The Wine of Violence [Paperback]

James Morrow (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ace (November 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441894410
• ISBN-13: 978-0441894413
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,673,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, but not as good as his others., January 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wine of Violence (Paperback)

The Wine of Violence wasn't a bad book. It's better than most out there. But James Morrow is one of the best authors writing today, and this isn't his best work. In my opinion, "This is the Way the World Ends" is. The theme of the book is peace vs. freedom, and the setting is utopian Quetzalia, a hidden planet of pacifists. But the ideas aren't just floating out there; as in most of James Morrow's books, the characters are strong. I recommend this book for James Morrow fans only, the rest can skip it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific debut novel, January 7, 1999

By 

Robert Shore (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The wine of violence (Hardcover)

Subtitled "A Science Fiction Fable," The Wine of Violence was a wonderful beginning to Morrow's career. The central plot element is a fabulous (as in "fable") river into which planetary inhabitants routinely "decant" their violent impulses. The book begins when an outsider makes a forced landing on the planet, and discovers the society that results when violence is all but eliminated. It takes off when the protagonist's new lover partakes of the wine of violence. For me, the book was a tour de force of characterization, as the main characters remained real throughout their transformations. Ever since I read it, I have eagerly looked forward to Morrow's work.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can pacifism be taken too far?, March 4, 2002

By 

TomKonrad - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wine of Violence (Paperback)

Morrow has a gift for an unforgettable image. In Towing Jehovah, we have God's 2 mile long rotting corpse being towed by a supertanker, and here we have a river of liquefied hate. If you think the book is totally unrealistic (even by sfnal standards), you're right. But that's not the point-- read the cover: it's "A Science Fiction Fable." In between the satire runs the very serious question of how far we should bow before the altar of expedience. This book is deeper than it seems.