Customer Reviews

Camp Concentration: A Novel

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

"Camp Concentration" plays on some familiar themes: government subverting the will of the people, technology as mechanism of human downfall, to name two. As such, one might be tempted to pass it by, which would be a terrible mistake. Thomas Disch has produced a novel that is perhaps unique in Cold War fiction, for even as it decries the folly of military adventurism (in the form of a war in Malaysia which has presumably spread from Vietnam) it also considers the individual's culpability in national mistakes. Ultimately, he questions whether principled, but passive, opposition is just that, or if it is a form of ego not far removed from the motivations of those who are being protested.

Set in a secret government installation, "Camp Concentration" consists of the journal of Louis Sacchetti, a conscientious objector and prisoner, not to mention poet, who has been brought in to document the installation with a critical, but unscientific eye. The reason for this is that the population of this installation (except for administrators and staff) have been injected with Pallidine, a substance derived from syphilis that grants vastly expanded mental capabilities even as it ultimately kills the recipient.. Needless to say, those who receive it are being used to develop super-weapons, although they have other ideas.

To offer any more than this brief sketch would surely spoil the plot, but it is the subtext that makes this a superb novel. First is the fascinating, and entirely unexpected, consideration of religion. Sacchetti, who is something of a born again Catholic, suffuses his journal with religious references. Moreover, the Pallidine is clearly and allegory for the Forbidden Fruit, the source of both enlightenment and death. However, the consideration of religion is far more free-ranging than simple metaphor, as Disch lays out a compelling, if oblique argument, that if God is dead or absent, it is because we offer no opportunity for Him to act through us. Hence, it isn't enough to decry injustice, one must actively subvert it.

At the same time, there is a countervailing theme of the question of motivation: do the ends justify the means? Normally, this is an intriguing, if somewhat shopworn, focal point for a novel, but when set as a dichotomy with religion, it makes for fascinating reading.

Finally, several reviewers question the ending of the book. While I empathize with their reaction, I think there is a point, a denouement in the literal sense of the word, which is being missed. This is because Sacchetti's fate (with out giving anything away) joins the two threads of the book, morality and expediency, as it were, in a conclusion that is satisfying, but also open to discussion or even rebuttal.

I frequently struggle with fiction from the Cold War era (that deals with it explicitly) because it is almost always black and white: one is in favor of nuking Russia or totally against the "illegal" war in Vietnam. There is never any middle ground, any room for debate, and intelligent conversation is stifled as a result. Fortunately, in "Camp Concentration" Disch followed his own path and created a novel that revels in the gray. Entertaining on the surface, nuanced and subtle underneath, this is a novel that is not to be missed.

Jake Mohlman

Just finished this amazing novel. I'm making my way through Pringle's 100 Best Science Fiction Novels. So far, I've read 60 of them and this one is absolutely among the top 10. An incredibly layered, intellectual book. Make sure your dictionary is nearby for this read. It's a short book, but a slow read that packs so much thought, allegory and symbolism into so few pages. Yet Disch's style and characters keep the book entertaining. I expected nothing less than a fantastic, mind-blowing ending and that's what I got. I disagree with others who said they were disappointed. This book is the journal of an loftily intelligent man and only the most brilliant author could pull it off. Disch is nothing short of a genius--and he's writing horror now! Can't wait to read his horror, as well as 334 and "On the Wings of Song."

This book appears on most of the 'best of' science fiction lists that various pundits and critics have put out, even though it is not a very commonly known work. Does it deserve such a placing? I think the answer to that depends upon what your viewpoint is about what science fiction, as a form of literature, is supposed to accomplish.

The idea is simple enough. A new drug, developed from the bacteria that causes syphilis, is found to have the property of greatly increasing a person's intelligence, but with major side effect - it kills the user in about nine months. The story follows one Louis Sacchetti, a conscientious objector to a seemingly interminable war, and who would already be considered to be a genius by most standards, as he is transferred from a standard prison to a facility specially constructed to see what will happen to its inmates when given this drug. The story is told through the means of a journal that Louis is encouraged, almost forced, to keep.

As this idea is extremely similar to that of Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon (which was later made into the movie Charly), comparison is invited. Flowers emphasizes the tragedy of the hero, a man who struggles to find those bits of knowledge that will help not just himself but all mankind, up against an unbeatable problem, that of his own retreat to sub-normal intelligence again. Camp Concentration follows a completely different path, that of the essential selfishness of the individual, of nihilism, of the despair of ever being able to change humanity in any meaningful way. The inmates that Louis initially documents are apparently using their greatly enhanced intelligence to investigate alchemy as a means of providing immortality, not for humanity in general, but for themselves and the 'warden' of this prison, Humphrey Haast. Louis, meanwhile, seems caught up in crafting new poems and a play, entitled 'Auswitch, A Comedy'. The title is indicative of something Disch does throughout this book, playing with names and titles to produce another layer of meaning behind the straightforward words, and is fairly effective in doing so.

The tone is the primary thing here, a very dark, brooding atmosphere, enlivened by a very wide ranging vocabulary and many references, both buried and open, to other works of literature (most especially Dante), and scientific and psychological theories. Readers who are not familiar with these references may feel a little lost at places in this book - at least I did, as my breadth of knowledge in these areas is clearly more limited than Disch's. But from this tone, Disch develops his themes of the corruption of man, of his baser desires, the absolute horrors of what man is capable of, and where such capacity leads. As such, this book is almost the complete antithesis of Flowers for Algernon - that is, until the ending of this book.

The ending of this book, I felt, rather drastically detracted from its overall message, as it doesn't seem to fit with the rest, and has a little of a deus-ex-machina feel to it. Given the many layered discourse that Disch presented in the rest of the book, which while sometimes difficult to follow, was certainly excellent writing, this ending was a disappointment.

While this is certainly a major entry into the dystopian side of science fiction literature, whether it truly qualifies as a 'classic' will be, I'm afraid, very much a matter of opinion for a long time to come. But it is certainly worth reading, if for nothing else than to see the darker side of genius competently presented.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

I had first heard of Thomas Disch during a special Amazing Stories magazine did on him several years ago. In it was a new story that he had written, which I read and found actually pretty good considering he was someone I had never heard of. After that, he slipped into the back of my mind for several years, and it was not until recently that I rediscovered him through his classic novel of military experimentation.

Disch idea to tell the story as the journal notes of someone who witnesses and then is given he disease is sheer brilliance. Louis is probably the most brutally honest, funniest character to ever grace the pages of a novel and he tells his story without holding anything back. As the reader, we see his situation get worse and worse. At the point where he realizes that he has the disease, I could feel dread surge through my body, too. The writing is that powerful.

Disch shows off his imaginative skills here, creating an environment where genius equals maddness, a true play on words of the novel's title. For such a small book, the plot is complex and riveting and I found myself unwilling to stop and go to my job just so I could finish.

A surprise is saved for the end, and while it's a tad on the fantastic side, it also makes perfect sense in the context of the book and wraps everything up nicely. David Pringle chose this as one of the hundred best science-fiction books of all time, and not only does it more than deserve to be on that list, it deserves to be as close to the top as possible

Few novels have portrayed genius convincingly, let alone in the genius's own words, but "Camp Concentration" manages both. The fictional journal of a brilliant and tormented poet, it brims with larger-than-life characters, big ideas, darkly comic incident and wry observation. The result isn't just superb science fiction, it's also great literature. "Camp Concentration" stands with other classics--Daniel Keyes' "Flowers For Algernon", Walter M Miller's "A Canticle For Liebowitz" and Theodore Sturgeon's "More Than Human"--in using science fiction to tell us profound truths about ourselves.

So what's the story? It's the 1970s and the US is fighting a land war in Asia.

There's not much to add to everyone else's praise. This is way up there at the top of the top ten and anybody who claims to like adult science fiction -- or good contemporary fiction for that matter --can't claim themselves educated until they've read it! 334 and Wings of Song are great, too. In fact 334 would probably also be in that top ten, too.

A noteworthy piece of literature, comparable I think with both Eco and Pynchon. This is written from the point of view of an intellectual - high on the mental equivalent of killer steroids, living in a commune of likewise mentally enhanced political prisoners. What I think is paticularly at issue, is the fact that Disch to some extent ( I think anyway ) satirises intellectualism, and knowledge's more exigent demands upon the human spirit ( as he did in 'the squirrel cage'). Hence the inmates scholarliness is synonymous with the drug / disease palladium. It is a book tinged with an inimicable sadness, and Sachetti's triumph when it comes, is realised at a price - does his 'transcendence' violate his conception of his own humanity?. Whatever. This is a very good book by a master of dark, dark parody. READ!.

Not a book for careless readers or those looking for a quick fix of science fiction. This was Disch's 1st significant novel, and it appeared in 1969. The "endless" Vietnam War and a certain cynicism about government animates the book, but it is essentially a story of a man who triumphs in the face of disease, degradation, and official brutality. The book is a tour de force of style. By turns acerbic, aphoristic, funny, and offbeat, the prose is packed with literary allusions to writers as diverse as Paul Valery, W. H. Auden, Christopher Marlowe, Arthur Rimbaud, and Rainer Marie Rilke. It's not devoid of a certain amount of excessive literary virtuosity, but all and all, Disch manages to carry it off well. This isn't Disch's best novel. _On Wings of Song_ and _334_, to name two, are better. But this was a remarkable book for a young writer to have written. I'm still very fond of it.

(1.) Disch's prose power is amazing. His gift for words breathes life into his characters, and he is probably along w/ perhaps John Brunner the most underappreciated author of the SF New Wave. His literary voice astonishes.

(2.) The ending to this book is so damn amazing! Disch adamantly refuses the despair that terminated "334," and the book, in the sterility and slow decay that comes before, provides an affirmation of life and of intelligence.

(3.) The premise is brought to life, much like in "334", with very convincing reality -- a slowly collapsing civilization under the burden of an oppressive government of the alternate yesteryear. Disch's fusion of genius and death is incredibly moving and powerful, and fairly well fleshed out, and Genius' archetype truly astonishes in all of its incarnations throughout the book -- in wisdom, illness, detachment and massive learning ability.

(4.) The allegorical nature of this book is extremely multi-leveled and quite challenging (give it a few rereads) -- everything from Faust to all of modern society.

Oh hell, I'm not gonna preach. Just read it!

Thomas Disch has written an unusual and nightmarish tale of war, disease, and government skullduggery that makes for fascinating reading-- most of the way through. It is frightening but true that his premise that the government might secretly develop and test a disease organism that augments intelligence but then kills seems more credible today than it did when he wrote the story decades ago.

However, as the story develops, Disch's narrative slips further and further into a succession of obscure literary, philosophical, and religious allusions that only those steeped deeply in arcane intellectual works will understand, let alone appreciate. There are lengthy passages that I found frustratingly obscure, and overall, I felt that in the last part of the novel the work loses its original sharp edge and intensity. Perhaps for the chosen few with the proper intellectual pedigree to connect with the veritable cavalcade of allusions, quotations, and metaphors, the work will seem far more meaningful. For the rest of us, it ends up being an interesting but in some ways unsatisfying read.