Into the Slave Nebula

by John Brunner

It was carnival time on Earth. Prosperity was at its peak; science had triumphed over environment; all human needs were taken care of by computers, robots and androids. There was nothing left for humans to do but enjoy, themselves . . . to seek pleasure where they found it, without inhibitions and without thinking of the price. Then an android died - in a senseless, brutal murder. And young Derry Horn was shocked out of his boredom and alienation. His life of flabby ease had not prepared him for a fantastically dangerous mission to outlying, primitive stars - but now, at last, he had a reason for living. And even when he found himself a prisoner of ruthless slavers, even when he learned the shocking truth about what the androids really were and where they came from . . . even when he saw all the laws of the orderly, civilised universe he knew turned upside-down and inside-out . . . he fought on. For that universe had to be shattered and reborn - even if Derry Horn and the Earth he had irrevocably left behind died in the process!(First published 1968)

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

John Brunner was born in Preston Crowmarsh, near Wallingford in Oxfordshire, and went to school at St Andrew's Prep School, Pangbourne, then to Cheltenham College. He wrote his first novel, Galactic Storm, at 17, and published it under the pen-name Gill Hunt, but he did not start writing full-time until 1958. He served as an officer in the Royal Air Force from 1953 to 1955, and married Marjorie Rosamond Sauer on 12 July 1958

At the beginning of his writing career Brunner wrote conventional space opera pulp science fiction. Brunner later began to experiment with the novel form. His 1968 novel "Stand on Zanzibar" exploits the fragmented organizational style John Dos Passos invented for his USA trilogy, but updates it in terms of the theory of media popularised by Marshall McLuhan.

"The Jagged Orbit" (1969) is set in a United States dominated by weapons proliferation and interracial violence, and has 100 numbered chapters varying in length from a single syllable to several pages in length. "The Sheep Look Up" (1972) depicts ecological catastrophe in America. Brunner is credited with coining the term "worm" and predicting the emergence of computer viruses in his 1975 novel "The Shockwave Rider", in which he used the term to describe software which reproduces itself across a computer network. Together with "Stand on Zanzibar", these novels have been called the "Club of Rome Quartet", named after the Club of Rome whose 1972 report The Limits to Growth warned of the dire effects of overpopulation.

Brunner's pen names include K. H. Brunner, Gill Hunt, John Loxmith, Trevor Staines, Ellis Quick, Henry Crosstrees Jr., and Keith Woodcott.
In addition to his fiction, Brunner wrote poetry and many unpaid articles in a variety of publications, particularly fanzines, but also 13 letters to the New Scientist and an article about the educational relevance of science fiction in Physics Education. Brunner was an active member of the organisation Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and wrote the words to "The H-Bomb's Thunder", which was sung on the Aldermaston Marches.

Brunner had an uneasy relationship with British new wave writers, who often considered him too American in his settings and themes. He attempted to shift to a more mainstream readership in the early 1980s, without success. Before his death, most of his books had fallen out of print. Brunner accused publishers of a conspiracy against him, although he was difficult to deal with (his wife had handled his publishing relations before she died).[2]

Brunner's health began to decline in the 1980s and worsened with the death of his wife in 1986. He remarried, to Li Yi Tan, on 27 September 1991. He died of a heart attack in Glasgow on 25 August 1995, while attending the World Science Fiction Convention there


aka
K H Brunner, Henry Crosstrees Jr, Gill Hunt (with Dennis Hughes and E C Tubb), John Loxmith, Trevor Staines, Keith Woodcott

Winner of the ESFS Awards in 1980 as "Best Author" and 1n 1984 as "Novelist"..

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This SF novel from 1968 and by an American is clearly a product of its time and place, reflecting the civil rights movement and its origins a century and more before in the slave trade. Alarmingly, the allegorical aspects are at least as relevant now with the current "people trafficking" issue, which let's face it, is no different from the African slave trade: forcibly transferring people from one place to another and selling them into servitude, except that it's illegal.

It's attitude to women is also of its time; they are almost absent except as menials, victims or sex objects - with the exception of a minor character who perpetrates one crucial heroic act.

Bizarrely for such a short novel (its length being also typical of the '60s), it feels slow in the first half - but the second half is swifter. It's competent, amusing and very unexceptional.

[Susan Butcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

A space swashbuckler, more or less. The bored playboy grandson of a wealthy industrialist witnesses a double murder, and after the police show suspiciously little interest in the case, he himself becomes the target of assassins. So he sets off across space to solve the mystery, but winds up in the hands of slave traders, a bit like "Citizen of the Galaxy" in reverse. Although it's in keeping with the setting of the book, the Kelly Freas cover implies a sexiness that isn't present at all once things get going, but there's several bloody sword fights if you're into that sort of thing. As usual with SF stories involving androids created to be third-class non-persons, there's a strong social commentary angle here.

(Originally published as "Slavers of Space".)

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world where androids take care of everything for humans, life is boring for Derry Horn. Then he takes on a dangerous mission in space, and discovers a monstrous secret.It's a fairly simple story, but well put together; if you don't expect this early novel to rival Brunner's best known works, it's well worth reading.

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not badly written, but I was hoping for something a bit more introspective and/or fun.

Instead, there's a bit of a murder mystery in a hotel during Mardi Gras for the first like third of the book. That's where I finally gave up. I assume they do eventually make it to a slave nebula.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful indictment of slavery. Our reluctant hero finds a dead android and a dead human. He defies his family and upbringing to go hunting the murderer in an attempt to continue the dead man's work. Recommended.

[alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of my favourite brunners

[Tentatively, Convenience · Rating 3 out of 5]

review of
John Brunner's Into the Slave Nebula
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - August 25, 2013

Do you ever think about slavery? For many US citizens, like myself, the use of slaves in the establishment of the wealth of this nation is still a huge point of shame - even 150 yrs after its abolition here. Nonetheless, I suspect that most people who at least pay lip service to scorning slavery think of it as something in the past. But why would it be? On the level of common social opinion slavery is fairly widely held to be completely unacceptable. Nonetheless, greedy & uncaring humans are still common & little glimpses of slavery appear here & there. Capitalism essentially encourages such practices under the guise of 'free trade'. & lest we think it's only these demonic Christians of European descent who practice slavery please note that the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, a West African nation, is one of the last hold-outs for widespread slavery.

But even more ignored than nationally institutionalized slavery, such as what we had in the US, & such as what still prevails in Mauritania (although there have been government attempts to stop it there), is the slavery of human trafficking. Last night I watched the movie entitled The Whistleblower about sex slave traffic in Bosnia in 1999 partially run by members of the IPTF (International Police Task Force) employees of DynCorp. What better way to enslave people than under the aegis of being an unprosecutable international 'peace-keeper'? These PMCs (Private Military Contractors) aka PMFs (Private Military Firms) like DynCorp are BIG PROFIT MAKERS & they thrive best in destabilized countries - wch just happen to be the best places for natural resources to be extracted from, eh?! In other words, capitalism at work w/ business-as-usual.

ANYWAY, Brunner has his own inimitable spin on the possibilities of future slavery here in Into the Slave Nebula & I have to commend his genius, as usual. It's hard for me to discuss this novel w/o getting into spoilers so I'll just leave it by saying that my little anti-human-trafficking tirade that begins this review is highly relevant. If you see some kid peddling themselves somewhere don't just assume they're doing it willingly - they may very well have been kidnapped & forced into being sex slaves. They may've been displaced from their environment of origin & put somewhere where they barely speak the language, where they barely know where they are, & where they're being held under threat of death. You might want to check out things like the Polaris Project ( http://www.polarisproject.org/ ) or other such anti-slavery groups (there are, fortunately, many) for more info. For all you know, there may be a slave stuck in a back rm of a 'business' establishment near you. AND, if you want to be warned about future possibilities, read Brunner's Into the Slave Nebula - it's not so far-fetched.

[Sgtpossum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Into the Slave Nebula was wonderfully enjoyable pulp, a real fun ride.

In particular, it had a few ideas I had not encountered previously. A utopian earth where the people are hypersexual lovers of violence. A Viking planet ruled by family clans. Forgotten planets, unable to communicate with the rest of humanity after centuries of isolation. There were others, but to reveal them would spoil the unsettling primary plot.

Suffice to say, while it was by no means a literary masterpiece, this was a clever story with a captivating adventure. I couldn't put it down.

[Daniel Berend · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just watched a movie called Life Like. I predicted the end and remembered Into the Slave Nebula from reading it over 30 years ago. This is more a nostalgic review. I can't remember specifics, but the premise stayed with me all these years. Perhaps Josh Janowicz read it too?

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade B.

[Stephanie Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pulpy, of course, but it was good pulp.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earlyish Brunner , pulpy but not awful. good review here.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

As SF goes, it is getting a bit dated, but still interesting enough light reading.

[Yelisiei Murai · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is so bad by any means... But it has one very very good plot twist at the end. So if you read that book, try to finish it. That twist gave +1* to my rating of the book.