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United Planets #6
Section G: United Planets
Legally, the United Planets Organization could do nothing about the repressive, backward planetary governments of Falange, Stalin and Doria. It was imperative, however, that something be done. The UP had proof that a race of highly advanced, warlike aliens existed somewhere in the depths of space - the human-held worlds ad to be ready to meet the challenge when it came. For this reason the secret corps, Section G, was formed. No government could be allowed to hold up the progress of mankind; Section G was ordered to bring them down - by any means necessary!
- GenresScience Fiction
182 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1976
38 people want to read
About the author
Mack Reynolds
507 books43 followersDallas McCord "Mack" Reynolds was an American science fiction writer. His pen names included Clark Collins, Mark Mallory, Guy McCord, Dallas Ross and Maxine Reynolds. Many of his stories were published in "Galaxy Magazine" and "Worlds of If Magazine". He was quite popular in the 1960s, but most of his work subsequently went out of print.
He was an active supporter of the Socialist Labor Party; his father, Verne Reynolds, was twice the SLP's Presidential candidate, in 1928 and 1932. Many of MR's stories use SLP jargon such as 'Industrial Feudalism' and most deal with economic issues in some way
Many of Reynolds' stories took place in Utopian societies, and many of which fulfilled L. L. Zamenhof's dream of Esperanto used worldwide as a universal second language. His novels predicted much that has come to pass, including pocket computers and a world-wide computer network with information available at one's fingertips.
Many of his novels were written within the context of a highly mobile society in which few people maintained a fixed residence, leading to "mobile voting" laws which allowed someone living out of the equivalent of a motor home to vote when and where they chose.
He was an active supporter of the Socialist Labor Party; his father, Verne Reynolds, was twice the SLP's Presidential candidate, in 1928 and 1932. Many of MR's stories use SLP jargon such as 'Industrial Feudalism' and most deal with economic issues in some way
Many of Reynolds' stories took place in Utopian societies, and many of which fulfilled L. L. Zamenhof's dream of Esperanto used worldwide as a universal second language. His novels predicted much that has come to pass, including pocket computers and a world-wide computer network with information available at one's fingertips.
Many of his novels were written within the context of a highly mobile society in which few people maintained a fixed residence, leading to "mobile voting" laws which allowed someone living out of the equivalent of a motor home to vote when and where they chose.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 17, 2018
A weak novel for Reynolds. We have three unrelated storylines. None really interesting. It seems Reynolds was not up to his usual standards. Ronald Bronston is again missing. He is talked about. But I want to see him in action.
June 15, 2024
review of
Mack Reynolds's Section G: United Planets
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - June 14, 2024
In just about every Mack Reynolds bk review I write I mention that he's one of my favorite SF writers. At last count I'd read 23 bks by him so this is the 24th. Since he wrote 68 bks (listed on his Wikipedia entry) I'm not likely to ever read them all. This is one of those ones where I made very few reviewer notes to guide me in writing this - wch is a relief for me b/c I don't have the energy to write a long review. The FORWARD sets the scene thusly:
"With the advent of the hyperspace drive, man exploded into the galaxy leaving behind an overpopulated Mother Earth."
[..]
"Some sought their own worlds to practice their religion, or lack of it, in the manner they wished, and ranging from Agnostic to Zen. Some fled Earth for socioeconomic reasons, wishing to pratice their own politicoeconomic system. They included Anarchists, Syndicalists, Technocrats, Communists of various varieties (including Titoists and Maoists)." - p 5
Section G is a secret corps formed to protect this farflung humanity. Members of it have special talents.
"There were others with eidetic memories, such as Lord McCauley" - p 17
A potential threat to humanity has been detected but not all of the human-inhabited planets have a political system likely to cooperate w/ the whole against this threat. Section G's task then becomes to use covert operations to reorient these planets to prepare for a possible invasion. One of those planets has a dictator chosen from the best bullfighters.
""An absolute dictator," Jakes said. "The Caudillo, who rules for life."
Lorans said, "But the regime has been in power for centuries. When the Caudillo dies, how does a new one come in?"
"Jakes looked around at them. "The best matador is appointed."" - p 23
Jakes, who's assigning the Section G team, gives a brief history of assassination:
"Richard the Lion Heart was first inclined to give Hasan Ben Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain, and head of the assassin sect, a hard time. But when he awoke one morning, there was a knife on the pillow next to him. He doubled his guard, but the next morning there was another knife. In a rage, he again doubled his secruity. And the next morning, another knife. Richard made his peace with Hasan Ben Sabbah.""
[..]
""Then there were the Nihilists of Russia; at least some of them, one wing of the organization. They were convinced the could scare the aristocracy into granting reforms. They were wrong, for various reasons, but they tried. They thought that individuals were at the root of Russian evils. They pulled off some noteworth;y assassinations, sometimes blowing up whole trains to get a Czar or a Grand Duke."" - p 50
One of the recalcitrant planets has a governmental system based on the Stalinist days of the USSR.
"So far as he could figure out, no matter what Lenin might originally have had in mind, toward the end of his days, and through all of the Stalin period, what the Russians had finally come up with was a system of State Capitalism. Far from going to the classless society they supposedly advocated, they built their new class of Party bureaucrats. Far from letting the State wither away, as Karl Marx had said it would, they strengthened it." - p 62
Some Section G agents infiltrate the planet where the matador becomes dictator & they try to influence the relevant bullfighting. Unbeknownst to them, at least initially, the bullfighting is rigged. Here's a description of one of the competitors:
"Perico, a smaller, dark-complexioned man, was not nearly the physical specimen his opponent was, but evidently, from what Guerro said, was noted for the impossible chances he took, the desplantes he indulged in so arrogantly, the adornos. He was famous for taking the tip of a dominated bull's horn in his mouth, to the horror of the crowd. A sudden flip of the horn and his brain would have been pierced. He too was of one of the very best families." - p 173
How the various agents make out I'll leave to the reader to discover on their own. This wasn't one of my favorite Reynolds novels but at this point I don't think I cd give a bk of his anything less than 4 stars.
Mack Reynolds's Section G: United Planets
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - June 14, 2024
In just about every Mack Reynolds bk review I write I mention that he's one of my favorite SF writers. At last count I'd read 23 bks by him so this is the 24th. Since he wrote 68 bks (listed on his Wikipedia entry) I'm not likely to ever read them all. This is one of those ones where I made very few reviewer notes to guide me in writing this - wch is a relief for me b/c I don't have the energy to write a long review. The FORWARD sets the scene thusly:
"With the advent of the hyperspace drive, man exploded into the galaxy leaving behind an overpopulated Mother Earth."
[..]
"Some sought their own worlds to practice their religion, or lack of it, in the manner they wished, and ranging from Agnostic to Zen. Some fled Earth for socioeconomic reasons, wishing to pratice their own politicoeconomic system. They included Anarchists, Syndicalists, Technocrats, Communists of various varieties (including Titoists and Maoists)." - p 5
Section G is a secret corps formed to protect this farflung humanity. Members of it have special talents.
"There were others with eidetic memories, such as Lord McCauley" - p 17
A potential threat to humanity has been detected but not all of the human-inhabited planets have a political system likely to cooperate w/ the whole against this threat. Section G's task then becomes to use covert operations to reorient these planets to prepare for a possible invasion. One of those planets has a dictator chosen from the best bullfighters.
""An absolute dictator," Jakes said. "The Caudillo, who rules for life."
Lorans said, "But the regime has been in power for centuries. When the Caudillo dies, how does a new one come in?"
"Jakes looked around at them. "The best matador is appointed."" - p 23
Jakes, who's assigning the Section G team, gives a brief history of assassination:
"Richard the Lion Heart was first inclined to give Hasan Ben Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain, and head of the assassin sect, a hard time. But when he awoke one morning, there was a knife on the pillow next to him. He doubled his guard, but the next morning there was another knife. In a rage, he again doubled his secruity. And the next morning, another knife. Richard made his peace with Hasan Ben Sabbah.""
[..]
""Then there were the Nihilists of Russia; at least some of them, one wing of the organization. They were convinced the could scare the aristocracy into granting reforms. They were wrong, for various reasons, but they tried. They thought that individuals were at the root of Russian evils. They pulled off some noteworth;y assassinations, sometimes blowing up whole trains to get a Czar or a Grand Duke."" - p 50
One of the recalcitrant planets has a governmental system based on the Stalinist days of the USSR.
"So far as he could figure out, no matter what Lenin might originally have had in mind, toward the end of his days, and through all of the Stalin period, what the Russians had finally come up with was a system of State Capitalism. Far from going to the classless society they supposedly advocated, they built their new class of Party bureaucrats. Far from letting the State wither away, as Karl Marx had said it would, they strengthened it." - p 62
Some Section G agents infiltrate the planet where the matador becomes dictator & they try to influence the relevant bullfighting. Unbeknownst to them, at least initially, the bullfighting is rigged. Here's a description of one of the competitors:
"Perico, a smaller, dark-complexioned man, was not nearly the physical specimen his opponent was, but evidently, from what Guerro said, was noted for the impossible chances he took, the desplantes he indulged in so arrogantly, the adornos. He was famous for taking the tip of a dominated bull's horn in his mouth, to the horror of the crowd. A sudden flip of the horn and his brain would have been pierced. He too was of one of the very best families." - p 173
How the various agents make out I'll leave to the reader to discover on their own. This wasn't one of my favorite Reynolds novels but at this point I don't think I cd give a bk of his anything less than 4 stars.
January 6, 2026
Not really a cohesive story as a novel, I think it might combine some short stories set in the same universe. In spite of this, and the book’s striking lack of character development, it’s a very enjoyable little novel - basically it’s a comparison of different political theories if they were to rule different human-colonized planets in the same universe. The conceit of the book - that an elite secret police force sets out to disrupt the planets with backwards social systems to tilt them towards technological progress, would make for a very fun TV series I think.
November 14, 2024
Combines the two short stories, Fiesta Brava, PSI assassin and possibly a third I haven’t identified yet. Fiesta Brava not re-written so this is possibly just a mash-up and why none of it hangs together.
February 1, 2017
2.5. The premise is that humanity's spread to the stars was heavily fueled by political, cultural and ethnic movements. With alien invaders on the way, Section G's mission is to overthrow any government that slows down technological process and thereby retards our ability to fight the enemy; this novel actually interweaves two or three previously published short stories. I remember liking Reynolds in high school, but this isn't his best work -- the stories don't really reinforce each other and there's way too much "as you know ..." explanatory scenes. The premise also seems more conventionally Cold War than most of his stories (if government's aren't sufficiently anti-Communist, just replace them).
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews