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Transformer #1
Le Morphodite
Comment détruire une conspiration sans faire de vagues ? Chaque mouvement subversif repose sur une personne, qui est comme la clé de voûte de l'ensemble... Il suffirait donc de subtiliser cette personne-clé et d'attendre que l'organisation suspecte se détruise spontanément.
Le monde dans lequel se déroule cette histoire est ultra-conservateur, isolationniste, opposé à toute forme de changement.
La police secrète avait tout mis en oeuvre pour que les choses demeurent en l'état.
Maintenant les maîtres de ce monde allaient mettre en action leur arme secrète la plus subtile : un génie élevé en laboratoire, une bombe à retardement génétique : le MORPHODITE. Mais ils avaient oublié une chose : les pensées de ce génie-là, « programmé » pour réduire à néant la subversion, allaient se révéler totalement subversives.
Le monde dans lequel se déroule cette histoire est ultra-conservateur, isolationniste, opposé à toute forme de changement.
La police secrète avait tout mis en oeuvre pour que les choses demeurent en l'état.
Maintenant les maîtres de ce monde allaient mettre en action leur arme secrète la plus subtile : un génie élevé en laboratoire, une bombe à retardement génétique : le MORPHODITE. Mais ils avaient oublié une chose : les pensées de ce génie-là, « programmé » pour réduire à néant la subversion, allaient se révéler totalement subversives.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1981
3 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
M.A. Foster
20 books28 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
US writer, former data-systems analyst and sequentially a Russian linguist and ICBM launch-crew commander to the US Air Force; he is also a semiprofessional photographer. After some poetry, released privately as Shards from Byzantium (coll 1969 chap) and The Vaseline Dreams of Hundifer Jones (coll 1970 chap), he began to publish sf with the ambitious Ler trilogy about a race of Supermen created by Genetic Engineering whose social structure is built around a form of line marriage here called a braid.
The Gameplayers of Zan (1977), a very long novel formally constructed on the model of an Elizabethan tragedy, describes a period of climactic tension between the ler and the rest of humanity, and is set on Earth. The Warriors of Dawn (1975), published first but set later, is a more conventional Space Opera in which a human male and a ler female are forced to team up to try to solve a complexly ramifying problem of interstellar piracy. The Day of the Klesh (1979) brings the ler and the eponymous race of humans together on a planet where they must solve their differences.
The Morphodite/Transformer sequence which followed comprises The Morphodite (1981), Transformer (1983) and Preserver (1985), all three assembled as The Transformer Trilogy (omni 2006), and similarly uses forms of meditative Shapeshifting to buttress complex plots, though in this case the alternately male or female, revolution-fomenting, protagonist dominates the tale as assassin, trickster and Superman.
Waves (1980) rather recalls Stanisław Lem's Solaris (1961) in a tale of political intrigue on a planet whose ocean is intelligent. The four novellas collected in Owl Time (coll 1985) are told in challengingly various modes, and derive strength from their mutual contrast.
More recently, the author has been involved with the writing of storylines for Acme comics http://www.acmecomics.com/node/69.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
US writer, former data-systems analyst and sequentially a Russian linguist and ICBM launch-crew commander to the US Air Force; he is also a semiprofessional photographer. After some poetry, released privately as Shards from Byzantium (coll 1969 chap) and The Vaseline Dreams of Hundifer Jones (coll 1970 chap), he began to publish sf with the ambitious Ler trilogy about a race of Supermen created by Genetic Engineering whose social structure is built around a form of line marriage here called a braid.
The Gameplayers of Zan (1977), a very long novel formally constructed on the model of an Elizabethan tragedy, describes a period of climactic tension between the ler and the rest of humanity, and is set on Earth. The Warriors of Dawn (1975), published first but set later, is a more conventional Space Opera in which a human male and a ler female are forced to team up to try to solve a complexly ramifying problem of interstellar piracy. The Day of the Klesh (1979) brings the ler and the eponymous race of humans together on a planet where they must solve their differences.
The Morphodite/Transformer sequence which followed comprises The Morphodite (1981), Transformer (1983) and Preserver (1985), all three assembled as The Transformer Trilogy (omni 2006), and similarly uses forms of meditative Shapeshifting to buttress complex plots, though in this case the alternately male or female, revolution-fomenting, protagonist dominates the tale as assassin, trickster and Superman.
Waves (1980) rather recalls Stanisław Lem's Solaris (1961) in a tale of political intrigue on a planet whose ocean is intelligent. The four novellas collected in Owl Time (coll 1985) are told in challengingly various modes, and derive strength from their mutual contrast.
More recently, the author has been involved with the writing of storylines for Acme comics http://www.acmecomics.com/node/69.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 7, 2012
This is a freakly little book, one that I have read easily a dozen times. One of my dozen or so favorites.
Foster's THE MORPHODITE -- the plot -- is a loose, necessarily odd-structured assassination/fugitve story, and I have great affection for all the characters. BUT what captivates are the ideas.
The Morphodite character unites two crazy propositions, and two crazy propositions at the same time might be too many.
[SPOILERS? Pretty abstract, as spoilers go.]
1) A person is taught to change its own genetic structure and thereby change its body entirely, reverting into one of its own ancestors (or a new combination of its ancestral gene traits). In so doing, it swaps genders. That's a crazy proposition -- one that really affected my understanding of mortality, and which provoked me to read much more about genetic science.
2) In any social structure, there exist tiny variables that, altered or removed, may upset the entire structure. There are ways to determine the critical variable, change it, and overturn the whole applecart. And to observers at the time, the maneuver might seem invisible. That's a crazy proposition -- one that really affected my understanding of history and power, and which led me to study homeokinetics.
"It makes absolutely no difference whether we approach the universe from an initial position of truth or falsity. The truth will out, if we pursue it far enough, and the result will astound either origin equally." That's a quote burned into my head. It changed me, no kidding.
[END SPOILERS]
The book is followed by two sequels, TRANSFORMER and PRESERVER. The whole trilogy is pretty good, but it was Tiresio Rael in the first book who really got to me.
Foster's THE MORPHODITE -- the plot -- is a loose, necessarily odd-structured assassination/fugitve story, and I have great affection for all the characters. BUT what captivates are the ideas.
The Morphodite character unites two crazy propositions, and two crazy propositions at the same time might be too many.
[SPOILERS? Pretty abstract, as spoilers go.]
1) A person is taught to change its own genetic structure and thereby change its body entirely, reverting into one of its own ancestors (or a new combination of its ancestral gene traits). In so doing, it swaps genders. That's a crazy proposition -- one that really affected my understanding of mortality, and which provoked me to read much more about genetic science.
2) In any social structure, there exist tiny variables that, altered or removed, may upset the entire structure. There are ways to determine the critical variable, change it, and overturn the whole applecart. And to observers at the time, the maneuver might seem invisible. That's a crazy proposition -- one that really affected my understanding of history and power, and which led me to study homeokinetics.
"It makes absolutely no difference whether we approach the universe from an initial position of truth or falsity. The truth will out, if we pursue it far enough, and the result will astound either origin equally." That's a quote burned into my head. It changed me, no kidding.
[END SPOILERS]
The book is followed by two sequels, TRANSFORMER and PRESERVER. The whole trilogy is pretty good, but it was Tiresio Rael in the first book who really got to me.
March 23, 2015
reviews.metaphorosis.com
3 stars
On a world where change of any kind is actively suppressed, a shadowy conspiracy has created a powerful weapon: a person who can pinpoint the linchpin of any society - and remove it. But what do you do when your weapon has a mind of its own?
I first ran across M. A Foster through The Gameplayers of Zan, the first in his complex and and interesting Ler series. I subsequently picked up many of his other books, including the Morphodite trilogy. I remember them as being dense but rewarding, somewhat like David Zindell's later Neverness books.
On re-reading The Morphodite, I was struck by the book's very strong similarities to Jack Vance's work. I either didn't recall this, or hadn't noted it when I read this back in the 80s (and had read less of Vance). Nonetheless, the society the book describes is very much a Vancean one, complete with absurd rules, formal ceremony, and fatal flaws. Reading this now, it's hard to imagine that Foster didn't know exactly whom he was emulating (or was inspired by).
Foster's doesn't use language in the same lively, playful way that Vance does. His prose trudges from place to place in a dense but workmanlike manner. His characters, however, are far more human and sympathetic than Vance's, if devoid of their sardonic humor. The result works, but feels as if it could have been more in different hands.
The strength of the story is in the protagonist, a distant but likeable character sent out to cause chaos, but also trying to find his own way and place in the world. His interactions with others tend toward the shallow (perhaps subtle), but his inner struggles are interesting.
If you're a fan of Jack Vance's cultures, but could do without the wordplay, this is the book for you. In any case it's the kind of interesting exploration of an idea that SF does well. If the prose doesn't sparkle, it's still strong enough to carry along a clever concept.
January 4, 2023
Morphodite(1981)
Transformer (83)
Preserver (85)
In essence, these are classic good vs. evil confrontations, with the moral vigor of the Morphodite and his allies contrasted with the evil and corruption of the Mask Factory and the Galactics who built it. But they'll get their comeuppance, in the oft-appalling vengeance of the Morphodite!
This closely-linked series features marvelously Vancean writing, vivid characters and weird societies. Minor plot-logic lapses. And, I'm sorry to say, PRESERVER isn't as good as the first two, so you may want to stop at #2.
Pluses: good sex and better characters. The major characters are remarkably well-drawn. And Foster had a real talent for sketching weird (but plausible) human societies. Plus he's a marvelous storyteller.
Minus: humor. Almost none detectable. And the third book is rather perfunctory.
Morphodite & Transformer are two of the best SF novels of the 80's, I think, and if you've missed out on discovering Mike Foster, you have a number of treats in store. Sadly, his books never sold that well, and so he dropped out of writing SF over 20 years ago. A real pity, and a real loss to science fiction.
[This is an old review, probably posted first to Usenet, revised in 2005 for Amazon, lightly revised for here]
Transformer (83)
Preserver (85)
In essence, these are classic good vs. evil confrontations, with the moral vigor of the Morphodite and his allies contrasted with the evil and corruption of the Mask Factory and the Galactics who built it. But they'll get their comeuppance, in the oft-appalling vengeance of the Morphodite!
This closely-linked series features marvelously Vancean writing, vivid characters and weird societies. Minor plot-logic lapses. And, I'm sorry to say, PRESERVER isn't as good as the first two, so you may want to stop at #2.
Pluses: good sex and better characters. The major characters are remarkably well-drawn. And Foster had a real talent for sketching weird (but plausible) human societies. Plus he's a marvelous storyteller.
Minus: humor. Almost none detectable. And the third book is rather perfunctory.
Morphodite & Transformer are two of the best SF novels of the 80's, I think, and if you've missed out on discovering Mike Foster, you have a number of treats in store. Sadly, his books never sold that well, and so he dropped out of writing SF over 20 years ago. A real pity, and a real loss to science fiction.
[This is an old review, probably posted first to Usenet, revised in 2005 for Amazon, lightly revised for here]
November 4, 2017
Oerlikon was a world where people had decided the best course was to “not to change.” A very strict society had developed with police forces ever on the alert for changes. The internal security / police developed, in their, human modification labs, the Morphodite, a person that had the ability to figure out who was the key person in an organization, to assassinate him or her, and to get away. As part of the escape mechanism Morphodite could change him or herself at will though would end up about 15 younger and of the opposite gender than before. They decide to release the Morphodite on a rebel group that had been advocating change but the plan backfires in that the Morphodite had his own ideas and kills the one person that triggers change on a global basis. Much of the story is from the Morphodite’s perspective, first as Jael, then as Damistofia Azart, and finally as Phaedrus. (review written 03/17/2007)
April 8, 2022
Unlike some books where the thrill of the ending makes you think higher of the book, but then you look back and you're not sure why you thought the book was so great after analyzing the plot and arc... the Morphodite was the opposite. Revolutionaries, assassination, worldwide turmoil, respect and consideration... and on a sci-fi world where change is opposed. I feel MA Foster hit a lot of interesting aspects, and did them justice... while along the way teaching gentle lessons.
July 3, 2019
I remember really enjoying this book. The main character could morph to look like different people but it was not a fast, easy process. Based on the other reviews, he/she/it was engineered to defeat uprisings but could think for itself and apparently turned the tables.
October 11, 2013
In truth, I didn't really enjoy this book.
The premise itself is awesome. Assassinations in history have done little or nothing to stem the tides of power. But what if you could change that? What if they were targeting the wrong people and should have been gunning for the quiet people behind the power. Those people who are, in reality, the linchpins that hold a social system together. What if a group created a genetically modified entity specifically designed to target these individuals? It would be an awesome story! ...What the hell happened here?
Well, first of all, the first 50 pages of this novel really drag along and do nothing to further the plot or the characters. This really made me lose interest and find myself dragging my feet to start with. Secondly, the alien world and its culture do nothing to support the promising premise, and really get in the way of the story telling more often than not.
That said, I was amazed to find out that one of my co-workers had actually met the author. From his anecdotes, evidently the guy has a great sense of humor, something I wish I'd seen more of in here. The moments of humor feel genuine and are truly great.
The premise itself is awesome. Assassinations in history have done little or nothing to stem the tides of power. But what if you could change that? What if they were targeting the wrong people and should have been gunning for the quiet people behind the power. Those people who are, in reality, the linchpins that hold a social system together. What if a group created a genetically modified entity specifically designed to target these individuals? It would be an awesome story! ...What the hell happened here?
Well, first of all, the first 50 pages of this novel really drag along and do nothing to further the plot or the characters. This really made me lose interest and find myself dragging my feet to start with. Secondly, the alien world and its culture do nothing to support the promising premise, and really get in the way of the story telling more often than not.
That said, I was amazed to find out that one of my co-workers had actually met the author. From his anecdotes, evidently the guy has a great sense of humor, something I wish I'd seen more of in here. The moments of humor feel genuine and are truly great.
September 29, 2013
M. A. Foster's first book in his Morphodite series. The Morphodite was a young man who had been raised with a "different" knowledge of science than the rest of the universe. He was meant to be an experiment and then, if the experiment was successful, he would be used as the ultimate spy, since no one would be able to track him--with the ability to not only change his appearance, but his sex, age and even DNA code. Unfortunately, what no one expected was that the Morphodite would be a little bit TOO good at his job.
Part thriller, part social commentary, part sci-fi novel, this book is an intense read, but well worth it. Written in 1981, it might feel a bit dated, but the ideas are still as fresh and interesting as the day that Foster wrote this book.
Part thriller, part social commentary, part sci-fi novel, this book is an intense read, but well worth it. Written in 1981, it might feel a bit dated, but the ideas are still as fresh and interesting as the day that Foster wrote this book.
July 7, 2011
I've read this book many times. It's not written amazingly well, but the premise and concept are uber cool... what if someone could delve into the Ether and figure out who that one person was that holds a given society together? (hint: it's never the political figurehead) What if that someone was an assassin who could escape unscathed because they can Change in to another person altogether? I just find the whole thing interesting and the lines of thought intriguing, especially as what would normally be called fantasy is written with a scientific mind-set. Might be just me however, as I've not found anyone else who has read the book.
July 9, 2015
1988 grade D+
Series book T1
Series book T1
December 27, 2014
Another superb collection from m a foster
August 2, 2015
Took almost forever to get through. Slow on action and too long winded narration. Decent storyline, yet lacking any considerable fast flowing of the tale, almost making it boring.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews