A Small Armageddon

by Mordecai Roshwald

Complete departure from 'Level 7' in quality. The plot is so incredible, it's a fun read.
Plot: Executive officer accidently kills CO & with 5 others decide to take over nuclear sub. Rest of crew go along. Perks: Booze, money & strippers (then actresses, then attempted college girls with specified measurements) aboard the Pirate sub.
Government caves to demands. Vet the other officers in the top ranks for strong family & religious ties (ie. booze, bucks & broads).
Further plot development? A right-wing evangelical Christian, CO of an Air Force Nuclear Base takes it over (Nuclear Crusaders) with his demands of banning the aforementioned three.
Government caves to that!
Does Roshwald believe most military are without backbone or morals? The guy running the nuclear reactor of the sub goes along so he can create the ultimate artistic striptease? Another for Booze? The Air Force group follows the CO after a religious rant?
This was written in '62, pre-Jim Jones.--N. Stepro (edited)

Genres: Science Fiction

211 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Roshwald was an American academic and writer. Born in Drohobycz, Poland, Roshwald he later emigrated to Israel. His most famous work is the novel Level 7, a post-apocalyptic science-fiction novel. He is also the author of A Small Armageddon (1962) and Dreams and Nightmares: Science and Technology in Myth and Fiction (2008).

Roshwald was a "professor emeritus of humanities at the University of Minnesota, and a visiting professor at many universities worldwide."

He was residing in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States at the time of his death.

Reviews

[Graeme Sutherland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh boy! Where to start? This book is a real disappointment. It has a fascinating premise with real potential for a dark and terrifying thriller. However, it becomes clear early on that the author's intentions are actually satirical.

Blankly comic satire is fine - think Dr Strangelove - but this is a difficult genre to pull off. Success is dependent on the skill of the writer. With this oddly plodding example, it would appear Mr Roshwald was out of his depth.

The set-up is fine, but there is too much cross talk between thinly drawn characters; and supposedly hilarious exposition on such topics as rivalries between the services; or the relative merits of strippers and actresses.

[The misogyny of much of the broader comic material has been mentioned by others here. But it really is jaw-dropping, even by the standards of the time!]

A lot of it reads like a thick-eared attempt to pull off a Catch-22 approach to the machinations of the top brass and the politicians in the face of a kind of wish fulfillment rebellion in the ranks. But it all goes rather flat. None of it is clever enough or witty enough.

It would have been better to play the whole scenario straight or almost straight. Let the reader discover the absurdities at the heart of the "nuclear deterrent" for themselves. As it is, this bomb is a dud.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely could not guess the next happenings in the book. It was a short read, but after reading Level 7 by the same author, I felt I had to read this one. Excellent fodder for the mind, especially considering that it was written in 1962. Glad I found a copy. Through storytelling, the author makes us aware of some intended and not-so intended consequences of nuclear armament, like a good book should!

[Trilobyte · Rating 2 out of 5]

The crew of a nuclear submarine decide to mutiny and travel the world threatening to use their missiles unless they are supplied with money, women and alcohol. A short novel which I struggled to get through. The most interesting thing about the book was the uncanny resemblance of the face in the mushroom cloud on the cover to Trump's recent mugshot photo.

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mordecai Roshwald dimostra, senza troppi sforzi, il bluff che sta dietro il famoso "deterrente nucleare", trasformandolo prima in un ricatto farsesco, poi in un tragico ricatto fondamentalista, e poi in una minaccia veramente seria.
La fortuna è che i fondamentalisti e i pazzi tendono a non leggere libri di fantascienza, che probabilmente non ritengono adeguati alla loro personale mistica, altrimenti potrebbero farsi venire delle idee poco simpatiche.

[Patrick Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A captain of a nuclear sub and fundamental preacher compete blackmailing the nation with Armageddon. After 'Level Seven' I was unprepared for a satire. A little like 'Dr. Strange love,' this is fun—a clever little satire of the 1950's.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Roshwald's horrific Level 7, this satire was a bit of a disappointment.