Wolfbane [Kindle Edition]

Frederik Pohl (Author), C. M. Kornbluth (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The earth has forcibly been taken from it's orbit. It began with an extra-terrestrial pyramid on top of Mt. Everest. And then a "runaway planet" took the Earth as it's binary. And now harsh generations have passed since the inhabitants last saw the light of their sun, Sol.

Society has grown rigid. The meek lambs have inherited the earth, even it's a very poor earth, indeed. It's a hard world for all. But Glenn Tropile is no lamb and if his citizens finds out he's a wolf, it will be the wolf that goes to slaughter.

About the Author

* #41 in the Millennium SF Masterworks series, a library of the finest science fiction ever written. * 'Frederik Pohl, one of the old pros of the genre, never takes unnecessary risks. For him, science fiction is a form of play - an excusable indulgence since he plays it so much better than most people.' The New York Times Book Review * 'The most consistently able writer science fiction has yet produced' -- Kingsley Amis * 'One of Frederik Pohl's best novels - and my personal favourite. Complex people in tough situations on a marvelous and gritty world - who could ask for more from any novel?' Greg Bear Frederik Pohl was born in 1919 and has been professionally involved in sf as an editor and writer since his teens. Among his many books are A Plague of Pythons, Gateway, Man Plus and JEM: The Making of a Utopia. C.M. Kornbluth (1923-1958) was the bureau chief of a Chicago news agency until 1951 when he took up fiction writing full time. He established himself very quickly as a brilliant short-story writer with works such as 'The Little Black Bag', 'The Marching Morons', 'The Cosmic Charge Account' and 'Two Dooms'. Pohl and Kornbluth started writing stories together in 1940 and their collaborations include The Space Merchants, Search the Sky and Gladiators-at-Law.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 195 KB
• Publisher: Wonder eBooks (March 8, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001UV3HF8
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,471 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very strong, classic Golden Age start, weaker finish, May 24, 2007

By 

Isaac S. Kohane "zakthehack" (Newton, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wolfbane (SF Collector's Edition) (Paperback)

On settling down with this novel (on recommendation, I think I recall, of Instapundit) I enjoyed the flash of recognition of the classic SF style. Written well, with interesting, unexplained phenomenology (mysterious pyramids, Earth moving from the Solar System), followed by a "rational" "scientific" explanation within a sharply constrained set of premises. Unfortunately, perhaps because the length of this novel is probably 1/3 of a contemporary SF novel, the character development is limited. Also, the ending is consistent with the narrative arc but without any unforseen twists and therefore markedly anticlimactic. All in all, the pleasure from the first four fifths of the novel outweighed the weaker ending.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Miss The Deeper Point!, January 7, 2007

By 

S. Singer (Pittsburgh, PA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wolfbane (SF Collector's Edition) (Paperback)

It's easy to miss the point of Kornbluth and Pohl's "Wolfbane". Sure, a starving humanity stratifies itself into "sheep" and "wolves." Still, the falsity of that stratification and - in fact - all dualities is at the heart of the book and really what these two brilliant sci-fi authors are trying to tell us.

The good news for sci-fi fans is we get a fascinating problem. A rogue planet pops into the solar system and steals Earth from orbit and there's nothing mankind can do. After all our weapons prove useless and no one returns from an invasion of the rogue planet, most of the human population dies out due to a dwindling food supply in the dwindling starlight as the solar system fades into the distance. And so we have a post-apocalyptic vision - shuffling drones and those few who rebel.

However, AFTER that set-up is when things really get good. The authors set up this almost insurmountable problem and then solve it. However, there's a deeper point here. At first, there seems to be an inherent criticism of meditation, but then the table turns in a way that you can only get in Sci-fi. Kornbluth and Pohl seem to ask us what's the difference between a wolf in sheep's clothing or a sheep in wolf's clothing - especially if you can't tell the difference? Thought-provoking stuff from sci-fi masters.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conformity and rebellion, December 22, 2001

By 

Roger L. Rasmussen (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wolfbane (Mass Market Paperback)

I would never describe Wolfbane as great literature but it does have staying power. I read Wolfbane more than 35 years ago and still think of the novel's plot and ideas from time to time. It probably has the greatest appeal to young men who are feeling rebellious and nonconformist. But we all need help figuring out human nature and deciding what kind of human being we want to be. This is what makes Wolfbane a good read.