
He tells the story as four “journals” which come together for the big picture.
Getting close to three decades later, it feels the product of the time. An example of Spinrad’s gonzo sci-if that was starting to evolve in writers like Frank Miller and Alan Moore. Being edgy was the point, and the edginess now starts to feel a bit antique.
Still, this book has almost universal positive reviews. That’s a tribute to Spinrad for spinning a tale that is an unique vision and compelling drama.
In the Covid pandemic, politics have flipped, but the way people react in Spinrad’s world seems realistic. As extreme and perhaps ludicrous as it all seems (and even by Spinrad’s standards, this is pretty far out there), this captures the fear of the age (as extreme as any fiction as revealed in some unearthed quotes of the time that have become todays headlines again).
Most reviews give up the plot (which is fairly obvious), but I won’t here. This is a quick read. It is very much in line with other Spinrad. Even as a very short novella, it is probably the right length as it starts to reach tedium towards the end. Today’s reader might or might not connect the dots, but it still feels pretty contemporary despite Spinrad’s hippie tendencies. If anything, it still seems fresh in a 21st Century environment full of zombie novels that have exhausted these plot points. Lastly, modern readers will swear Walter Bigelow was an exaggerated Mike Pence.
May 16, 2018
Mi-am adus aminte de ce imi placea Spinrad intr-o vreme. Intriga, suspans, o constructie complexa ce porneste de la o idee interesanta, personaje credibile si asta doar in o suta si ceva de pagini mititele!
March 23, 2021
Originally published in 1988, Norman Spinrad's Journals of the Plague Years is a political satire examining the AIDS crisis that took the world by storm in the 1980s. Like most speculative fiction, Spinrad works to take a novel idea--in this case, the global threat of an unchecked sexually transmitted virus--to its most extreme cases, and thus tries to hold a mirror up to our own expectations and prejudices surrounding how we feel about the central issue.
For the most part, Spinrad's criticisms of the American response to AIDS are pretty straightforward. He takes special aim at the private industry of medicine, attacking its profit-seeking habits in disseminating information about treatment and its efforts to find a cure, but he also levels his attention pretty squarely at Christian radicalism as it pertains to its continuous attack on homosexual communities or on notions of "promiscuous" sex. Taken to its extreme, the novel often feels like a parody of the very idea of American life according to Christian conservatism: his novel is a wasteland of sexual fever, where everyone (and I mean everyone) seems almost entirely governed by their sexual impulses. The book is particularly sexually charged, no doubt aiming to transgress against conservative social decency as a means of heightening its attack on those radical ideas about human intimacy.
The whole of the novel definitely feels like it is born of a generation that inspired the New Wave of science fiction in the '60s and '70s. Prominent are the ideas of "free love" that persevered through the '60s and '70s, and Spinrad knowingly incorporates various symbols of these movements throughout the story. His language, too, is full of New Wave sci-fi slang, so much that the book almost feels out of place except for its subject matter.
Despite how daring Spinrad's book may have been in its time, its politics today seem a little more muddled than it likely did over thirty years ago. The sexual violence and its poor treatment of its female character has aged exceedingly poorly, and while his criticisms may be just as valuable now as before, it's hard to tell where the satire begins and ends for the novel. I would much prefer to give Spinrad the benefit of the doubt, considering that I was never part of his political movement at the time he was writing, and so may be ignorant of all that he was trying to criticize through his work. Certainly, his satire may be more sufficiently layered than I'm prepared to interpret.
Nevertheless, the book remains one I enjoyed but am not sure I would ever recommend to anyone not already interested in it. There's a very good conversation to be had surrounding it, but it may not be suitable for every taste.
For the most part, Spinrad's criticisms of the American response to AIDS are pretty straightforward. He takes special aim at the private industry of medicine, attacking its profit-seeking habits in disseminating information about treatment and its efforts to find a cure, but he also levels his attention pretty squarely at Christian radicalism as it pertains to its continuous attack on homosexual communities or on notions of "promiscuous" sex. Taken to its extreme, the novel often feels like a parody of the very idea of American life according to Christian conservatism: his novel is a wasteland of sexual fever, where everyone (and I mean everyone) seems almost entirely governed by their sexual impulses. The book is particularly sexually charged, no doubt aiming to transgress against conservative social decency as a means of heightening its attack on those radical ideas about human intimacy.
The whole of the novel definitely feels like it is born of a generation that inspired the New Wave of science fiction in the '60s and '70s. Prominent are the ideas of "free love" that persevered through the '60s and '70s, and Spinrad knowingly incorporates various symbols of these movements throughout the story. His language, too, is full of New Wave sci-fi slang, so much that the book almost feels out of place except for its subject matter.
Despite how daring Spinrad's book may have been in its time, its politics today seem a little more muddled than it likely did over thirty years ago. The sexual violence and its poor treatment of its female character has aged exceedingly poorly, and while his criticisms may be just as valuable now as before, it's hard to tell where the satire begins and ends for the novel. I would much prefer to give Spinrad the benefit of the doubt, considering that I was never part of his political movement at the time he was writing, and so may be ignorant of all that he was trying to criticize through his work. Certainly, his satire may be more sufficiently layered than I'm prepared to interpret.
Nevertheless, the book remains one I enjoyed but am not sure I would ever recommend to anyone not already interested in it. There's a very good conversation to be had surrounding it, but it may not be suitable for every taste.
January 12, 2020
A prime example of how yesterdays's progressive can be today's regressive. It's fortunate Spinrad had the sense to recognize the power in these raw 164 pages and not neuter that power with dilution or refinement.
December 28, 2024
Pulpy fun.
March 11, 2015
This book's big strength is that (in the tradition of The Handmaid's Tale) it uses SF to explore a major issue of its day were it taken to an extreme conclusion.
That may also be this book's biggest weakness, since it makes it feel somewhat dated.
I don't think it is at all a spoiler for me to say this is a story about HIV/AIDS. That much is pretty obvious from the beginning. In the afterward to this edition, the author notes that he originally stated as much in the text, but his publisher urged him to take out all mention of what the "plague" was. I think this saved the book, since it is still readable now.
It's a short book (novella? novelette?), but that means the story is not padded at all and it fits a lot of plot in there, as it follows four characters navigating the dangerous new world the plague has created.
This mainly appealed to me since it combined my interest in SF with my interest in epidemics. I'm easy to please that way, and it let me overlook the somewhat silly ending. I wavered between three and four stars.
That may also be this book's biggest weakness, since it makes it feel somewhat dated.
I don't think it is at all a spoiler for me to say this is a story about HIV/AIDS. That much is pretty obvious from the beginning. In the afterward to this edition, the author notes that he originally stated as much in the text, but his publisher urged him to take out all mention of what the "plague" was. I think this saved the book, since it is still readable now.
It's a short book (novella? novelette?), but that means the story is not padded at all and it fits a lot of plot in there, as it follows four characters navigating the dangerous new world the plague has created.
This mainly appealed to me since it combined my interest in SF with my interest in epidemics. I'm easy to please that way, and it let me overlook the somewhat silly ending. I wavered between three and four stars.
March 14, 2023
A short novel of speculative fiction around a sexually transmitted plague. It's fairly obvious the "plague" is a stand in for AIDS but it turns out he originally wrote it as AIDS in the story before his editors/publishers had him change it because they didn't think people would accept the book int he 80s.
The story is effective, showing how sex being linked with fear of eventual death effects young people, marriages, and the already infected.
Unfortunately I can't help but think the story feels less slightly powerful in 2023 as AIDS is just not as hot button as it was. I'm sure there are still sex eds class in schools that basically teach STDs instead of safe responsible sex, but I doubt most people have much paranoia about it.
The story is effective, showing how sex being linked with fear of eventual death effects young people, marriages, and the already infected.
Unfortunately I can't help but think the story feels less slightly powerful in 2023 as AIDS is just not as hot button as it was. I'm sure there are still sex eds class in schools that basically teach STDs instead of safe responsible sex, but I doubt most people have much paranoia about it.
April 24, 2024
A Dystopian book about a sexual virus written in the style of a journal.
I believe if you read the book World War Z by Max Brooks (also written like a journal) and see the movie you'll understand how to make up some scenes in your mind. Because books with journals, interviews etc don't describe the environment around all the time or what is happening. Mostly the thoughts of the characters and the decisions they take.
In conclusion this is an interesting take of such a virus, easy to be read and small when it comes to page length.
I believe if you read the book World War Z by Max Brooks (also written like a journal) and see the movie you'll understand how to make up some scenes in your mind. Because books with journals, interviews etc don't describe the environment around all the time or what is happening. Mostly the thoughts of the characters and the decisions they take.
In conclusion this is an interesting take of such a virus, easy to be read and small when it comes to page length.
March 30, 2020
Vizija distopijske budućnosti u kojoj bolest - "kuga" - neka vrsta super AIDS-a - razara društvo. Brza radnja, šablonski ali ipak interesantni likovi, uticaj bolesti na društvo, porodicu i psihu pojedinca... sve sabijeno u 164 strane.
July 29, 2011
Excellent ! J'ai vraiment adoré ce court recueil de trois novellas qui dépeignent trois futurs possibles des USA (au regard des années 1980-1990, c'est tout de même un peu daté). Si la première, "Chair à pavés", est un ton en dessous des deux autres, c'est surtout parce que les deux autres sont très très bonnes.
Les années fléaux se penchent sur une Amérique alternative ou le sida est devenu un tel problème qu'une police sexuelle est chargée de traquer les malades et de les conduire dans des zones spéciales où ils vivent entre eux.
La vie continue (titre v.o., Norman Spinrad vit en France) est un petit bijou d'humour et d'ironie, se déroulant à Paris et se passant au centre d'un imbroglio politico-médiatique sur fond de guerre froide.
Un livre bien agréable en dépit des thèmes très sombres abordés et qui, heureusement, ne s'est pas révélé être un avant-goût de l'Amérique d'aujourd'hui (pas encore ?)
Les années fléaux se penchent sur une Amérique alternative ou le sida est devenu un tel problème qu'une police sexuelle est chargée de traquer les malades et de les conduire dans des zones spéciales où ils vivent entre eux.
La vie continue (titre v.o., Norman Spinrad vit en France) est un petit bijou d'humour et d'ironie, se déroulant à Paris et se passant au centre d'un imbroglio politico-médiatique sur fond de guerre froide.
Un livre bien agréable en dépit des thèmes très sombres abordés et qui, heureusement, ne s'est pas révélé être un avant-goût de l'Amérique d'aujourd'hui (pas encore ?)
September 21, 2017
Interesting to read a sci-fi interpretation of the Aid's crisis written in the 1980's. Worthwhile.
October 27, 2023
This was an intriguing find at a local used bookstore. A science fiction satire about the AIDS crisis in America written contemporaneously. Spinrad writes well and successfully captures the panic of the era.
And yet, I came away cold on the book.
A large part of it is the ending, where the story's bleak and bitter satire suddenly melts away in favor of a resolution that's just way too neat for what preceded it. Part of it is that its satire occasionally bleeds over into full-on allegory, which is not quite as interesting to read even if it's saying the same thing. Part of it is the rather inexplicable rape scene halfway through the book, which makes sense in context but doesn't really serve to advance the story in any particular way. Small mistakes, but in a book this short they add up.
I respect Spinrad for writing this book when he did (he even notes in the afterward, added in 1995, that the book was used in France and Finland to teach about AIDS). It is a disturbing and uncomfortable read, and as an attack on the American government's response to the crisis it is scathing, even if he does flinch at the very end. Unfortunately, even though I like the first half, even though it's well-written and its very existence is admirable, my most vivid memory of the book is that flinch.
And yet, I came away cold on the book.
A large part of it is the ending, where the story's bleak and bitter satire suddenly melts away in favor of a resolution that's just way too neat for what preceded it. Part of it is that its satire occasionally bleeds over into full-on allegory, which is not quite as interesting to read even if it's saying the same thing. Part of it is the rather inexplicable rape scene halfway through the book, which makes sense in context but doesn't really serve to advance the story in any particular way. Small mistakes, but in a book this short they add up.
I respect Spinrad for writing this book when he did (he even notes in the afterward, added in 1995, that the book was used in France and Finland to teach about AIDS). It is a disturbing and uncomfortable read, and as an attack on the American government's response to the crisis it is scathing, even if he does flinch at the very end. Unfortunately, even though I like the first half, even though it's well-written and its very existence is admirable, my most vivid memory of the book is that flinch.
November 9, 2020
A fast paced look at a near '90s future of the AIDs epidemic taken to an extreme.
Because sex is the vehicle for the virus, everyone is obsessed with and afraid of sex at the same time. This leads to some behavior that is a bit over the top, but stepping back and assuming that this comes out of a protracted, lived-in fear, could be justifiable.
Many of the insights into human and corporate nature are applicable to COVID in the early 2020s.
The main part that does not age well is the throw-away aspect of some female characters, being vehicles for sex or molestation.
The style is experimental in that each 3-4 page chapter cuts to a different narrator from a pool of 4 or 5 people, so you get some interesting shifts in perspective that force you to reconsider what is being said at times.
Get the paperback if possible for the afterword in which the author talks about the book's origins.
Torn between 4 stars for the interesting execution that does not overstay its welcome, but minus half a star for the attempt at making the rape scene a noble endeavor.
Because sex is the vehicle for the virus, everyone is obsessed with and afraid of sex at the same time. This leads to some behavior that is a bit over the top, but stepping back and assuming that this comes out of a protracted, lived-in fear, could be justifiable.
Many of the insights into human and corporate nature are applicable to COVID in the early 2020s.
The main part that does not age well is the throw-away aspect of some female characters, being vehicles for sex or molestation.
The style is experimental in that each 3-4 page chapter cuts to a different narrator from a pool of 4 or 5 people, so you get some interesting shifts in perspective that force you to reconsider what is being said at times.
Get the paperback if possible for the afterword in which the author talks about the book's origins.
Torn between 4 stars for the interesting execution that does not overstay its welcome, but minus half a star for the attempt at making the rape scene a noble endeavor.
January 1, 2021
Spinrad is the only author besides Bolaño that can make me excited about such cliches like zombies. There's even a zombie version of John Rambo which ends up not being completely laughable or unbearable at all. And, obviously, the nameless Plague could be more than AIDS like Bird Flu, Mad Cow disease or even, (why not?), coronavirus. But its actually about madness in our times, really...
The afterword is also quite enlightening regarding the relationship between publishers, the media and controversial scandals that soon become banal and ignored.
The afterword is also quite enlightening regarding the relationship between publishers, the media and controversial scandals that soon become banal and ignored.
October 10, 2024
La traduction française (par elle même assez médiocre) fait perdre tout charme à cette trilogie. Dès les premières pages le ton est donné et il est difficile de continuer. Le caractère artificiel des conversations et les termes utilisés sont difficiles à ignorer. Les récits eux mêmes sont d’un intérêt limité et enfoncent des portes ouvertes. Finalement, se mettre en scène soi même dans la dernière partie est très prétentieux de la part de l’auteur. Celui-ci se donne une importance disproportionnée dans les affaires du monde. Grosse déception.
December 17, 2024
This was a surprise find. I’m surprised this book has not been talked about more. It’s the perfect amount of sleazy, speculative fiction, and social commentary. Unfortunately there is one scene in this book that really took me out and I felt like it did not make much sense. Other than that singular bruh moment this shit bangs
December 18, 2017
A good book in its own right for people who like interesting looks at dystopian societies... But more interesting because of the backstory of when it was written at the outbreak of the AIDS crisis... a critical take on how we marginalize and stratify portions of our society.
April 13, 2020
Little more than sketches, but does the radical work of imagining immunity as a contagion, and zeroes in on the negative incentives of an economy premised on people staying sick. Occasionally upsetting, often funny, and once or twice, beautiful!
January 6, 2014
Hum...well, it was readable--interesting idea, I s'pose, with AIDs as the modern plague, and the concept is good, there's action, the (ironically) 'usual' disparate allies thrown together by some common cause/enemy to save the day in the 11th hour...all that. As I finished reading, for a bit I felt like it was maybe 4-star material...then, as the climactic ending, the warm fuzzies of all's-well-that-ends-well, started to fade from immediate memory, it slid down to more of a solid 3.
But there are some major issues that, on reflection, knock this book down to a 2, maybe a high 2 but still a 2, in my estimation.
First off, there's the problem faced by many--most, really--sci-fi/dystopian/futuristic novels written years ago (1988, in this case), that, after a certain future date, when the predictions and projections have not come to pass as imagined (though, obviously, taking events/trends of the present and imagining their progression to an extreme future situation is a time-honored, and effective, device in s/f), the action loses immediacy and force, becoming more of a commentary on certain themes or musing on what might have happened rather than a possible reality. Not that the world that Spinrad writes of is completely irrelevant to the world of 1988 or of 2014--. But in 1988 AIDs was, it seems, a greater source of uncertainty, and thus fear, than today (not to say we're totally cool with it now, but at least me know more) making it an effective topic for speculative fiction, plenty of what-ifs to play with. But an introduction from someone who lives on the Moon in 2143 seems a bit much, unnecessary--and surely there are better places to aim for than that, if we're going to leave Earth. (Like Mars, I guess?)
Anyway, okay, that's not my main problem. One of the obvious, unavoidable weaknesses of speculative fiction, unless it is extrapolating only tentatively from well-established facts--which is rarely very exciting, so what's the point then--is that it will eventually be disproved by actual events, or if the predictions are fairly accurate, they will go from possibility to mere history, which is interesting in its own right but has lost the element of...suspense, you might say. But that's just how this genre works, and so to some extent you have to look past whether the prophecy was or seems likely to be correct given present knowledge, and just appreciate the ideas, the reflections of society and humanity, the author's imagination, and its significance/value/whatever at the time it was written.
So, yeah. My main problems were more author/book specific. So, all spoilers from here, basically. Firstly, So, yeah, I have a problem with rape, especially when explained on the grounds of "the end justifies the means." Y'know, he had no choice, it was for her own good. Which...well, kind of, but...no, not really.
Then there's the Bible-thumping, God-fearing, ignorant and dogmatic and not terribly intelligent President of the U.S., who is in his mind fighting a personal battle against Satan and his forces of evil. Ohmyshit.
So yeah, misogyny and 2-D characterization/character about-faces aside...not too bad a read. It's engaging, and I got to the end before the major judgment kicked in.
But there are some major issues that, on reflection, knock this book down to a 2, maybe a high 2 but still a 2, in my estimation.
First off, there's the problem faced by many--most, really--sci-fi/dystopian/futuristic novels written years ago (1988, in this case), that, after a certain future date, when the predictions and projections have not come to pass as imagined (though, obviously, taking events/trends of the present and imagining their progression to an extreme future situation is a time-honored, and effective, device in s/f), the action loses immediacy and force, becoming more of a commentary on certain themes or musing on what might have happened rather than a possible reality. Not that the world that Spinrad writes of is completely irrelevant to the world of 1988 or of 2014--. But in 1988 AIDs was, it seems, a greater source of uncertainty, and thus fear, than today (not to say we're totally cool with it now, but at least me know more) making it an effective topic for speculative fiction, plenty of what-ifs to play with. But an introduction from someone who lives on the Moon in 2143 seems a bit much, unnecessary--and surely there are better places to aim for than that, if we're going to leave Earth. (Like Mars, I guess?)
Anyway, okay, that's not my main problem. One of the obvious, unavoidable weaknesses of speculative fiction, unless it is extrapolating only tentatively from well-established facts--which is rarely very exciting, so what's the point then--is that it will eventually be disproved by actual events, or if the predictions are fairly accurate, they will go from possibility to mere history, which is interesting in its own right but has lost the element of...suspense, you might say. But that's just how this genre works, and so to some extent you have to look past whether the prophecy was or seems likely to be correct given present knowledge, and just appreciate the ideas, the reflections of society and humanity, the author's imagination, and its significance/value/whatever at the time it was written.
So, yeah. My main problems were more author/book specific. So, all spoilers from here, basically. Firstly, So, yeah, I have a problem with rape, especially when explained on the grounds of "the end justifies the means." Y'know, he had no choice, it was for her own good. Which...well, kind of, but...no, not really.
Then there's the Bible-thumping, God-fearing, ignorant and dogmatic and not terribly intelligent President of the U.S., who is in his mind fighting a personal battle against Satan and his forces of evil. Ohmyshit.
So yeah, misogyny and 2-D characterization/character about-faces aside...not too bad a read. It's engaging, and I got to the end before the major judgment kicked in.
September 26, 2019
Another great book by a much under estimated writer. Glad to know he is still writing books furiosily.
May 5, 2023
Încă o dată, Spinrad îmi confirmă că e un autor fix pe gustul meu: personaje puternice, lumi sumbre, dure, acțiune din belșug, ritm alert, morală sfărâmată, idei provocatoare, suspans. Recomand.
May 5, 2023
Încă o dată, Spinrad îmi confirmă că e un autor fix pe gustul meu: personaje puternice, lumi sumbre, dure, acțiune din belșug, ritm alert, morală sfărâmată, idei provocatoare, suspans. Recomand.
September 13, 2023
Nominated for the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards in 1989. Four people hold the fate of humanity in their hands. These are their journals. This is political satire, taking the AIDS crisis to the extreme. The chapbook includes a fascinating afterword, that describes the genesis of this story and what the author went through to get it published.
December 21, 2012
_Journals of the Plague Years_ by Norman Spinrad was first published in the mid 90s. Spinrad has made this book, along with many of his other books, available for purchase as an ebook.
It is a science fiction dystopian novella about a sexually transmitted plague. Think AIDS, but more devastating to society.
Some of the dystopian fiction I've read seems somewhat hackneyed. Spinrad avoids this by the structure of the novella: the chapters comprise of alternating first person accounts from various people. It attests to Spinrad's writing skill that each person communicates in a different 'voice'--after all, the writing of a young, liberal minded female would be different from the writing of a religious Right politician. And there is a fictional preface, from a person even further out in the future; this person comes from a civilization worthy of the name.
It is a science fiction dystopian novella about a sexually transmitted plague. Think AIDS, but more devastating to society.
Some of the dystopian fiction I've read seems somewhat hackneyed. Spinrad avoids this by the structure of the novella: the chapters comprise of alternating first person accounts from various people. It attests to Spinrad's writing skill that each person communicates in a different 'voice'--after all, the writing of a young, liberal minded female would be different from the writing of a religious Right politician. And there is a fictional preface, from a person even further out in the future; this person comes from a civilization worthy of the name.
April 7, 2015
This is about a super-AIDS epidemic originally written as a book outline in the 80s that could not be sold as a book, but the outline with minor changes was used in an anthology. A decade later they published it as a paperback. The story itself is well done, the characters start out a bit cliched, but they break out of their molds in wonderous ways.
Spinrad's agent told him it was the finest book outline he'd ever seen, budding authors may want to read it for comparison.
Spinrad's agent told him it was the finest book outline he'd ever seen, budding authors may want to read it for comparison.
March 11, 2012
Journals Of The Plague Years is Norman Spinrad's allegory to the AIDS epidemic and the hysteria that surrounded (and still surrounds) the disease.
The prime message in the story is not to fear the unknown but to love the known. You cannot treat the disease if you are afraid. You must be bold and you must care about the afflicted. Only then can we start to find the cure.
The prime message in the story is not to fear the unknown but to love the known. You cannot treat the disease if you are afraid. You must be bold and you must care about the afflicted. Only then can we start to find the cure.
May 19, 2013
Θα μπορούσα να δώσω ίσως 3 αστέρια. Η θεματολογία καλή, αν και δεν συμπαθώ ιδιαιτέρως τα dystopian. Διαβάζεται πολύ γρήγορα. Μου φάνηκε όμως ότι έχει αναπτυχθεί πολύ πρόχειρα και επιφανειακά και η γλώσσα πολύ φτωχή, ίσως να φταίει η μετάφραση. Θα το διαβάσω και στα αγγλικά και θα τότε ίσως κερδίσει άλλο ένα αστεράκι.
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