The Oranur Conspiracy: A Biographical Thriller Based on the Life of Wilhelm Reich

Rating:
Summary: A real roller coaster!
Review: A real roller coaster! Just when you think that Reich is nothing but a flakey pervert, you find that maybe he's really on to something. Just when you think he's the most obnoxious person alive, you find yourself feeling sorry for him. The author does a remarkable job of making you care about a basically dislikable character.

Though the book is basically serious, some of the passages really had me rolling on the floor. Reich's penchant for acronyms, for example, are often hilarious, as is his habit of referring to people as "genital characters.

Rating:
Summary: A good job with some difficult material
Review: As the title suggests, this book is a fictionalization of the life of Wilhelm Reich, a pioneer psychoanalyst-turned-mad scientist. Reich considered the orgasm to be the "golden thread" that tied together all of his work--and that work (according to Reich) included everything from rainmaking, to curing cancer, to powering flying saucers. Fertile material for fictionalization, and Befumo certainly plays it up to the hilt.

One problem I think this book is going to have is that readers (like myself) who have some familiarity with the historical Reich and his work, may be distracted by some of the fictional devices that are necessary to make the story work as a novel. For example, though the main historical characters (Ilse Ollendorf, Theo Wolfe, etc.) are present, the fictional characters attached to those names borrow from many different historical individuals. Some Reich aficionados may also be put off by the often irreverent, sometimes even comical portrayal of Reich. However, although I never met Reich personally, from much of what I've read about him, Befumo's portrayal may be uncomfortably close to truth.

This brings me to a second problem I foresee for this book, namely, that much of Reich's life was so outlandish, that those not familiar with him may think Befumo went a bit overboard in precisely those places where he's closest to the truth!

These observations aside, this is a very enjoyable book, and Befumo does an admirable job with some very difficult material. One difficulty is that Reich, from everything I've been able to gather, was really not a likable man much of the time. Befumo's humorous treatment, while never turning Reich into a clown, maintains sympathy, while never whitewashing.

Overall, this is a VERY readable, very enjoyable book, and I look forward to further works from this author.

Rating:
Summary: An example of elegant restraint....
Review: As the title suggests, this book is a fictionalization of the life of Wilhelm Reich, a pioneer psychoanalyst-turned-mad scientist. Reich considered the orgasm to be the "golden thread" that tied together all of his work--and that work (according to Reich) included everything from rainmaking, to curing cancer, to powering flying saucers. Fertile material for fictionalization, and Befumo certainly plays it up to the hilt.

One problem I think this book is going to have is that readers (like myself) who have some familiarity with the historical Reich and his work, may be distracted by some of the fictional devices that are necessary to make the story work as a novel. For example, though the main historical characters (Ilse Ollendorf, Theo Wolfe, etc.) are present, the fictional characters attached to those names borrow from many different historical individuals. Some Reich aficionados may also be put off by the often irreverent, sometimes even comical portrayal of Reich. However, although I never met Reich personally, from much of what I've read about him, Befumo's portrayal may be uncomfortably close to truth.

This brings me to a second problem I foresee for this book, namely, that much of Reich's life was so outlandish, that those not familiar with him may think Befumo went a bit overboard in precisely those places where he's closest to the truth!

These observations aside, this is a very enjoyable book, and Befumo does an admirable job with some very difficult material. One difficulty is that Reich, from everything I've been able to gather, was really not a likable man much of the time. Befumo's humorous treatment, while never turning Reich into a clown, maintains sympathy, while never whitewashing.

Overall, this is a VERY readable, very enjoyable book, and I look forward to further works from this author.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Wild Stuff!
Review: In a way, this is reminiscent of "Young Einstein." Whether or not you've ever heard of Wilhelm Reich, the vivid characterization will have you alternately laughing and crying as you follow the life of this complex and often contradictory soul. Like most of us, Reich is alternately brilliant and foolish, loathsome and sympathetic.

Considering the sexual nature of Reich's work, the author does a superb job of handling the subject matter with taste and discretion. The few scenes that are overtly sexual in nature are some of the most elegant and arousing I've ever read.

It's definitely NOT a biography, though it does, in my opinion, capture the essence of that man's personality and fixations.

A must-read!

Rating:
Summary: A Page Turner Par Excellence!
Review: The Oranur Conspiracy is an incredible page turner. I was sad to see it come to an end when I finished reading it. Joe Befumo's rich prose and sensitive writing style come across with well honed craft and incredible depth. Never once did I feel bogged down while reading this book. I can't wait for his second novel. This is one of the best books I have read in ages. It's nice to see that someone writing books pays attention to the craft of writing and story telling to the degree Joe does. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: A Page Turner Par Excellence!
Review: The Oranur Conspiracy is an incredible page turner. I was sad to see it come to an end when I finished reading it. Joe Befumo's rich prose and sensitive writing style come across with well honed craft and incredible depth. Never once did I feel bogged down while reading this book. I can't wait for his second novel. This is one of the best books I have read in ages. It's nice to see that someone writing books pays attention to the craft of writing and story telling to the degree Joe does. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: An example of elegant restraint....
Review: The Oranur Conspiracy is proof that good fiction requires serious research. In this case, the author invested an enormous amount of work into learning about the "real" Wilhelm Reich. Then, using the storyteller's traditional tools, he set out to illuminate his subject's life, rather than simply recite it. Reich's ideas, personality, and career were not easy subjects to novelize. His bizarre genius was so outlandish and scandalous that the simple facts already sound like fiction. What the author has done well is to personalize Reich's oddities and obsessions without crossing the line into caricature. This novel works because of the elegant restraint exercised by the author, who refrained from using all the writer's bells and whistles and stuck to good, solid storytelling.