A collection of stories all centered on a dystopian world dominated by warring cyborgs. humans have been replaced by machines with an organic core. The transformation from human to machine is a painful ritual meant to remind the "machine being" of the disadvantage of the human state. Startlingly original for its time.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A World of Plastic and Steel and Lob-Bombs,
By _Moderan_ is a collection of 47 loosely connected stories about a future world of steel and plastic, populated by citizens who are gradually replacing their flesh (that is, their humanity) with strips of metal and who engage in an almost constant state of war. The stories are treated as documents that have been assembled by an unnamed historian in the society that has emerged after the fall of Moderan. The major problem with _Moderan_ is its structure. It consists of three main parts: "The Beginings," "Everyday Life in Moderan," and "Intimations of the End." The first and third sections are the most structurally unified. They are both about Number 10, the warlord of one of the fortresses. The first part chronicles his rise to power. The last part, populated with apocalyptic figures, depicts his growing sense of mortality until Moderan itself is destroyed. The middle section, however, is much more incoherent. There are several stories that are clearly stories about Number 10: "To Face Eternity," "In the Innermost Room of Authority," "The Problem," "Sometimes I Get So Happy," and "The Flesh-Man from Far Wide." But there are other stories that were apparently not originally written as Moderan stories. "A Little Girl's XMas in Moderan" was originally entitled "A Little Girl's XMas in Modernia." It features an innocent child named Little Sister and is told from the point of view of her cold but human father living in a modernistic bubble house rather than a fortress. The characters in the story have an awareness of holidays such as Christmas and Easter that would be alien to Number 10. One of the Little Sister stories, "It was in Black Cat Weather," is set in in an earthen cemetary rather than the solid plastic ground of Moderan. Other Little Sister stories included in this section are: "Playmate," "A Husband's Share," "The Complete Father," and "Was She Horrid?" It is not just that these stories do not mesh well with the other Moderan stories; they don't go together well with one another. In "Black Cat Weather," Little Sister's mother is unearthed from a cemetary. In other stories, both before and after, she is alive. Most of the Little Sister stories describe her as being all flesh, too young to have artificial parts; but in "The Complete Father, she is described as having steel hands. Most of the stories depict the father as somewhat more human, more emotional, and more peaceful than Number 10; but in "Wasn't She Horrid?" the father is portrayed as the ruler of a stronghold, essentially the same as Number 10. In "A Little Girl's XMas in Moderan," the father asks the mother if he can visit her on Easter. That visit is described in "A Husband's Share," but the story comes _before_ "A Little Girl's XMas." The reader may be forgiven a feeling of confusion while reading the middle section. Brian Aldiss argues that less worthy novels have garnered more attention than _Moderan_. And he is quite right. It is an original, imaginative, and literate work. But it could have been better. If Bunch had taken the trouble to rework his original magazine material into a more coherent structure, it would have been dazzling.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THIS IS BUNCH AT HIS BEST!,
By honeybunchspk (California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Moderan (Paperback)
This book was created from a compilation of his "Moderan" stories and his "Little Brother, Little Sister" stories which were originally published in the Sci Fi mags of the 50's and 60's such as "Amazing" and "Fantastic".Also some new works were created for this oeuvre. Being a compilation of short stories, the truly picky reader might say it does not track well as a whole. While I disagree, it might be due to the fact his editor rushed Bunch when he proofed the gallies. They wanted to get the book out on the market as quickly as possible.The true Bunch fan will appreciate each chapter for the little jewels they truly are! Bunch always hoped he could correct some of the minor mistakes in a second edition. As he is now deceased this probably will not happen. We can always hope, as his "literary heir" would certainly be amenable. Moderan never got the build up and publicity it should have because it was brought out the first and only time in paperback. A 2nd Edition in hardback would garner a whole new generation of fans for Bunch!
On the whole the book hangs together well. It is divided into three basic sections. These are cohesive in themselves. Bunch is not an easy read. You have to work at Bunch...his style, use of language,and content. This will be a book you read more than once. Each time you read it you will notice something different. Bunch makes you think!!!! He was a very under appreciated writer in his time. He was a contempory of Bradbury, Asminov, and Ellison when they were publishing in the little mags. He was the only writer to have two stories in the same issue of "Dangerous Visions". He also wrote occasionally as Daryle Groupe. Bunch was not without humor. Bunch is just now beginning to be appreciated as one of the greats that he truly was, because so much of what he was writing about fifty years ago has or is coming to pass. Plus he is just an exceptionally good read!! If you enjoy "Moderan" this author also wrote "BUNCH" . It is a collection of his later diverse and some darker short stories. He also wrote "The Heartacher and the Warehouseman". This is a collection of Bunch's poetry over the years. It is a fabulous collection of early poems and poems he wrote for this book. It showcases his evolution as a writer and poet. It is difficult to find this book but well worth the trouble.It had only one printing in 2000 which was the year this great great light went out!(May 29,2000) He is no doubt beaming star frowns down at us for the current "bad bad" situation we allow in the world! Bunch was nothing if not political and of his times, even as he wrote about the future he envisioned if we did not change course. This is why so many editors and publishers didn't know what to make of Bunch's writing. It was not the Science Fiction of "Martians and Monsters" as he liked to say. The other greats such as Ellison, Bradbury, Asminov, and many others however, recognized his talent and that he was one of their own.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a recommended read,
By
This review is from: Moderan (Mass Market Paperback)
read a lot of skyfry in my day & most of it is long forgotten, simply did not leave a lasting impression - this little gem, OTOH, is most memorable, indeed
read this book & get you some ohjoys!
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