4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A hard to find favorite, November 3, 2000
When my dad used to read to us kids 'way back then', I remember Captive Universe as one of the more graphically vivid stories. Years later, I started looking for it in bookshops here and there -- no where to be found. I finally found an old paperback in a used book store. Just as fun as I remembered! For every nerdy kid (or adult) who felt the powers in charge were slow and didn't understand, we could see ourselves in the frustrations of the hero. Can't describe the story without giving away too much.
For years I could imagine Captive Universe as a great movie. I sometimes wish it were made into a movie, but after what they did to Starship Troopers, maybe not...
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
SF Aztec universe where things are not as they seem, October 5, 2000
By A Customer
I read this novel some years ago, and I though it was wonderfull, the best Harrison novel I have read so far. Not to spoil it, I should not mention too much of the plot, but it' s hard science fiction set in an aztec universe and things are not quite as they seem, as it becomes more and more obvious from the first page. This review makes no justice to the book, but it' s too good a book to be forgotten, I hope that any review is better than no review.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The joy of discovering a lost science fiction gem, June 16, 2011
A used book store was having a sale, offering all the paperbacks you could stuff into a plastic grocery bag for 25 cents. I loaded up my bag, plunked down a quarter, and went home to sift through my haul.
Among the musty paperbacks was this book, "Captive Universe," by Harry Harrison. Previously the only other Harrison book I had read was his "Make Room! Make Room!" which became the movie "Soylent Green." Anyway, I was expecting that, you know, pulp fiction "B Novel"experience, but as the pages turned, I realized that here was book of more depth and intelligence, and masterfully crafted.
I can't give away a primary element of the book and thus spoil the premise, but it involves a troubled young Aztec boy, Chimal, who is aliented from his society. He has the terrible feeling something is wrong with life in the ancient Aztec world. Yes, it's ruled be despotic rulers, there are monsters and superstition, but something more insidious is amiss. Our hero attempts an escape from his valley to find answers and a better life -- and what he finds is mind boggling.
When Chimal uncovers the truth, well, what we have is just amazing science fiction fun.
I wish more of today's books were tightly written like this compact novel. My old paperback is 160 pages of tiny print. It's a 1969 copyright edition issued by Berkley Publishing. It seems that today's publishers are trying to sell books by the pound. They think that if a person is going to cough up $9 for a paperback, they want something with 700 pages, with some heft to it. But the result is a lot of egregiously overwritten books filled with dead weight print, pages that one can skim and still pick up enough of the flow to get through the book. But the penalty is flabby books that are bulky, without punch and over written.
Do youself a favor and get a copy of "Captive Universe" for a short, punchy science fiction experience like it was meant to be -- a gift from the Golden Age of science fiction. "Captive Universe" is an obscure diamond waiting for you to enjoy its sparkle.
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