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Victim #1
The 10th Victim
In the year of the future, Caroline Meredith, a survivor as Hunted and as Victim seeks her tenth and final legal kill from Victim Marcello
158 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1965
13 people are currently reading
472 people want to read
About the author
Robert Sheckley
1,395 books669 followersOne of science fiction's great humorists, Sheckley was a prolific short story writer beginning in 1952 with titles including "Specialist", "Pilgrimage to Earth", "Warm", "The Prize of Peril", and "Seventh Victim", collected in volumes from Untouched by Human Hands (1954) to Is That What People Do? (1984) and a five-volume set of Collected Stories (1991). His first novel, Immortality, Inc. (1958), was followed by The Status Civilization (1960), Journey Beyond Tomorrow (1962), Mindswap (1966), and several others. Sheckley served as fiction editor for Omni magazine from January 1980 through September 1981, and was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2001.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
November 25, 2024
Ogni volta che mi appresto a leggere un'opera di Sheckley, son sempre curiosissimo, perchè si tratta di un autore davvero particolare. Dove la narrazione, ad una lettura superficiale e da intrattenimento, possa risultare, appunto, elementare al limite del banale, sotto sotto l'autore semina tante di quelle frecciatine alla società umana, principalmente del suo periodo, quindi gli anni 60, in questo caso. Ma leggendolo ora, nel 2024, mi son ritrovato a sogghignare (come mi è successo con tutti i suoi libri che ho letto) perchè è caustico, ma al tempo stesso "leggero". Mi ricorda spesso Vonnegut per l'ironia malinconica che pervade nelle sue storie. Storie di esseri umani che vagano per il nostro pianeta ed "oltre", cercando di farsi strada a spallate fra la gente e fra i pregiudizi, tra l'asfissiante potere costituito. Dove i mass media soffocano l'io personale, dove la tecnologia ingorda (che stupidaggine ho scritto, la tecnologia non siamo altro che noi, quindi cerco/cerchiamo di giustificare l'umanità ingorda di tutto?) ci sta, ci stiamo!! privando della nostra individualità, della nostra capacità di vivere, di adattarci all'ambiente, di vivere l'ambiente circostante?
Sheckley me lo sono sempre immaginato come un personaggio molto gioviale, molto simpatico e spiritoso, ma che quando si mette lì ad ideare le sue storielle, ha come un senso di claustrofobia, come se volesse esorcizzarla, mettendola su carta. Condividendola con altri che vedono, nella prospettiva futura, ma anche presente, della società, un qualcosa d'innaturale e perciò butta su carta sprazzi di un'ironia rara per la sua intelligenza e perspicacia.
Sheckley me lo sono sempre immaginato come un personaggio molto gioviale, molto simpatico e spiritoso, ma che quando si mette lì ad ideare le sue storielle, ha come un senso di claustrofobia, come se volesse esorcizzarla, mettendola su carta. Condividendola con altri che vedono, nella prospettiva futura, ma anche presente, della società, un qualcosa d'innaturale e perciò butta su carta sprazzi di un'ironia rara per la sua intelligenza e perspicacia.
November 19, 2017
Il futuro è qui
Il volume contiene 13 racconti scritti da Robert Sheckley tra il 1954 e il 1962.
13 racconti sorprendentemente attuali, un mix di intelligenza, visionarietà, arguzia e ironia: reality show basati sulla caccia all’uomo che prevedono lauti compensi per chi riesce a sopravvivere; agenzie che forniscono belle donne appositamente condizionate per innamorarsi veramente di un cliente qualsiasi; società pacifiche in cui l’omicidio è legalizzato in un gioco che serve da valvola di sfogo per la violenza individuale; uccelli robot contro la morte; armature intelligenti e molto altro ancora. Insomma, non una “fantascienza filosofica” alla Dick, ma una vivida e ironica prefigurazione di futuri scenari possibili che stupisce e offre più di qualche spunto di riflessione perché gran parte del futuro immaginato da Sheckley sessant’anni fa ormai è qui… o quasi.
Inutile dire che il libro è introvabile, dovrete rivolgervi alla Biblioteca, ma se vi capitasse sotto il naso nell’usato (come è successo a me), non fatevelo sfuggire.
Il volume contiene 13 racconti scritti da Robert Sheckley tra il 1954 e il 1962.
13 racconti sorprendentemente attuali, un mix di intelligenza, visionarietà, arguzia e ironia: reality show basati sulla caccia all’uomo che prevedono lauti compensi per chi riesce a sopravvivere; agenzie che forniscono belle donne appositamente condizionate per innamorarsi veramente di un cliente qualsiasi; società pacifiche in cui l’omicidio è legalizzato in un gioco che serve da valvola di sfogo per la violenza individuale; uccelli robot contro la morte; armature intelligenti e molto altro ancora. Insomma, non una “fantascienza filosofica” alla Dick, ma una vivida e ironica prefigurazione di futuri scenari possibili che stupisce e offre più di qualche spunto di riflessione perché gran parte del futuro immaginato da Sheckley sessant’anni fa ormai è qui… o quasi.
Inutile dire che il libro è introvabile, dovrete rivolgervi alla Biblioteca, ma se vi capitasse sotto il naso nell’usato (come è successo a me), non fatevelo sfuggire.
June 30, 2024
Unfortunately, this novel is probably Sheckley's best known work. It started as a short story called The Seventh Victim in the April 1953 issue of Galaxy magazine, edited by H.L. Gold. In March of 1957 the wonderful radio science fiction anthology series X Minus One broadcast an adaptation of it, and a popular film version appeared in 1965. The film (which starred Ursula Andress) differed quite a bit from the original story in many ways (such as the number in the title), and Sheckley's novel version is the novelization of the screenplay which was credited to a quartet of Italian screenwriters. It's been a remarkably influential work in so far as LARPing and reality shows and all manner of pop culture business like Ming Tea and The Running Man and The Hunger Games, and was itself influenced by The Most Dangerous Game, Richard Connell's 1924 short story. Anyway.... it's not a very good novel. It seems rushed to me, and Sheckley didn't seem to have his heart in it. It's a quick read and does what it was supposed to do (be a movie tie-in), but the prose and plot isn't up to Sheckley's usual high standard.
November 2, 2025
„Десетата жертва“ се оказа много готина и забавна фантастика! Сюжетът ни пренася в антиутопичен футуристичен свят с доста тягостна атмосфера, но присъства и страхотно чувство хумор... Шекли умело осмива телевезионната индустрия, разказвайки за зловеща риалити ловна игра. В нея хора, които предварително са определени за ловци и жертви, започват законно и зрелищно да се избиват, а пък победител е човекът, който успешно извърши 10 убийства...
„Карълайн веднага осъзна, че опитът бе поръсил Полети само с горчивата пепел от удоволствието, което е истинската причина за разочарованието. Доста радости, които на младини ти изглеждат единствени и недостижими, след като ги получиш, се оказват безкрайно досадна поредица от повторения. След мрачното прозрение той се беше омотал в цивилизованото сиво наметало на скуката, за което някои казват, че е само обратната страна на шарената дрешка на оптимизма.“
„Карълайн веднага осъзна, че опитът бе поръсил Полети само с горчивата пепел от удоволствието, което е истинската причина за разочарованието. Доста радости, които на младини ти изглеждат единствени и недостижими, след като ги получиш, се оказват безкрайно досадна поредица от повторения. След мрачното прозрение той се беше омотал в цивилизованото сиво наметало на скуката, за което някои казват, че е само обратната страна на шарената дрешка на оптимизма.“
August 8, 2019
Note: This is not a library copy.
Robert Sheckley wrote a short story "The Seventh Victim" in 1953.
In 1965 it inspired the film "The Tenth Victim".
The Tenth Victim is the first book in a trilogy followed by "Victim Prime" and "Hunter/Victim".
In the near future anyone may enter a game called 'The Hunt'. One player is designated Hunter, the other Victim. The Victim does not know who the Hunter is, merely that someone is trying to kill them, and they must kill that person first.
Robert Sheckley (born July 16, 1928, Brooklyn, N.Y.—died Dec. 9, 2005, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) died aged 77 after complications following heart surgery and a stroke. His reputation is founded on the two or three hundred short stories he wrote in a burst of creativity from about 1952. He was married five times, with a daughter each by his second and third wives. Mr. Sheckley served as fiction editor of Omni magazine in the early 1980s.
Mr. Sheckley's first novel, "Immortality, Inc.", appeared in 1959 and was filmed in 1993 as Freejack, with Emilio Estevez and Mick Jagger.
Robert Sheckley wrote a short story "The Seventh Victim" in 1953.
In 1965 it inspired the film "The Tenth Victim".
The Tenth Victim is the first book in a trilogy followed by "Victim Prime" and "Hunter/Victim".
In the near future anyone may enter a game called 'The Hunt'. One player is designated Hunter, the other Victim. The Victim does not know who the Hunter is, merely that someone is trying to kill them, and they must kill that person first.
Robert Sheckley (born July 16, 1928, Brooklyn, N.Y.—died Dec. 9, 2005, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) died aged 77 after complications following heart surgery and a stroke. His reputation is founded on the two or three hundred short stories he wrote in a burst of creativity from about 1952. He was married five times, with a daughter each by his second and third wives. Mr. Sheckley served as fiction editor of Omni magazine in the early 1980s.
Mr. Sheckley's first novel, "Immortality, Inc.", appeared in 1959 and was filmed in 1993 as Freejack, with Emilio Estevez and Mick Jagger.
December 17, 2017
Futuro cinico e baro
I casi sono due, a meno di non prendere in considerazione ipotesi fantascientifiche (ma non vorrei mai andare fuori contesto): o avevo già letto il racconto che da il titolo a questa gustosa raccolta, oppure ne devo denunciare l'eccessiva prevedibilità. Fortuna che non si tratta di un giallo, e l'interesse sta più nel contesto che nello svolgimento - per la cronaca, è uno scorcio su un futuro ormai pacifico, in cui le guerre sono state sostituite da un volontario gioco assassino, i cui partecipanti sono ora cacciatori, ora vittime.
[un grazie ad amapola per l'ispirazione alla lettura, andate a leggervi il suo commento]
La decima vittima, racconto, chiude La decima vittima, raccolta di 13 brevi narrazioni costruite con una certa maestria e una buona dose di cinica ironia da parte di Robert Sheckley. Nonostante la varietà - si parte con i reality show "del brivido", precursori di tante opere fantascientifiche od orrorifiche, dal King de L'uomo in fuga al pessimo Battle Royale e relativa copia De Angher Gheims, e si chiude con il sopra citato gioco assassino, incontrando nel cammino progettisti di galassie, veri romantici, arditi esploratori spaziali, amanti molto puntigliosi, robo-uccelli da guardia e altri esempi di fervida immaginazione - si percepiscono alcuni temi e atmosfere comuni: la sfiducia nell'essere umano, prima di tutto, soprattutto per le sue vedute limitate, l'incapacità di proiettare lo sguardo sul futuro (già!) e prevedere le conseguenze delle proprie azioni, come singoli individui o come specie (Potenziale è l'eccezione che conferma la regola, in un certo senso); il dramma di un universo consumistico in cui tutto è in vendita, vita, morte e sentimenti compresi - a voler azzardare un'interpretazione spicciola, si direbbe che l'Autore sia un romantico frustrato. Ma ciò che emerge, ciò che rende notevoli i racconti, è la caustica ironia venata di cinismo che permea tutti i racconti: sublime a tratti, soprattutto quando si sposa con l'eccentricità (un solo esempio, l'innamorato che intraprende un viaggio interstellare per apprendere Il linguaggio dell'amore e poter così esprimere con precisione alla fortunata Doris ciò che prova per lei ).
Altre note sparse: leggendo degli uccelli meccanici, creati per risolvere definitivamente il problema degli omicidi, ho pensato non solo a P.K.D. e ai suoi rapporti di minoranza, ma anche - soprattutto - all'introduzione di specie non autoctone in nuovi territori, e ai relativi danni dovuti all'incapacità dell'uomo di prevederne gli esiti dannosi (in pratica, la storia della colonizzazione dell'Australia). Definire gli individui che nascondono sotto un'apparenza di normalità un animo estremamente romantico "giovani...dall'armatura di flanella grigia e dalla visiera con la montatura d'osso, ...i cavalieri erranti dei nostri tempi", ecco un altro esempio della genialità crudelmente ironica di Sheckley. Così come l'immaginare la Terra, ormai spogliata di tutte le risorse naturali, "specializzata in cose poco pratiche come la pazzia, la bellezza, la guerra, l'intossicazione, la purezza, l'orrore e così via" - amore incluso, naturalmente (anzi, "amore autentico"!).
In definitiva: amate la fantascienza? Leggete questa raccolta. Avete grande fiducia nell'umanità? Idem. Avete un senso dell'umorismo tendente al tristemente cinico, con possibilità di rovesci di ironia? Siete romantici e sentimentali (disillusi)? Tutte buone ragioni per fare un salto nel mondo futuro di Sheckley.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9h3j...
I casi sono due, a meno di non prendere in considerazione ipotesi fantascientifiche (ma non vorrei mai andare fuori contesto): o avevo già letto il racconto che da il titolo a questa gustosa raccolta, oppure ne devo denunciare l'eccessiva prevedibilità. Fortuna che non si tratta di un giallo, e l'interesse sta più nel contesto che nello svolgimento - per la cronaca, è uno scorcio su un futuro ormai pacifico, in cui le guerre sono state sostituite da un volontario gioco assassino, i cui partecipanti sono ora cacciatori, ora vittime.
[un grazie ad amapola per l'ispirazione alla lettura, andate a leggervi il suo commento]
La decima vittima, racconto, chiude La decima vittima, raccolta di 13 brevi narrazioni costruite con una certa maestria e una buona dose di cinica ironia da parte di Robert Sheckley. Nonostante la varietà - si parte con i reality show "del brivido", precursori di tante opere fantascientifiche od orrorifiche, dal King de L'uomo in fuga al pessimo Battle Royale e relativa copia De Angher Gheims, e si chiude con il sopra citato gioco assassino, incontrando nel cammino progettisti di galassie, veri romantici, arditi esploratori spaziali, amanti molto puntigliosi, robo-uccelli da guardia e altri esempi di fervida immaginazione - si percepiscono alcuni temi e atmosfere comuni: la sfiducia nell'essere umano, prima di tutto, soprattutto per le sue vedute limitate, l'incapacità di proiettare lo sguardo sul futuro (già!) e prevedere le conseguenze delle proprie azioni, come singoli individui o come specie (Potenziale è l'eccezione che conferma la regola, in un certo senso); il dramma di un universo consumistico in cui tutto è in vendita, vita, morte e sentimenti compresi - a voler azzardare un'interpretazione spicciola, si direbbe che l'Autore sia un romantico frustrato. Ma ciò che emerge, ciò che rende notevoli i racconti, è la caustica ironia venata di cinismo che permea tutti i racconti: sublime a tratti, soprattutto quando si sposa con l'eccentricità (un solo esempio, l'innamorato che intraprende un viaggio interstellare per apprendere Il linguaggio dell'amore e poter così esprimere con precisione alla fortunata Doris ciò che prova per lei ).
Altre note sparse: leggendo degli uccelli meccanici, creati per risolvere definitivamente il problema degli omicidi, ho pensato non solo a P.K.D. e ai suoi rapporti di minoranza, ma anche - soprattutto - all'introduzione di specie non autoctone in nuovi territori, e ai relativi danni dovuti all'incapacità dell'uomo di prevederne gli esiti dannosi (in pratica, la storia della colonizzazione dell'Australia). Definire gli individui che nascondono sotto un'apparenza di normalità un animo estremamente romantico "giovani...dall'armatura di flanella grigia e dalla visiera con la montatura d'osso, ...i cavalieri erranti dei nostri tempi", ecco un altro esempio della genialità crudelmente ironica di Sheckley. Così come l'immaginare la Terra, ormai spogliata di tutte le risorse naturali, "specializzata in cose poco pratiche come la pazzia, la bellezza, la guerra, l'intossicazione, la purezza, l'orrore e così via" - amore incluso, naturalmente (anzi, "amore autentico"!).
In definitiva: amate la fantascienza? Leggete questa raccolta. Avete grande fiducia nell'umanità? Idem. Avete un senso dell'umorismo tendente al tristemente cinico, con possibilità di rovesci di ironia? Siete romantici e sentimentali (disillusi)? Tutte buone ragioni per fare un salto nel mondo futuro di Sheckley.
If you're out there all alone
And you don't know where to go to
Come and take a trip with me to Future World
And if you're running through your life
And you don't know what the sense is
Come and look how it could be, in Future World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9h3j...
October 23, 2018
Абе, все имам чувството, че не му се отдава на Шекли писането на романи. И тази книга не прави изключение (тя чисто технически едва ли минава за роман, ама карай). Книгата е разширена и поусукана версия на „Седмата жертва”, която беше публикувана в сборника „Недокоснат от човешки ръце” на въздигнатата на пиадестал от родния читател „Библиотека Галактика”. И двете произведения допринасят плюсове и минуси за идеята на това антиутопично бъдеще, където, за да избегне войните човечеството се забавлява с кървава простащина, въздигайки системни убийци на висота. В романът поне действието е изместено от брутално хаплив сарказъм към едни по-късно навлезли тенденции на телевизионерството. Ала Шекли толкова прекалява, че успява да разсипе финала до гротескан комедия.
Действието се развива в близкото бъдеще, където цялото човечество е луднало по реалити игра с убийства и „Компютърът на игрите” ръководи всичко (интересно дали в Не-А ван Вогт е взаимствал или обратното). Двама отявлени убийци се изправят един срещу друг в смъртоносна игра на котка и котка, но този път резултатът ще е малко по-различен.
Ако приемем че икономическият апокалипсис по-обстойно описан в продължението „Гладиаторите на Есмералда” важи и тук, то произведението бие повече на постапокалипсис, от колкото на антиутопия, защото, колкото и дистопично да е, му лисват точно икономическите фактори, за да бъде обрисувано като обществен строй. Така прилича повече на лоша анархистична неуредица. При всички положения, целта с хиперболизацията на дебилизацията на човечеството щеше да бъде постигната, ако Шекли, верен на себе си, не обръщаше всичко съвсем на майтап в края.
Действието се развива в близкото бъдеще, където цялото човечество е луднало по реалити игра с убийства и „Компютърът на игрите” ръководи всичко (интересно дали в Не-А ван Вогт е взаимствал или обратното). Двама отявлени убийци се изправят един срещу друг в смъртоносна игра на котка и котка, но този път резултатът ще е малко по-различен.
Ако приемем че икономическият апокалипсис по-обстойно описан в продължението „Гладиаторите на Есмералда” важи и тук, то произведението бие повече на постапокалипсис, от колкото на антиутопия, защото, колкото и дистопично да е, му лисват точно икономическите фактори, за да бъде обрисувано като обществен строй. Така прилича повече на лоша анархистична неуредица. При всички положения, целта с хиперболизацията на дебилизацията на човечеството щеше да бъде постигната, ако Шекли, верен на себе си, не обръщаше всичко съвсем на майтап в края.
April 12, 2022
"Десетата жертва" е удължена версия на разказа "Седмата жертва" (последният е част от сборника "Недокоснат от човешки ръце"). Това е първа част от трилогия, като втората е "Victim Prime", издадена през 92-а у нас като "Гладиаторите на Есмералда". Третата част "Hunter/Victim" мисля не е издавана у нас. Романът (доколкото може да се нарече "роман" с малкия си обем) е и новелизираната версия на италианския филм от 65-а, направен по "Седмата жертва" - кинематографичността на "десетата" е доста лесно забелжима.
Според мен, със сигурност "Гладиаторите на Есмералда" е по-завършен роман. Тук ми хареса сатирата и критиката към медиите и безумните телевизионни шоу-игри, които все още се правят и излъчват - над 60 години по-късно. Сатирата избива до гротеска и абсурд, като дори и както винаги страхотния Шекли-хумор не успя да намали особено раздразнението ми във втората половина на книгата.
Със сигурност, "Гладиаторите на Есмералда" е класи над "Десетата жертва", като все пак последната си струва да бъде прочетена, макар и да не е на необходимото ниво. Поне се чете бързо.
3*
Според мен, със сигурност "Гладиаторите на Есмералда" е по-завършен роман. Тук ми хареса сатирата и критиката към медиите и безумните телевизионни шоу-игри, които все още се правят и излъчват - над 60 години по-късно. Сатирата избива до гротеска и абсурд, като дори и както винаги страхотния Шекли-хумор не успя да намали особено раздразнението ми във втората половина на книгата.
Със сигурност, "Гладиаторите на Есмералда" е класи над "Десетата жертва", като все пак последната си струва да бъде прочетена, макар и да не е на необходимото ниво. Поне се чете бързо.
3*
May 3, 2019
Ако случайно не сте си направи извода от полу-голите руси мацки с гигантски патлаци в ръцете – да обясня бавно и без задръжки, че става дума за класически пълп, с трупове на камари, безразборен секс и почти липсваща дълбока емоционалност или драматичен характер у героите. Но е Шекли. Което ви гарантира тънкия хумор, безупречната фантастична среда и пълнокръвния сюжет с обрати, заслужили си филмирането им в шедьовър на абсурдизма.
Историята е повече от елементарна, и същевременно гениална, напомняща на Чистката, но много по-овладяно и интелигентно. Далечно, или не чак толкова, бъдеще. Агресията е овладяна чрез международна игра на стражари и апаши, или по-скоро на убийци и жертви, като участието е напълно на доброволен принцип, и даже се заплаща. Условията са малко по-добри от тези на местния Биг брадър – имаш десет битки, в пет от тях си жертва, в останалите – преследвач. Жертвите не знаят кой ги преследва, а техните убийци имат цялата нужна информация. Няма времеви ограничения, няма оръжейни ограничения – кой както, когато, където може свитва другия. Гърмящи сутиени, експлоадиращи ботуши, случайно побутване от склон – всичко върши работа. Парите са добри за живите, а мъртвите ги погребват прилично. Но ако убиеш не който трябва – ами, глобичка. Затвор? Не, глобалните проблеми не се решават с хуманизъм, а с добрата стара анихилация.
Как тогава можеш да вкараш каквото и да е чувство за хумор в очевидно добре уредена и узаконена касапница за адреналинолюбци? Само ако е много черно, естествено. Така убийците могат и да се влюбят, могат и да им се активират биологичните часовници, да се замислят за женитби и съвместни живота без пищови под възглавката, макар че представете си колко топъл и стабилен брак би се оформил, ако единия партньор има карт бланш за това да пречука другия без наказание, че даже и пари и власт ще придобие. А си шавнал вляво – и оп, куршумче в мозъка. Така се гарантира и вярност, и отдаденост, и чорапите в пералнята, и капака на тоалетната чиния свален, и космите в носа остригани. Мечта. Мечтата на Шекли? Или може би неговия кошмар? Забавно е по най-идиотския начин, да си знаете.
Историята е повече от елементарна, и същевременно гениална, напомняща на Чистката, но много по-овладяно и интелигентно. Далечно, или не чак толкова, бъдеще. Агресията е овладяна чрез международна игра на стражари и апаши, или по-скоро на убийци и жертви, като участието е напълно на доброволен принцип, и даже се заплаща. Условията са малко по-добри от тези на местния Биг брадър – имаш десет битки, в пет от тях си жертва, в останалите – преследвач. Жертвите не знаят кой ги преследва, а техните убийци имат цялата нужна информация. Няма времеви ограничения, няма оръжейни ограничения – кой както, когато, където може свитва другия. Гърмящи сутиени, експлоадиращи ботуши, случайно побутване от склон – всичко върши работа. Парите са добри за живите, а мъртвите ги погребват прилично. Но ако убиеш не който трябва – ами, глобичка. Затвор? Не, глобалните проблеми не се решават с хуманизъм, а с добрата стара анихилация.
Как тогава можеш да вкараш каквото и да е чувство за хумор в очевидно добре уредена и узаконена касапница за адреналинолюбци? Само ако е много черно, естествено. Така убийците могат и да се влюбят, могат и да им се активират биологичните часовници, да се замислят за женитби и съвместни живота без пищови под възглавката, макар че представете си колко топъл и стабилен брак би се оформил, ако единия партньор има карт бланш за това да пречука другия без наказание, че даже и пари и власт ще придобие. А си шавнал вляво – и оп, куршумче в мозъка. Така се гарантира и вярност, и отдаденост, и чорапите в пералнята, и капака на тоалетната чиния свален, и космите в носа остригани. Мечта. Мечтата на Шекли? Или може би неговия кошмар? Забавно е по най-идиотския начин, да си знаете.
August 8, 2021
Can't believe i'm giving a Sheckley book just 2 stars, but there ya go, I was hugely disappointed.
There isn't much too this book - and ironically the short story that it is based on, that Sheckley wrote himself just before this, has more substance, is more interesting, and is written better than this.
It's like he wrote this in his sleep.
Also - I was very disappointed in the dodgy racial language in the first chapter - I haven't seen anything like that in his other books and it was very irritating reading that consistently through the chapter - I was willing that character to die just so that we could move on from the dated language.
So that was a thing.
Very disappointed - I will read the other two but not quite as enthusiastically as I thought I was going to, and not straight away...
There isn't much too this book - and ironically the short story that it is based on, that Sheckley wrote himself just before this, has more substance, is more interesting, and is written better than this.
It's like he wrote this in his sleep.
Also - I was very disappointed in the dodgy racial language in the first chapter - I haven't seen anything like that in his other books and it was very irritating reading that consistently through the chapter - I was willing that character to die just so that we could move on from the dated language.
So that was a thing.
Very disappointed - I will read the other two but not quite as enthusiastically as I thought I was going to, and not straight away...
April 23, 2013
Peccato che un libro come questo, contenente racconti che sono vere perle, sia oggi quasi introvabile. Gli amanti de "La guida galattica per gli autostoppisti" o gli estimatori dei romanzi e racconti più ironici di Stanislaw Lem non possono lasciarsi sfuggire questa raccolta, frutto del dell'incontro tra ironia e intelligenza. Se poi non avete ancora visto il film (un po' datato) non fatevi sfuggire l'occasione di leggere il bellissimo racconto che dà il titolo alla raccolta, degno della migliore Agata Christie...
December 30, 2023
Una raccolta di racconti che spaziano dal molto buono al divino, La decima vittima è uno di quei libri da cui si potrebbero trarre spunti per decenni e che ha influenzato la letteratura, il cinema e i videogiochi. Critica sociale, ironia, visione del futuro... tredici storie (scritte tra gli anni '50 e '60) che precorrono i tempi e colpiscono per la loro sfavillante attualità. Sheckley è un mostro sacro della Fantascienza, al pari di Lem e Asimov, e chi la pensa diversamente si merita la gogna.
July 2, 2022
Una historia de amor a lo Sheckley en un mundo donde el asesinato es legal y los medios están ahí para grabarlo todo. Se pasa volando su lectura entre un sinfín de artilugios para asesinar y diálogos mordaces, que aseguran más de una sonrisa. Imposible no empatizar con los protagonistas.
Para pasar un buen rato, o ratillo mejor dicho, esta disparatada aventura.
Para pasar un buen rato, o ratillo mejor dicho, esta disparatada aventura.
January 16, 2015
un racconto più bello dell'altro.
E tutti attualissimi.
Questi sì che è fantascienza predittiva :)
E tutti attualissimi.
Questi sì che è fantascienza predittiva :)
February 21, 2021
I enjoy this book every time I read it, which has been many times since it was first published. Love the movie too.
June 18, 2023
Racconti di qualità alternante
August 1, 2018
Сюжет надто простий та гумористичний, а ось ідея цікава, яку можна було розвинути краще.
September 5, 2007
This book is an expansion of the Sheckley's story Seventh Victim. It is also the source for the (very fun) Marcello Matroianni vehicle by the same name.
It is also part of a loose trilogy of books exploring the effects of popularizing/accepting the media fascination with violence. The other two are Hunter/Victim and Victim Prime.
The three books together tell the story of how a society embraces controlled violence as the solution to uncontrolled violence and its effects on people. The books run in reverse chronological order and span 100 years or so, starting with ultimate effect and working back to cause.
Review:
The short story is infinitely better, but Sheckley was a true master of the short story. His novels work best when they stay absurd; Tenth Victim moves back and forth on adburdism and doesn't rate as one of his best. It is one of his most visibly sociopolitical, however, and that is another of his strengths.
The book concerns a protagonist who is a succesful Hunter in a grand world-wide game designed to aliminate wars. Rather than constrain the urge to kill inherent in men (human males), men may sign up to alternately play Hunters and Victims. A Hunter is assigned a Victim and a two-week period in which to kill them; the Victim is simply told in which two-week period someone will be legally hunting them. The Victim may employ any deadly force or clever traps necessary to defend themselves.
After a successful hunt, the Hunter takes a turn as Victim.
Of course, this game becomes the subject of worldwide obsession. Well-known Hunters are reviewed and interviewed, their sense of style is copied, and the very best--those who survive to Hunt for the 10th time, having been Victim 10 times as well and therefore presumably killed or evaded 20 people--join the exclusive Tens Club.
The tag line used in the book (and the short story) is, "At least there weren’t any more big wars.... Just hundreds of thousands of small ones."
Opinions vary as to whether Sheckley believed this statement. People who haven't read the rest of his stories tend to think he did. This book has action, romance, humor, and opens a clear social discussion. Sheckley doesn't believe in the game, but he does believe that the social forces that create--and the social cynicism that exploit it--it are real.
He also believes that these forces are more complicated than is readily obvious: the plot centers on our protagonist, an excellent Hunter who will join the Tens after this hunt, having a crisis of faith and conscience when his Victim turns out to be a woman. The game was created to sublimated mens' aggressions, he reasons. The idea that aggression might be a human, and not a masculine, phenomenah is unpalatable to him. When he meets her, his beliefs are reinforced and he faces difficult and potentially costly trade-offs.
Cynical exploitation of human nature is the central element of Sheckley's canon. 10th Victim (and the Victim books in general) distill Sheckley's cynical assessment of cynicism as a fundamental human trait in a way easily accessible to modern audiences. Plus, it inspired a Mastroianni movie. How cool is that!
Ciao, baby.
It is also part of a loose trilogy of books exploring the effects of popularizing/accepting the media fascination with violence. The other two are Hunter/Victim and Victim Prime.
The three books together tell the story of how a society embraces controlled violence as the solution to uncontrolled violence and its effects on people. The books run in reverse chronological order and span 100 years or so, starting with ultimate effect and working back to cause.
Review:
The short story is infinitely better, but Sheckley was a true master of the short story. His novels work best when they stay absurd; Tenth Victim moves back and forth on adburdism and doesn't rate as one of his best. It is one of his most visibly sociopolitical, however, and that is another of his strengths.
The book concerns a protagonist who is a succesful Hunter in a grand world-wide game designed to aliminate wars. Rather than constrain the urge to kill inherent in men (human males), men may sign up to alternately play Hunters and Victims. A Hunter is assigned a Victim and a two-week period in which to kill them; the Victim is simply told in which two-week period someone will be legally hunting them. The Victim may employ any deadly force or clever traps necessary to defend themselves.
After a successful hunt, the Hunter takes a turn as Victim.
Of course, this game becomes the subject of worldwide obsession. Well-known Hunters are reviewed and interviewed, their sense of style is copied, and the very best--those who survive to Hunt for the 10th time, having been Victim 10 times as well and therefore presumably killed or evaded 20 people--join the exclusive Tens Club.
The tag line used in the book (and the short story) is, "At least there weren’t any more big wars.... Just hundreds of thousands of small ones."
Opinions vary as to whether Sheckley believed this statement. People who haven't read the rest of his stories tend to think he did. This book has action, romance, humor, and opens a clear social discussion. Sheckley doesn't believe in the game, but he does believe that the social forces that create--and the social cynicism that exploit it--it are real.
He also believes that these forces are more complicated than is readily obvious: the plot centers on our protagonist, an excellent Hunter who will join the Tens after this hunt, having a crisis of faith and conscience when his Victim turns out to be a woman. The game was created to sublimated mens' aggressions, he reasons. The idea that aggression might be a human, and not a masculine, phenomenah is unpalatable to him. When he meets her, his beliefs are reinforced and he faces difficult and potentially costly trade-offs.
Cynical exploitation of human nature is the central element of Sheckley's canon. 10th Victim (and the Victim books in general) distill Sheckley's cynical assessment of cynicism as a fundamental human trait in a way easily accessible to modern audiences. Plus, it inspired a Mastroianni movie. How cool is that!
Ciao, baby.
December 5, 2013
Das ist also Sheckleys Roman zum Film, der wiederum nach seiner Kurzgeschichte "The Seventh Victim" gedreht wurde. Noch sehr viel absurder ist die Handlung, deren Humor stellenweise gelungen, stellenweise aber eher fragwürdig ist. Insgesamt wirkt dieser Roman sehr den 60iger Jahren verhaftet; gelegentlich charmant, oft angestaubt.
In nicht allzu ferner Zukunft hat man Kriege abgeschafft, an ihre Stelle treten "Opfer" und "Täter", die sich in der zivilen Gesellschaft im Sinne der Brot & Spiele-Ideologie vertragsmäßig gegenseitig zu töten versuchen. Gewinner ist, wer zehn dieser "Wettkämpfe" überlebt.
Im "Zehnten Opfer" muss die Topkillerin Caroline nur noch den antriebsarmen Marcello erledigen, um Star der Saison zu sein. Doch dann scheint es, als würde sie sich in ihr zehntes Opfer verlieben.
Sheckley gibt sich mit der Charakterisierung seiner Figuren in diesem Roman keine allzu große Mühe, Hauptsache, sie sind spleenig. Die nicht gerade brillante deutsche Übersetzung schadet dem Roman sicherlich zusätzlich, aber sein Herzblut hat Sheckley wohl nicht in diesen Text einfließen lassen. Einige Passagen haben keinen erkennbar anderen Sinn, als den Text ein wenig zu Strecken, so dass aus der Erzählung ein schmaler Roman wird. Warum sich Caroline überhaupt in ihr Opfer verlieben könnte / sollte, hat sich mir nicht erschlossen.
Für Handlung und Ausführung 2,5 Sterne; aufgerundet auch drei wegen der Filmfotos, die dem Heyne-Band von 1966 beigegeben sind.
Die bessere Wahl ist, sich einen Erzählband von Sheckley mit der Short-Story "The Seventh Victom" zu besorgen.
In nicht allzu ferner Zukunft hat man Kriege abgeschafft, an ihre Stelle treten "Opfer" und "Täter", die sich in der zivilen Gesellschaft im Sinne der Brot & Spiele-Ideologie vertragsmäßig gegenseitig zu töten versuchen. Gewinner ist, wer zehn dieser "Wettkämpfe" überlebt.
Im "Zehnten Opfer" muss die Topkillerin Caroline nur noch den antriebsarmen Marcello erledigen, um Star der Saison zu sein. Doch dann scheint es, als würde sie sich in ihr zehntes Opfer verlieben.
Sheckley gibt sich mit der Charakterisierung seiner Figuren in diesem Roman keine allzu große Mühe, Hauptsache, sie sind spleenig. Die nicht gerade brillante deutsche Übersetzung schadet dem Roman sicherlich zusätzlich, aber sein Herzblut hat Sheckley wohl nicht in diesen Text einfließen lassen. Einige Passagen haben keinen erkennbar anderen Sinn, als den Text ein wenig zu Strecken, so dass aus der Erzählung ein schmaler Roman wird. Warum sich Caroline überhaupt in ihr Opfer verlieben könnte / sollte, hat sich mir nicht erschlossen.
Für Handlung und Ausführung 2,5 Sterne; aufgerundet auch drei wegen der Filmfotos, die dem Heyne-Band von 1966 beigegeben sind.
Die bessere Wahl ist, sich einen Erzählband von Sheckley mit der Short-Story "The Seventh Victom" zu besorgen.
November 12, 2013
A future where the Hunt (which began in 1990) pits person vs. person in a battle to the death, the goal being to wean mankind away from mass war thru this officially sanctioned system of approved murder. The Hunts consists of 10 rounds, where combatants alternate between Hunter and Victim (hence the title). Winners get fame and fortune, losers get eternity in a pine box! 10th Victim is a counterintuitively a light satire (killings are televised and accompanied by post-kill dance numbers), with thin characters and plot and a lot of silly jokes interspersed throughout. A very short, fun read.
Notes: Wikipedia informs me that this originally came out as the 1953 Galaxy short story "Seventh Victim", which was then the basis for the film The 10th Victim, (La decima vittima) starring Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress! Turns out that what I read was the novelization of the film published in 1966.
Notes2: Wikipedia also states the obvious - The Japanese novel/film Battle Royale (Koshun Takami) and The Hunger Games have the same premise, albeit taking it from the serious angle. I knew Hunger Games was seemingly a rip off of Battle Royale which movie I saw (altho author Suzanne Collins claims to have never heard of the book), but I didn't realize both were probably influenced by Scheckley.
Notes: Wikipedia informs me that this originally came out as the 1953 Galaxy short story "Seventh Victim", which was then the basis for the film The 10th Victim, (La decima vittima) starring Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress! Turns out that what I read was the novelization of the film published in 1966.
Notes2: Wikipedia also states the obvious - The Japanese novel/film Battle Royale (Koshun Takami) and The Hunger Games have the same premise, albeit taking it from the serious angle. I knew Hunger Games was seemingly a rip off of Battle Royale which movie I saw (altho author Suzanne Collins claims to have never heard of the book), but I didn't realize both were probably influenced by Scheckley.
November 27, 2021
Entretenido, con ritmo, lectura agradable, un par de días y listo. El arranque me encantó (el primer capítulo funciona como relato corto y tiene un trazado buenísimo), pero no esperaba que luego se inclinase tanto hacia lo humorístico y el juego del ratón y el gato. Se entiende el tono, pero hubiese preferido un libro más frío, más irónico, más negro, más new wave (no se enmarca ahí), que profundizase más en la institucionalización del asesinato, su administración y su transformación en espectáculo. Trato a la mujer ranciete (libro escrito en 1965).
7'5/10
7'5/10
January 28, 2016
I loved the short story. This novelization appears to have been made for a Marcello Mastroianni/ Ursula Andress film, and it read like a trifle, with Sheckley jamming his elbow in my ribs repeatedly
February 16, 2012
Sheckley wrote a short story, sold the rights, a movie was made and then he produced the movie tie-in novel. The novel is pretty poor. I'd be interested in seeing the original short story.
October 11, 2015
Capolavoro della SF sociologica, anticipa con preoccupante precisione il ruolo dei mass media - della TV in primis - nella società.
January 2, 2022
Bell'antologia di racconti su un futuro "quasi normale" in modo inquietante.
June 28, 2019
The 10th Victim by Robert Sheckley is actually a novelization of the Italian film of the same name, which is in turn a film adaptation of the short story "The Seventh Victim," which was also written by Robert Sheckley. Considering that Sheckley has no screenwriting credits attached to the film (and the film has five screenwriting credits!), just a "Story by" acknowledgement, it's hard to pinpoint where most of the content in this novel originates. I can say, however, that having seen the film before reading the book, I found the book much more entertaining, and with many scenes from the film not appearing in the novelization, I'm willing to give Sheckley full credit.
Besides all of that, The 10th Victim is a wacky little farce that takes place in a future where international war has been eliminated through the application of "The Hunt," a voluntary assassination game in which contestants are designated alternately as Hunters and Victims until they are killed or survive ten rounds. The main characters are attractive sociopath Caroline and handsome apathetic Marcello, both of whom are on their tenth round of The Hunt. Caroline is now the Hunter, and she has drawn Marcello as her Victim. Is this relationship doomed from the start?
Sheckley handles this tale of government-assisted homicide with a playfully tongue-in-cheek style that makes a morbidly fun read out of what has the potential for sci-fi moral posturing. The ending was a little bizarre and felt like a false stop, but considering that this isn't a book that begs to be taken seriously, it's a minor sin that can be forgiven. There are two more books after this in the "Victim" trilogy that I have yet to read, and I am definitely curious if the tone changes throughout.
Besides all of that, The 10th Victim is a wacky little farce that takes place in a future where international war has been eliminated through the application of "The Hunt," a voluntary assassination game in which contestants are designated alternately as Hunters and Victims until they are killed or survive ten rounds. The main characters are attractive sociopath Caroline and handsome apathetic Marcello, both of whom are on their tenth round of The Hunt. Caroline is now the Hunter, and she has drawn Marcello as her Victim. Is this relationship doomed from the start?
Sheckley handles this tale of government-assisted homicide with a playfully tongue-in-cheek style that makes a morbidly fun read out of what has the potential for sci-fi moral posturing. The ending was a little bizarre and felt like a false stop, but considering that this isn't a book that begs to be taken seriously, it's a minor sin that can be forgiven. There are two more books after this in the "Victim" trilogy that I have yet to read, and I am definitely curious if the tone changes throughout.
July 19, 2025
Gladiators in Gucci, murder as prime-time, and a TV host so smooth you’ll need Dramamine—Sheckley’s The 10th Victim is pulp-action satire served rare. 🔫📺
Caroline Meredith is a Bond girl who decided to write her own script: to win “The Hunt” you need ten legal kills, and she’s already notched nine. Enter Marcello Poletti, Italian playboy with more ego than espresso. Their cat-and-cat chase ricochets from Rome fountains to New York discotheques, choreographed by a network of hologram ads, robot plushies and one nauseatingly polite presenter who purrs ratings data while citizens place live bets. Think Hunger Games stripped to its underwear, doused in Campari, then aired after the six-o-clock news.
Caroline’s ruthless drive is the story’s emotional engine, and Sheckley shanks the action clichés so hard they squeal. Every character is a cartoon—and that’s the joke. Olga the spotlight-addict influencer, Marcello the cologne commercial, Mr. Colgate-Smile announcer, Dumb-and-Dumber team: they exist to lampoon the very media circus they star in. I cackled at every freeze-frame close-up, even while side-eyeing the “yellow-peril” racial gags that land with 1965 dust. Satire ages better than slang, but not every punchline survives 60 years.
Does the tension work? Absolutely—Sheckley writes chase scenes like he’s double-parked. The plot sprints from ambush to ambush, each one lampooning some action-movie staple (exploding bra: check). Yet beneath the salsa music you feel the bite: violence repackaged as civic duty, an Olympic blood sport citizens must watch “to prevent future wars.” That’s proto-Hunger Games prophecy, and it’s deliciously unsettling.
Logic of the world? None needed; this is comic-strip dystopia. Sheckley sketches just enough—mandatory viewership laws, corporate sponsorship of assassins—then lets the farce roll. If you crave deep lore, move along; if you want old-style speed and sarcasm, hop in.
Style points? The prose is martini-dry, mood toggling from breezy banter to nihilist shrug in two sentences. My annotated highlights are half witty quips, half “OMG he predicted TikTok gladiators.”
Oh, and absolutely, watch La decima vittima from 1965. What a stylish gem!
Verdict: 3.5 / 5 rounded up to 4. A lightning-fast joyride with feminist sting (Caroline runs circles around every mansplainer), marred only by dated slurs and a finale that smirks more than it chews. Still, for 158 pages of pulp, I inhaled the thing.
What to read next:
• The Running Man by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) – same kill-or-be-killed TV spectacle, but grimier and angrier.
• Battle Royale by Kōshun Takami – high-schoolers, shock collars, government reality show; Sheckley’s spiritual grand-kid with extra gore and more depth.
• The Prize of Peril (short story, Sheckley again) – earlier, tighter prototype of televised hunting; proof the man could nail the concept in ten pages.
Caroline Meredith is a Bond girl who decided to write her own script: to win “The Hunt” you need ten legal kills, and she’s already notched nine. Enter Marcello Poletti, Italian playboy with more ego than espresso. Their cat-and-cat chase ricochets from Rome fountains to New York discotheques, choreographed by a network of hologram ads, robot plushies and one nauseatingly polite presenter who purrs ratings data while citizens place live bets. Think Hunger Games stripped to its underwear, doused in Campari, then aired after the six-o-clock news.
Caroline’s ruthless drive is the story’s emotional engine, and Sheckley shanks the action clichés so hard they squeal. Every character is a cartoon—and that’s the joke. Olga the spotlight-addict influencer, Marcello the cologne commercial, Mr. Colgate-Smile announcer, Dumb-and-Dumber team: they exist to lampoon the very media circus they star in. I cackled at every freeze-frame close-up, even while side-eyeing the “yellow-peril” racial gags that land with 1965 dust. Satire ages better than slang, but not every punchline survives 60 years.
Does the tension work? Absolutely—Sheckley writes chase scenes like he’s double-parked. The plot sprints from ambush to ambush, each one lampooning some action-movie staple (exploding bra: check). Yet beneath the salsa music you feel the bite: violence repackaged as civic duty, an Olympic blood sport citizens must watch “to prevent future wars.” That’s proto-Hunger Games prophecy, and it’s deliciously unsettling.
Logic of the world? None needed; this is comic-strip dystopia. Sheckley sketches just enough—mandatory viewership laws, corporate sponsorship of assassins—then lets the farce roll. If you crave deep lore, move along; if you want old-style speed and sarcasm, hop in.
Style points? The prose is martini-dry, mood toggling from breezy banter to nihilist shrug in two sentences. My annotated highlights are half witty quips, half “OMG he predicted TikTok gladiators.”
Oh, and absolutely, watch La decima vittima from 1965. What a stylish gem!
Verdict: 3.5 / 5 rounded up to 4. A lightning-fast joyride with feminist sting (Caroline runs circles around every mansplainer), marred only by dated slurs and a finale that smirks more than it chews. Still, for 158 pages of pulp, I inhaled the thing.
What to read next:
• The Running Man by Richard Bachman (Stephen King) – same kill-or-be-killed TV spectacle, but grimier and angrier.
• Battle Royale by Kōshun Takami – high-schoolers, shock collars, government reality show; Sheckley’s spiritual grand-kid with extra gore and more depth.
• The Prize of Peril (short story, Sheckley again) – earlier, tighter prototype of televised hunting; proof the man could nail the concept in ten pages.
August 7, 2017
Este libro es absolutamente genial.
La trama de una sociedad cansada de guerras que decidió hacer de las muertes un espectáculo de Cazador-Víctima (cosa que luego sería emulado por la japonesa Battle Royale, que a su vez sería copiada por Hunger Games), nada tiene que ver con esas sádicas presentaciones. Esta es más humorística, ligera, con un personaje torpe y casi suicida que se convierte en Víctima y una femme fatale como Cazador.
Él y sus mujeres, ella intentando justificar el asesinato de su décima víctima para ganar el juego. Con esos toques de las viejas películas italianas de humor de los años '60, sumado a acotaciones que bien demuestran que Sheckley era todo un escritor de ciencia ficción.
La trama de una sociedad cansada de guerras que decidió hacer de las muertes un espectáculo de Cazador-Víctima (cosa que luego sería emulado por la japonesa Battle Royale, que a su vez sería copiada por Hunger Games), nada tiene que ver con esas sádicas presentaciones. Esta es más humorística, ligera, con un personaje torpe y casi suicida que se convierte en Víctima y una femme fatale como Cazador.
Él y sus mujeres, ella intentando justificar el asesinato de su décima víctima para ganar el juego. Con esos toques de las viejas películas italianas de humor de los años '60, sumado a acotaciones que bien demuestran que Sheckley era todo un escritor de ciencia ficción.
February 23, 2018
Sheckley obviously loved the idea of "Most Dangerous Game" as a TV show, as he used it in the short stories "Seventh Victim" and "Prize is Peril" (there's a similar idea in "Immortality, Inc." too). This expansion of Seventh Victim is fascinating when it focuses on the game, but the satire on Hollywood is a lot more conventional. The premise is that a woman engaging in her tenth hunt (after which she retires to limitless wealth) is assigned an oddly listless Italian man as her new victim. Her boss in Hollywood hits on the idea of broadcasting the hunt live, as no woman has ever completed ten before. It's a good set-up but the romance between the leads falls flat (it might have worked in the big-screen version, with actors to give it some intensity).
June 27, 2022
First, this book is dated. The racial slurs early in the book were “normal” when it was written, but are (hopefully) no longer acceptable. Some of the language is also sexist slurs, even though it seems like the story was probably progressive when it was written.
My favorite part of Robert Sheckley novels is the word play. This had enough to satisfy me. The idea of a hunt that people could get involved with to keep down murderous urges and wars is interesting. The film crew is hilarious. The planning and counter planning of the hunter and victim is intricate. The insufferably wise words of the survivor and the thoughts of the trainer are entertaining.
Overall, I enjoyed the book despite how it has aged.
My favorite part of Robert Sheckley novels is the word play. This had enough to satisfy me. The idea of a hunt that people could get involved with to keep down murderous urges and wars is interesting. The film crew is hilarious. The planning and counter planning of the hunter and victim is intricate. The insufferably wise words of the survivor and the thoughts of the trainer are entertaining.
Overall, I enjoyed the book despite how it has aged.
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