Customer Reviews

Who

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a future where 2 coalitions have been formed, capitalism VS communism, a scientist is abducted by the Soviets and then returned to the West with head and limb prosthetics that make his identity questionable. The story is told in the present and flashbacks.

Now, the flashbacks are absolutely brilliant. If one tries to read the book, skipping the "now" parts (and to be honest, the "now" is by far the inferior part of the novel) the story of Lucas Martino, physicist and owner of a Supermensa brain, unfolds in an engrossing, poignant and vivid narration. Just the part of the 18 year old Lucas Martino having a clumsy first date, will stay with you, long after you`ve read the book. Personally, I was reminded of Stephen King's more exceptional passages (and this is of course praise for King and not for Budrys).

On the downside, the western head of intelligence is quite clichéd, a man who is a chain smoker, does not sleep, etc and the same thing applies for his Soviet counterpart.

4 stars.

I "found" Algis Budrys courtesy of my mother, who, after reading his bio and one of his stories in the October issue of Technology Review, scoured the internet for copies of his books. This was no easy feat because, lamentably, his novels are now largely out-of-print: science fiction is a niche market at the best of times (notwithstanding Michael Chabon's recent acquisition of BOTH the Hugo and Nebula awards for The Yiddish Policeman's Union), and Budrys' style is AT LEAST two standard deviations away from "mainstream." However, in my opinion, Budrys falls squarely on the leading edge of the literary bell curve - perhaps not the best place for sales, but leading the pack nonetheless.

I read two of Budrys' novels - Who? and Rogue Moon - and one of his collections of short stories, Budrys' Inferno. Based on this sample of his work, I think that Budrys was an unusually talented genre fiction author. His writing is undeniably entertaining, though the style is now a bit dated - his action and dialog are stylized to the same degree as a film noir movie, though the specifics are different.

Uniquely for an author of his generation, Budrys does not shy away from issues of love and sex. This, however, is merely a consequence of what I see as a deep understanding of psychology and interpersonal dynamics. Budrys' characters are not usually complete unto themselves. Instead, they are stylized representations of specific human traits, and Budrys' talent emerges when his characters interact: through their communication, he explores truths about us.

Thus: if you're a fan of SF, if you're fascinated by the way that people get along with one another, or if you're simply looking for a good read, try 'em. It's thought-provoking science fiction.

In this 1958 novel, Dr. Lucas Martino is abducted by the Soviets (back in the days when there was still a Soviet Union). After some months, Martino is returned -- or is he? The repatriated scientist is wearing a metal mask that is bonded to his head -- the result, supposedly, of surgical intervention to save his life after an experiment went awry. He's also been endowed with a mechanical arm and artificial organs. So is Martino the real deal or is he a cleverly disguised Soviet spy, sent to infiltrate the super-secret Allied project known as K-88? It becomes Shawn Rogers' job to solve that mystery and the novel follows Rogers in his attempt to discover the truth.

Budrys alternates chapters that address Rogers' investigation with chapters that take the reader through Dr. Martino's life. That technique enhances the story as the reader wonders whether the man we're coming to know and understand is actually the man behind behind the mask. If he is the masked man, we feel sorry for him, because the "good guys" don't trust him and won't let him resume work on K-88, the job for which he is best suited. The novel's satisfying ending lets us in on the secret of what happened while Martino was with the Soviets. In all, this is a well-structured novel that allows Budrys to explore interesting questions of trust and the meaning of identity: what is it, finally, that makes a man? That's a question with which Martino (or is it Martino?) must wrestle as he resumes his life.

WHO? is perhaps less technically satisfying than Michaelmas, which benefits from a stronger writing style, but I think it is a more intriguing novel, and the best of this fine writer's work.

This is a thoughtful and engrossing novel. It deals with many issues: cold war paranoia, memory loss, identity, loyalty. The cold war premise may not resonate with younger readers reared on GRAND THEFT AUTO but for those of you who still retain higher brain functions, WHO, is an intelligent and thought-provoking novel well worth checking out. The questions it raises about identity and memory and its rather subdued atmosphere of existential melancholia place it in the ranks of the novels of Philip K Dick.

I bought this on strength of very favorable review in nov/dec 2008 Technology Review by Mark Williams. He said Budrys was a major SF writer who had been seriously overlooked but "showed that the genre can produce literary art." I strongly disagree with this judgement. There are many fine SF writers, CJ Cherry being at the top of my list. I found the earlier book, Michaelmas, badly written and was unable to finish it. Who? is better but hardly qualifies Budrys as major figure. He has been properly forgotten.

Norman Kurland

Of science-fiction novels, of cold-war novels, of serious American novels -- one of the very best. But then so is another Budrys novel, "Rogue Moon". "Who?" was made into a disappointing film; "Rogue Moon" awaits an animator perhaps not yet born. But both should be cherished first as books.