Is 'The Paradox Men' an early example of cyberpunk? Meganet Mind computer interface of 1953 novel.
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Alar the Thief cannot remember his past or how he came to have psychokinetic powers or whether he was sent to preserve or destroy the totalitarian government that rules 2177 Earth. The Paradox Men by Charles L. Harness 1953.
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Vintage SF, I really enjoyed this video, so I hit the like button!
I liked your comment so I hit the like button!
@@waltera13 I liked your comment about the previous comment so I hit the like button!
@@sciencefictionreads Oh no!
The book sounds like fun, and that personal shield that can be penetrated by slower weapons sounds like an inspiration for Dune.
I'm really surprised though, I thought there would be more cyberpunk motifs that you would disclose to us. Still, I'm not looking for an argument. However you cut it great to get a review of the book and glad to hear that it was so much fun.
I read this about 6 months ago and was blown away by it. The setting, plot and amount of SF ideas are amazing. I've been on the lookout for other novels by Hardness but they are hard to come by.
Interesting! The shield that stops bullets makes me think of Dune! Incidentally, I'm reading the Green Millennium by Leiber (also from 1953) and it includes a wasp machine that seeks out and kills its prey, which made me think of Dune as well. The Paradox Men sounds like cyberpunk to me. Definitely, before its time!
Wow. Kinda blew me away. Now I have to get my hands on The Paradox Men.
I think the book has been edited more than once, from the first book publication I have a copy of called Flight into Yesterday, then for the UK Faber edition in the late 60s, which was championed by Michael Moorcock. The Meganet Mind is astonishing for its time, and the book is a precursor to eighties cyberpunk, with Lem’s cybernetics stories, Brunner’s great 70s novels, Tiptree’s Girl who was Plugged In, Vernor Vinge’s True Names, and others.
I think the 1964 edition with a Brian Aldiss introduction is pretty much the same text as those that followed.
It sounds like a Must Read. I'm loving stuff from this era more and more.
@@sciencefictionreads I think you would enjoy this one.
Great review Richard! This sounds like one worth checking out. I’d be interested to hear how it stacks up to Gibson.
“Sorry, the Meganet Mind does not meet system requirements to upgrade to Windows 11. You will need to buy a new PC!”
@@CptSamel All I see is a blue screen. 😏
ROTFLMAO!
This video surprise me in a couple ways;
But the truly unexpected one was when you said "middle-aged battle techniques" I had to do a double-take and really figure out that you meant "medieval battle techniques" and not two guys with pot bellies yelling at each other in a parking lot. 😂
I was trying to figure out what sort of special "middle-aged" political maneuverings (Madmen style) they were doing when it hit me that middle-aged referred to swords and knives.
I'm with you now.
For more proto cyberpunk choices (I really wish I could remember more) there's of course Shockwave Rider, and the Stars my Destination is often pointed to, OB mentioned Michaelmass.
And I wish I could remember which specific PKD stories to point at.
Good video and I hope a fun recommendation.
Thanks. I do tend to be an unintentional comedian. Fortunately I'm Canadian and self deprecation is part of my national culture.
@@vintagesf Understood; as a native New Yorker my culture is both overbearing certainty punctuated by moments of self-deprecating humor.
No one understands. Sometimes gets me banned from commenting on UA-cam.
A shame, Really, I'm quite lovely. . .
@@salty-walt & @vintagesf Damnit, UA-cam needs an icon for LOL to respond to your patter.
Fascinating video. Another author, new to me, to keep an eye out for!
Speaking of cyberpunk, I recently read Babel-17 and while I know it is not cyberpunk as such I was amazed at how similar some of Delany's writing was to cyberpunk themes.
Gibson and others certainly drew from past authors in multiple genres. It didn't just magically appear.
@@vintagesf For sure, I just love finding older books and thinking 'I wonder if this influenced so and so...'
I need to keep an eye out for this one. Sounds like a ton of fun!
Hard not to hear “meganet” and not think of Homer Simpson’s internet company (which wasn’t actually on the internet).
Compu-Global-Hyper-Mega-Net is Homer's Internet company. It is never made clear what the company sells or offers.
@@UlrichBlode-vu7vt It’s why Gates prefers to “buy them out”…
Please do more videos of cyberpunk and proto-cyberpunk authors and novels we don’t hear about as much. John Shirley comes to mind.
@@JTRemillard I enjoyed cyberpunk week. I plan to do a second cyberpunk week in the future and Shirley is definitely a candidate.
I picked this book up recently after seeing it mentioned a few times. . I read The rose by Charles harness many years ago a great novella . A great review Richard 🫡
I've never read this story, but it certainly sounds interesting. Now, I wonder, which copy will I read. The Ace double or the Classics of SF version.
Not sure about the Ace Double but from about 1964 on I think the text is basically the same.
I have vague memories from my youth of short fiction by Charles L. Harness, but that is all. Another one I need to go back and read. I see that NESFA Press has three books of his work. 'Rings', 1999, is an omnibus containing four of his novels: 'The Paradox Men', 'The Ring of Ritornel', 'Firebird', and a new work, 'Drunkard's Endgame'. Doesn't look too bad; a fourfer for $25, US.
That’s a great deal!
I read, enjoyed, and wrote about this novel earlier this year. I hadn't really considered the cyberpunk angle, but I see why you mean. I may have mentioned it here before but Wolfbane (1959) by Pohl and Kornbluth is another book which anticipates cyberpunk.
'Wolfbane' is a novel on my want list.
Hi Richard. Have you read The Rose by Charles Harness? It's generally touted as a classic but I didn't get on with it at all.
@@kennyrh9269 Haven’t read it. Is it a novel or short story?
@@vintagesf It's more a novelette I would say. Around 120 pages as I recall. Even though I didn't care for it I could recommend it purely on the basis of general comments and reviews.
Actually working on a short story last month in which I mention Toynbee (along with Spengler) in passing to reference theories of civilisational decline.
Extremely popular in the early-to-mid 20th century (had a big feature in Time when he completed the later volumes of his universal history of mankind) and almost entirely forgotten today (unless you’re studying the historiography of that era; I also think Arendt may mention him in her Origins of Totalitarianism).
@@niriop I believe Ray Bradbury’s ‘The Toynbee Convector’ is a short story referring to Toynbee as well.
@@vintagesf Yes, you’re right.