Set 50 years into the future in New York, technocrats and administrators have alleviated the ills of economic deprivation. But in this "paradise" of harmonious life, there seems a sense of spiritual alienation. The residents at 334--a huge and anonymous apartment complex--give us a vivid, humorous and disturbing view of what the future holds.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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The stories in 334 revolve loosely around a government housing project at 334 East 11th Street in New York City in the 2020s. The project's inhabitants are universally poor, often jobless, sometimes squalid. Some are happy, others angry, depressed, or just numb. The stories study their hopes and disappointments, and all are deeply introspective.
The early 21st-century setting might, in the hands of another author, be only a guise, a shortcut to making a world that's more gritty, shabby, and used up than ours. But Disch's future is thoroughly imagined, and he's adept at dropping in details of his characters' lives that are commonplace to them but jarring to us. It might be something as simple as going to the kitchen to "mix up a glass of milk." Occasionally it's radical, as in the case of Millie, who wants to have a baby but also keep her career. The answer? The child is gestated in an artificial womb and Millie's husband gets mammary implants.
Though American, Disch is closely associated with the UK's New Wave movement, and these stories reflect the New Wave emphasis on character above ideas. He's also a well-known poet, and in 334 you'll find some of the most lyrical science fiction written. --Brooks Peck
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I'm fairly high on most of Disch's fiction, but I think this book is not accorded the respect it deserves. There are several reasons for this, I think.
1. It is billed as a novel, but it is more a collage or mosaic novel, constructed out of a series of connected stories and novellas that Disch published around 1971-72. Publication was mostly in _New Worlds Quarterly_ and Samuel R. Delany's _Quark_, original anthologies geared towards New Wave fiction that did not receive incredibly widespread distribution.
2. The long section originally published as the novella "334" is written in a decidedly non-linear style--the narrative jumps back and forth in time. This can be a little unsettling if not read with care and attention. As a whole, the work is fairly "literary" (for the tastes of science fiction readers, anyway).
3. The story is at times fairly down beat, if not actually depressing. This isn't a "pink-and-white bunny rabbit" story. :-)
So it's not a conventional novel. Still, looked at as a collection of stories, this book is great. The stories "Angouleme," "Bodies," "Emancipation," and "334" are each among Disch's finest work at this length. Highly recommended for those with a taste for this sort of thing.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is one of Disch's best books, yet I do not feel it often receives the respect it deserves. At least in part, that's because it's not a conventional novel, but rather a mosaic novel constructed out of a series of stories he published back in 1971-72 in places like _New Worlds Quarterly_, _Quark_, and _New Dimensions_.
Also to consider is that the overall effect of this portrait of a speculative New York in the near future is fundamentally dypstopian. It is pretty clearly a projection of social trends evident at the time of writing wedded to a few what-if speculations. The writing is full of energy, but some of the characters give the impression that Disch was indulging in a bit of Schadenfreude at the expense of his hapless collection of fictional losers. It's entertaining, but it can be a bit down-beat, I fear.
Looked at as a collection of longer stories, the book is impressive in its own right. The enigmatic "Angouleme," an exquisitely-written child-chiller tale, is maybe the best example of Disch's short fiction. The black-humor "Bodies" contains some outright slapstick comedy, and a basic speculative premise that seems prescient in the light of the AIDS epidemic of our own times. The story "Emancipation" is a marvelously observed and imagined story, whose fundamental premise still strikes me as somewhat wonky.
The long, non-linear novella, "334," that closes the book is the most challenging work I think Disch has ever written. The writing is interesting and lucid, but the sequence-and-order of the episodes requires some time to assimilate, and the fragmentary nature of the episodes is reminiscent (in a way) of the paste-up method employed by Burroughs in _Naked Lunch_ or that used by people like J. G. Ballard. It's a rewarding work, but it may not be to the taste of fans of traditional sf.
Finally, taken as a whole, the mosaic effect created by all these stories -- interlocking in locale and sometimes in characters -- produces in the end a unified effect of Disch's vision of the possible future he imagined. It's a dark vision, but it carries absolute conviction and integrity. It's a first-rate book, and it deserves to be read.
Also to consider is that the overall effect of this portrait of a speculative New York in the near future is fundamentally dypstopian. It is pretty clearly a projection of social trends evident at the time of writing wedded to a few what-if speculations. The writing is full of energy, but some of the characters give the impression that Disch was indulging in a bit of Schadenfreude at the expense of his hapless collection of fictional losers. It's entertaining, but it can be a bit down-beat, I fear.
Looked at as a collection of longer stories, the book is impressive in its own right. The enigmatic "Angouleme," an exquisitely-written child-chiller tale, is maybe the best example of Disch's short fiction. The black-humor "Bodies" contains some outright slapstick comedy, and a basic speculative premise that seems prescient in the light of the AIDS epidemic of our own times. The story "Emancipation" is a marvelously observed and imagined story, whose fundamental premise still strikes me as somewhat wonky.
The long, non-linear novella, "334," that closes the book is the most challenging work I think Disch has ever written. The writing is interesting and lucid, but the sequence-and-order of the episodes requires some time to assimilate, and the fragmentary nature of the episodes is reminiscent (in a way) of the paste-up method employed by Burroughs in _Naked Lunch_ or that used by people like J. G. Ballard. It's a rewarding work, but it may not be to the taste of fans of traditional sf.
Finally, taken as a whole, the mosaic effect created by all these stories -- interlocking in locale and sometimes in characters -- produces in the end a unified effect of Disch's vision of the possible future he imagined. It's a dark vision, but it carries absolute conviction and integrity. It's a first-rate book, and it deserves to be read.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is a totally convincing book about life in the inner city of New York, 2020's. The story follows the lives of several characters, many who live in bldg. 334, a large multi-family government subsidized housing project. Technology has marched ever onward, and the need for unskilled labor has largely disappeared. Yet, with all of the advances, the poor, uneducated and misfortunates live largely unnoticed. They are assisted only by some innefective social programs. The people of 334 fight continual battles for hope, respect and a place among a society that has largely left them behind. The book doesn't attempt to place blame, or offer solutions, but proceeds only with the full reality of the setting. The characters, and the readers, are left to sort it all out. This is a challenging, serious book for serious readers of any genre.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
bleh
This is the book that made me decide I would never ever recommend a book to someone without reading it first myself. Read more
Published on September 4, 2009 by D. Stoner
1.0 out of 5 stars
I don't know how to go on...
I thought this would be a very interesting book. It has great reviews and the description sounded cool.
I can't stand it. Read more
I can't stand it. Read more
Published on January 30, 2008 by A. Fairley
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Ambiguous Dystopia
I find that '334' and 'Camp Concentration' are the most literate of Disch's works, but for different reasons. Read more
Published on July 9, 2006 by Krista K
1.0 out of 5 stars
And the purpose of this was what?
I don't remember where I saw it, but I caught a reference to this book, 334 : A Novel by Thomas M. Disch. It sounded interesting... Read more
Published on May 26, 2006 by Thomas Duff
5.0 out of 5 stars
Disch is a master
This story is a sequence based around the people who live at a particular address in New York in the near future. Read more
Published on February 14, 2006 by Father Thyme
4.0 out of 5 stars
An SF masterpiece about people--sad people
Thomas Disch's 334 has got to be the most depressing book I have ever read, an SF novel about people more than ideas or plot. Read more
Published on October 28, 2004 by Mitchell Glodek
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best Disch on the table, but tasty in its own way...
Disch takes us through the lives of several people living at 334 11th Street, an apartment complex contolled by MODICOM; a modern day welfare system of social case workers. Read more
Published on August 11, 2003 by Schtinky
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hyperfiction circa 1974
A novel that has forces us to examine our world by scaring us with what it might become. Although that sentence can be used to describe any novel in the dystopian theme, 334 is a... Read more
Published on April 14, 2003 by "melanthius"
3.0 out of 5 stars
3.34 stars out of 5
After reading "On Wings of Song" I was thoroughly impressed and motivated to investigate more of Thomas M. Disch's work, so I went on to try "334". Read more
Published on January 21, 2003 by S. Lewis
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well, let's see...
It's sometime in the 2020's in New York City. From governmental permission to procreate based on test scores to a society nursed on various drugs, 334 by Thomas Disch creates the... Read more
Published on March 18, 2001 by A. Gresham
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