Wolfbane

Here's the full review from the January 1960 issue of Amazing Stories. S.E. Cotts is the reviewer: This satisfying novel, by two masters of the trade, gives the reader a bargain for his time and money. It contains a stream of scientific theorizing, a sociological study of a society, a satire on its mores and customs, and a portrait of a man striving first for individuality and then for maturity in a changing world. Yet all these diverse elements are combined in a story that is exciting and moving at the same time. A strange planet has come into the galaxy and had dragged Earth from her orbit into the cold of outer space. Only a small artificial sun, rekindled by these conquerors every five years, stands between Earth and extinction. The shortage of food, the extreme cold, and the uneasy fear that perhaps this artificial sun will go out all serve to rob the population of strength. But even more important to the story is the fact that this lower-keyed pace of life has led to a whole new set of mores, customs and values. What happens when Glenn Tropile, who has realized that he is not like the others in his society, pits himself against the conquerors, forms the meat of this-written novel. He does not realize how he can save Earth until he falls into the hands of the enemy. Then, using the skills they taught him, he turns their own machines against them in some of the most masterful sabotage imaginable. Be sure to put this one on your list! _________________________________________ Thus ends the review by Mr. S.E. Cotts, who wrote hundreds of excellent reviews for Amazing Stories in the late 50s to early 60s. The star rating is my own pick since Cotts didn't have star rating. But if he gave one, I'm guessing it would be a five starer.

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.

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.

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.

Too bad it's out of print--an interesting angle to the invading-aliens-make-us-docile story. Worth looking for.