Rating: 
Summary: Shattering. One of the greatest horror stories ever told.
Review: Although, like most sci-fi tales it is set about 50 years to early it is disturbingly possible. With a large group of characters and enough technical knowledge to be totally believable I couldn't put this book down. People die, disaster's happen and the world slowly dies. Not much light at the end of this rainbow but still one of the most gripping tales ever. Read it now, it is your duty.
Rating:
Summary: Best SF novel about pollution - demands a reprint
Review: Another dire warning from Brunner. Sheep is grimmer than Stand on Zanzibar. Set in a future much closer to our own time than the scenario painted in Stand on Zanzibar, the world described in Sheep is less fantastic and more familiar. The story is bitterly satirical, but the goal of the satire isn't humor, it's shock. Brunner's portrait of a corrupt, polluted world on the verge of ecological implosion is startlingly plausible and terrifyingly recognizable. You can feel the walls closing in as you read - the inertia of events feels inevitable; the end is nigh. The rich and powerful, in order to preserve their cache - even if only the illusion of it - will destroy everything that threatens it. By logical extension, the U.S. is the richest, most powerful country in the world - what will we destroy to preserve our way of life?
Rating: 
Summary: Brunner dates his novel about 75 years too early!
Review: Brunner tells of a future -- the 1970's -- filled with environmental horrors, the reemergence of obscure diseases, and a vast eco conspiracy. Change the date to 2050 or so and the Sheep world can be real. Interesting that the Cape Cod fisheries are about dead; "dead" diseases such as TB have re-emerged as antibiotic resistant! Not to mention newer viruses such as ebola, marburg, rift valley, HIV, etc. The book is still relevant. Although the US focus on the environment during the last 30 years or so has helped slow down its destruction, there aren't many other countries doing the same.
Rating:
Summary: World ending tomorrow, film at 11
Review: I find _The Sheep Look Up_ to be a very interesting read, but only from certain perspectives. It certainly is illustrative of ecological thinking in the early 70's, but sort of misses out on some of the later developments in though since then.Most important is the concept of Strange Attractors from chaos theory. All of chaos theory in fact. That is to say, conditions tend to stay near equilibrium, unless there are serious perturbations. Brunner assumes a exponential decay, with the events of the book representing the steep edge of the curve. History show us that linear decay isn't going to happen. Things will get better and worse, but things tend to stay on track. Of course, we have taken steps to prevent the events depicted from coming about. It's not clear if they are sufficient, but I expect that the equilibium that man and the world have will hold - at least long enough for me to die peacefully. Does this mean we should ignore the fears in the book? Of course not. While it seems silly in light of current events, it is worth reading to maintain a sense of perspective on how things could be, should we not exhibit care. Consider the Iron Triangle in Eastern Europe. 50 years of the worst treatment imaginable, yet life goes on, perhaps even better than that depicted in _The Sheep Look Up_. But what of the book? Why is my review a lengthly discussion of ecology? Well, the book exists as a vehicle for pushing the apocalyptic view of ecology popular in the 70s. No more, no less. I find it amusing to read given the state of thought in these matters, and insightful into the hysteria of the era.
Rating:
Summary: World ending tomorrow, film at 11
Review: I find _The Sheep Look Up_ to be a very interesting read, but only from certain perspectives. It certainly is illustrative of ecological thinking in the early 70's, but sort of misses out on some of the later developments in though since then. Most important is the concept of Strange Attractors from chaos theory. All of chaos theory in fact. That is to say, conditions tend to stay near equilibrium, unless there are serious perturbations. Brunner assumes a exponential decay, with the events of the book representing the steep edge of the curve. History show us that linear decay isn't going to happen. Things will get better and worse, but things tend to stay on track. Of course, we have taken steps to prevent the events depicted from coming about. It's not clear if they are sufficient, but I expect that the equilibium that man and the world have will hold - at least long enough for me to die peacefully. Does this mean we should ignore the fears in the book? Of course not. While it seems silly in light of current events, it is worth reading to maintain a sense of perspective on how things could be, should we not exhibit care. Consider the Iron Triangle in Eastern Europe. 50 years of the worst treatment imaginable, yet life goes on, perhaps even better than that depicted in _The Sheep Look Up_. But what of the book? Why is my review a lengthly discussion of ecology? Well, the book exists as a vehicle for pushing the apocalyptic view of ecology popular in the 70s. No more, no less. I find it amusing to read given the state of thought in these matters, and insightful into the hysteria of the era.
Rating:
Summary: One of Brunner's best
Review: I have always enjoyed the work of John Brunner, but have just now gotten around to reading "The Sheep Look Up." When I first started reading this novel I thought the story was a little outdated and that possibly Brunner had missed the mark on this one; then I heard on the news that due to the skyrocketing gas prices this summer, the U.S. Congress is actually considering lowering environmental safety standards so that Americans don't have to spend so much for the gasoline they need to run their oversized SUVs. It hit me that Brunner hadn't missed the mark at all: all the catastrophe that occurs during the course of the novel is merely hyperbole; the real message of "The Sheep Look Up" is that it is our own shortsightedness and lack of discipline that poses the threat to the environment and our own continued existence. Anyway, Brunner is a great writer and this novel is no exception. Read it and enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: One of Brunner's best
Review: I have always enjoyed the work of John Brunner, but have just now gotten around to reading "The Sheep Look Up." When I first started reading this novel I thought the story was a little outdated and that possibly Brunner had missed the mark on this one; then I heard on the news that due to the skyrocketing gas prices this summer, the U.S. Congress is actually considering lowering environmental safety standards so that Americans don't have to spend so much for the gasoline they need to run their oversized SUVs. It hit me that Brunner hadn't missed the mark at all: all the catastrophe that occurs during the course of the novel is merely hyperbole; the real message of "The Sheep Look Up" is that it is our own shortsightedness and lack of discipline that poses the threat to the environment and our own continued existence. Anyway, Brunner is a great writer and this novel is no exception. Read it and enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Can't read it now!
Review: I read this book close to 30 years ago and thought it was fabulous. I tried to read it agin about 5 years ago and had to stop. The book is no longer just fiction but can be seen as prophetic. So much has either come true or is coming true.
However, don't let my latter experience put you off. This is a fantastic book. Read it before it all comes true. Sadly, you may only feel able to read it once.
Rating:
Summary: insightfully presented
Review: I read this book during the Gulf War and the parallels were uncanny.To many of the events were relative to the times.A great read!
Rating: 
Summary: The world didn't end like this
Review: I read this in college, and it was profundly disturbing back then. It was easy to believe that an ecological catastrope that would destroy the world -- driven by the unintentional actions of millions and unstoppable even by the heroic actions of a few heroes. But twenty years after reading it, the world looks much, much better, and it is difficult to take this particluar apocalypse so seriously. Many of Brunner's visions in his other novels have weathered the 20 or 30 years since he wrote them quite well, but this one really hasn't. "The Sheep Look Up" was well written for its time, but is probably unreadable today.
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