Customer Reviews

PIRATES OF THE UNIVERSE.

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It seems every writer of science fiction has to publish at least one novel set in the not-too-distant future, in which the Earth has been largely destroyed by wars or environmental disasters, currently commonplace amenities such as electricity and personal freedom are rare, and the future is just as hopeless as the present. "Pirates of the Universe" is typical of that sub-genre. The main character begins in a position of status that insulates him from the difficulties of his world. His privileges are stripped from him without explanation, and he embarks on a journey to discover unexpected truths about his family, his society, and the universe.

There are positive aspects of this book that set it apart from most other works of its type. The plot is uncommonly complex, and there are a number of unusual, interesting details - it's clear that Bisson has devoted a lot of thought to the world he's created, and it makes for an engaging and stimulating read. But these strengths are marred by the book's essential weakness, which is - not surprisingly - its post-apocalyptic setting and tone. Bisson is often preoccupied by impressing upon his readers the unpleasantness of the book's universe, and this makes the book awkward and unpleasant to read at times.

Overall, "Pirates of the Universe" is an interesting and enjoyable book. The author has some good ideas, and he has the ability to write a plot that strings them together engagingly. However, readers who can't tolerate the preachiness that seems inherent to the genre will probably not want to subject themselves to the dose Bisson metes out.

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I appreciate an author or director who allows the audience to make some sense of their world rather than spelling everything out in black and white. Bisson dips you into the world in a way that seems very natural, never heavy-handed. He's a writer who has some flair...in a subtle, sparse way. Odd combination, I know.

Hmm...hard book to describe...it's uncomfortable in spots, I can't say I'd want to live in this world, it's depressing...and yet I felt oddly bouyant. Its a rare near-future book that seems plausible, but this is one.

I'm not a huge P.K. Dick fan, but this remninded me of the things I like best about him.

Definitely worth a read.

I read another review of this book which claimed that Bisson generates ideas at a frenetic pace, each of which could serve as the seed of a novel in its own right. While this is true, that's also one of the book's flaws. Some ideas do well with just a quick glimpse (like the virtual reality girlfriend who is copy protected and thus can't be remembered), but others just left me confused (the artificial-teenage-girl "gen"s, who ask only questions and are some sort of world-observing tools? How do they report their observations, and to who?). Some of the scenes were hysterical, though; my favorite was the Disney-Windows customer assistance office with three-day lines for the free clerk, the shorter lines that started billing you when you got in line, and the even shorter lines for the subcontractors to deal with D-W for you who took a substantial cut of the money you were due. Well, Bisson described it better than I do.

I met Terry Bisson through "Bears discover fire", which is awesome and highly recommended. However Pirates of the Universe is a Bisson which you should skip. As a woman, and an avid reader of old and new sci-fi, I have a thick skin when it comes to portrayal of women -- if you tell a fascinating story, if the story can transcend time, then I'll forgive you for not having any real women in it. However "Pirates of Universe" was published in 1997, not 1947, and there's really no excuse for marginalization of his women characters. Between "virtual reality sex fantasy", "virtual reality psycho listener", "hometown girl with dreams no higher than suburbia", and "virtual reality psycho sex provider to inmates" you have to really wonder why Bisson populated this novel with a full cast of two-dimensional female shadows. One rather hopes it was a failed attempt at irony.

I'm not a big fan of post-apocalypse sci-fi books and this one is pretty typical for the genre. The writing and plot are pretty average and there aren't too many big surprises even though the book is set up as a sort of mystery of what's in the package. We follow the central character Glenn as he goes about trying to deliver the package. Some weird sci-fi stuff happens in the process and sets up the ending.

Many of the ideas here are fascinating, but unfortunately I found the world depicted to be an inconsistent melange of future tech: nanotech and VR and non-Euclidean geometries and genetic engineering and ...

Chunks of heavy-handed satire stick out like sore digits, adding to the feelings of inconsistency.

What was most annoying was the overuse of the trademark symbol, formulaic references to National Geographic, and the description of Tiffany as "copy-protected"; products of laziness, or perhaps the author's prolonged enjoyment of jokes which tired very quickly.

Terry Bisson is an American legend. Simply stated, he is the greatest living author on the planet. A set of all his original works belongs on the shelf of every book lover.

Pirates of the Universe will expand and enhance your imagination. His quality of writing can not be matched. It is a rare treat to read any of his current or future works.

The Washington Post Book World states on the back cover of Pirates of the Universe, "It is the Bissons of the field... upon whom the future of science fiction depends." If this is true, than sci-fi is in a world of trouble. Pirate's plot is intriguing and Bisson's story telling is vaguely reminiscent of the old grand master, Alfred Bester. However, make no mistake, Bisson is no Alfred Bester. There is much more to good sci-fi, indeed, much more to good fiction, than an intriguing plot. It is a writer's responsibility to his readers to build credibility and trust through, among other things, attention to detail, and this is something at which Bisson utterly fails. A good book, like a good movie, should never draw attention to itself through its flaws. In sci-fi, the reader must be willing to suspend his disbelief in concepts of time travel, parallel universes, faster than light travel, etc. But when a writer's poor grammar and inability to construct sound sentences begins to detract from the story, then he is in trouble.

Use of a phrase repetitively can be an effective technique, but Bisson's choice to use the phrase "In the old days..." no less than eight times over a span of one page is not only ineffective but downright annoying. Oldsmobile, Buick and Toyota all find themselves properly noted as proper names in Pirates; yet Chevrolet is conspicuously left with a lowercase `C' throughout the novel, save for one instance. Marlboro (as in cigarettes) appears as a proper name throughout, save for one chapter, when twice the `M' is mysteriously lowercase. Bisson's protagonist, Gunther, "had only hugged his brother once before..." Surely Bisson had intended that Gun had hugged his brother only once before. Small potatoes, perhaps, but together with the host of other inconsistencies and poor choices Bisson makes in relating his tale, it becomes too great an obstacle to overcome. An argument could be made perhaps that Bisson needs a better editor, but ultimately these choices, this attention to detail, must fall on the shoulders of the author.

A 1996 New York Times Notable Book of the Year, one can only wonder what other sci-fi titles might have been Pirates' competition that year. The front cover of Pirates quotes The Washington Post Book World as claiming "Bisson can charm your toes off." Well, this is one reader of Pirates who can still lay claim to a full complement of ten.