Inferno: A Chronicle of a Distant World [Paperback]

Mike Resnick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1995

Disanko, the ruler of the Enkoti, and Susan Beddoes, a representative from the Department of Cartography, help the planet of Faligor to become the richest and most technologically advanced of its sector until an evil general rises to power. Reprint. AB.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The pastoral planet of Faligor had everything: a temperate climate, bountiful wildlife, a primitive but intelligent and friendly indigenous population. It was a world where, as explorer/entomologist Susan Beddoes remarks, you believe "you could toss a packet of seeds--any kind of seeds--out the hatch, and by tomorrow morning there'd be a garden in full bloom." Unfortunately for the native Faligori, called "jasons" for their golden fur, Faligor is just the kind of world required for "Man's" expansion through the galaxy. The presence of Men precipitates a series of genocidal rulers who oversee Faligor's assimiliation and the destruction of its culture. Resnick's indictment of colonialism lacks freshness mostly because the story sticks with the point of view of the colonizers whose simplistic arguments ("We brought this world literacy, medicine and civilization") have long rung false to modern ears. Although the dynamic Susan Beddoes opens the book, she is soon shunted off stage in favor of Arthur Cartwright, a well-meaning but dull civil servant. The pristine world of Faligor, Resnick makes unequivocably clear, would have been better off left alone.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Peopled by an intelligent, though primitive, leonine race, the planet Jehanum seemed ripe for humanity's best intentions. Within two decades, the idyllic world became the smoldering battleground for a genocidal war. Along with Paradise ( LJ 5/15/89) and Purgatory ( LJ 2/15/93), Resnick's latest novel forms a triptych that uses distant worlds and imaginary peoples to illustrate the West's disastrous attempts to bring "civilization" to underdeveloped nations. The author's use of irony and understatement augment the passion that underlies this cautionary tale, which is suitable for most sf collections.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812523458
• ISBN-13: 978-0812523454
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,460,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great REAL Science Fiction, January 20, 2000

By 

Chris Gaj (Clementon, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inferno: A Chronicle of a Distant World (Paperback)

I can't believe nobody else has reviewed this book. It was great. Although Resnick's book does have some scientifically unlikely things, like the existance of gigantic interstellar empire, almost everything in this book is scientifically, militarily, and politically reasonable -- as well as wonderfully entertaining. This is an analogy to the European colonies in Africa, and the results are quite close to what happened to some former colonial states. If you like military works and techno-thrillers along the vein of Tom Clancey and you like science fiction that is (mostly) based on science like Arthur Clarke, you will love Inferno. Try getting the other books in the series as well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Galactic Dante, June 3, 2004

By 

J. COMER (Hesperia CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Inferno: A Chronicle of a Distant World (Paperback)

This is the conclusion to Resnick's *Galactic Comedy*, three romans a clef about the colonial histories of Kenya ("Paradise"), Zimbabawe ("Purgatory") and Uganda. Humans colonize a planet which resembles the rich and beautiful land that Uganda was in 1880, and the country descends into genocidal horror under brutal Gama Labu (Idi Amin, of course). These are not only excellent classic sf; they are palatable histories of these nations from which I've learned a great deal. Resnick has traveled in Africa and obviously loves it and its people dearly. I value his work much more than that of right-wingers Steve Stirling and Jerry Pournelle, for whom enslavement and colonization are positive benefits for the poor Africans. Resnick shows that colonization brought good and bad to Kenya; in Uganda, so many bad things happened that it's hard to describe.(Or understand. Do not read this book expecting a funny little comedy, please. It depicts horrors that Americans like to think went out with Hitler or Pol Pot).
Uganda has seen small improvements since Resnick wrote this book (millennial debt relief and some control of AIDS) but his tale is accurate as far as it goes. This is just beautiful and heartbreaking. Highly recommended.

3.0 out of 5 stars Good on Politics, Short on Science, September 27, 2011

By 

Jerry (Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Inferno: A Chronicle of a Distant World (Paperback)

I bought this book after reading the jacket and wanting to learn how the author was able to have this world developed in such a short time frame. I was dissatisfied with what I read, in that regards. I realize that a reader has to suspend disbelief when reading Sci-Fi, but without the resources of the galactic empire, I don't see how so much got done so quickly. I also don't understand a future that far out that doesn't account for the evolution and role of robots. I understand that this book is an allegory for events that occurred in Africa, but I don't think the science end of things was handled well. How can you have a technological society that can profitably ship produce though space and not have robots? If you can, why can't you apply that technology to produce food on those worlds? Obviously Resnick had to make some compromises between scientific reality and his political story. The political story, on the other hand, was well done. What was left out was how an advanced industrial society deals with a more primitive one "correctly" from the being. 'Hello, we just thought we'd stop in and see how you're doing. Don't want to upset your self-development. We'll be back in 2000 years to see if you are at a point where we can establish trade relations. Meanwhile, here's some literature on political correctness you might want to read."