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Summary: correction
Review: In response to rorscach12's review the "make-up slang" in A Clockwork Orange is actually russian. moloko=milk, zoobies or zoob=tooth, litso=face, rukas or ruka=hand, malenky=small/little, etc.
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Summary: Burgess at his best
Review: In the early sixties Anthony Burgess was diagnosed with a terminal brain desease. Writing like a demon he cranked out several novels in two years thinking he's need to support his family after he passed on. He had been mis-diagnosed, but as a result he wrote a series of novels that are really his best works and some of the best works of the twentieth century in my opinion. "The Wanting Seed" is one of these books."The Wanting Seed" much like "A Clockwork Orange" is reminiscent of other novels of a dystopian future such as "1984" and "Brave New World". The quality of writing here by Burgess is nearly the equal of those novels. Perhaps the reason it isn't held in as high esteem is the uncomfortable theme of homosexuality wrapped up in politics that carries through the novel. And what a novel. A study of Britain in decline and society in constant flux. [adult] codes replace political codes in evaluations for work and promotions. But this is short-lived. It isn't really a novel of [adult] preference because with regime change comes new and different standards. Burgess has fun mixing political and social expectations and comes off giving a fairly decent commentary on society at large. "The Wanting Seed" is certainly a classic and somewhat unjustly relegated to less than great status behind the other mentioned dystopian novels of the future. As with most Burgess novels at his best, this one is highly recommended.
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Summary: A fascinating glimpse into the future
Review: In the very distant future, world overpopulation has become a serious problem. Food levels are quickly dropping. Space is becoming so scarce that an island has been built in the Atlantic to hold the overflow. As a last measure, the government has embraced homosexulaity as a way to curb the population growth. Signs are posted all over London tht read "It's Sapiens to be Homo!" And, society even rewards homosexuality with promotions and higher societal standings. Infanticide is promoted, with state-paid condolences doled out to the families. And, births have been limited to one per family. Beatrice-Joanna Foxe and her husband Tristram have lost their only son, and, by law, are not allowed to have any more. To cope, Beatrice has a tryst with her husband's brother, Derek, who is high up in the Ministry of Infertility and a pretend homosexual. In the meantime, Tristram is passed over for promotion due to the large size of his family (three brothers and one sister). When Tristram learns of his wife's infidelity, he has it our with her in public and is thrown in prison. Beattrice also discovers that she is pregnant again and has to leave London before anyone finds out. As the story progresses, religion and hetero sex do come back into fashion with a bang, as does cannibalism. It becomes rampant and orgiastic, then state-authorized, eventually causing a steady increase in popluation worldwide. To combat this problem the new "War Department" creates Extermination Sessions to start controling population growth as well as something more akin to "Soylent Green." Tristram sees all this first-hand and manages to survive, his one intent to make it back to the woman he loves. An interetsing glimpse into a dark future. For anyone who enjoyed Orwell's "1984" or Huxley's "Brave New World," this book fits well with them.
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Summary: Malthusian black comedy
Review: Officially sanctioned homosexuality, cannibalistic dining clubs, and staged battles in which both sides all die are some of the solutions to overpopulation in this compulsively readable fable. The novel centers on Tristram Foxe, a history teacher whose life falls apart in a nightmare sequence of error and coincidence which are given momentum by a society disintegrating under the ironically combined pressures of fertility and famine. Burgess structures the story beautifully between exile and reunion, sprinkling the narrative with puns, literary allusions, and his trademark obscure words (e.g., "esculent" instead of "edible"). The tension between horror and humor is sublime: eager lovers say "Yumyumyumyumyum" as they kiss, while the population subsists on tinned "bully" (perhaps named after John Bull, the figurative British everyman). The only disappointment is the disenfranchised heterosexual characters' negative attitude toward homosexuality - surely Burgess knew better, even in 1962 - which comes across as more than just sour grapes. Its one (thankfully not pervasive) flaw notwithstanding, this is a provocative, rewarding read.
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Summary: Bit dated, but a must-read for lovers of Burgess' prose.
Review: The conceit of this book is that the governors of a futuristic, terribly overcrowded world will do anything to discourage procreation. The book was written in 1962, when birth control pills were just around the corner and vasectomies were certainly heard of...so why, one might ask, postulate a society that encourages homosexuality as a means of controlling the population (as far as I know, AB had no axe to grind in this department)? There are several instances of Burgess' science being a bit off the mark, but one quickly realizes that's beside the point. Burgess was clearly less concerned with science than with his own form of speculative social anthropology. His characters are well-defined but essentially artificial, meant to propel his thoughtful social theories and populate some wryly chilling suppositions about the direction modern life might be taking. Still, to those who admire him, Burgess is a unique and brilliant wordsmith, a man who loves and knows language so well that he can twist and reinvent it for his own purposes (no one who's read "A Clockwork Orange" needs to be told that). There are funnier and more down-to-earth Burgess books, to be sure. However, if you are amused by pure wordplay and don't mind keeping a dictionary handy when you read...you'll enjoy Burgess as a whole and this book in particular. p.s.: A Burgess must-read is "Nothing Like the Sun", Mr. B's mini-biography of Shakespeare
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Summary: a twisted look at the future, as told by a great satirist
Review: The Wanting Seed is a novel set several hundred years in the future. The population growth has exhausted the food supply. The government scorns human reproduction and rewards homosexuality. God and religion are all but outlawed. Soon anarchy reigns and everything is turned upside-down. Realistic? Well, probably not. Consider it to be a "Brave New World" written by someone with a wicked sense of humour. This is not science fiction, but more of a statement criticizing the world today (even though the book was written in the early 60s). Much of the book really sizzles, with biting satire on nearly every page. However the story eventually runs out of steam (..it deviates to a sub-story involving the military which, while initially interesting, bored this reader). But let this minor fault not deter you from enjoying a witty book. Bottom line: a rare, yet slightly flawed, gem.
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Summary: The Pelagian Theory in the Wanting Seed
Review: The Wanting Seed is the second best book by Burgess, next to Earthly Powers. This is the first novel of his in which he explicitly describes the "Pelagian Theory" which is a cyclical view of society and governments based on the views of Saint Augustine and the heretic Pelagius (note that Pelagius was from the British Isles). This book is essential if you want to read and understand many of Burgess' works, especially A Clockwork Orange, in which his description of the Pelagian Theory is unformed and unfinished.
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Summary: One of my top ten of all time.
Review: This book is a beautiful document of life's sinusoidal societal changes. Burgess puts his characters in the worst possible scenarios, beats 'em up, hangs 'em out to dry, and then brings it all to one of the most perfect endings I've ever encountered. The book's huge circumstances put tiny, little life right in perspective.
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Summary: Extremely good book, Burgess is truly admirable man.
Review: This book shows a not so unique image of the future, but that's what makes it realistic. Even though that was not Burgess' point, it still gives an eerie idea of societies dark and horrific side.
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Summary: It's Sapians to be Homo!
Review: This is the ringing endorcement, that sits on posters and adds, in Burgess' future world in the novel, "The Wanting Seed." In this book, Burgess, takes some tried and true formula from some of his other novels: a drastically different future that could happen ("A Clockwork Orange"), a main character that is an instructor ("The Doctor is Sick"), and a satire on the absurd nature of large industries ("The Complete Enderby"). This time around, Burgess is writing about a future that has become a bleak place (Orwell's "1984," Huxley's "Brave New World"), but taken his on take on a future gone slightly off. An ultra liberal future (not a bad thing), faces a gross over population (not that far off). This novel revolves around the lives of a history teacher and his family and how they fit into and adapt to a world different from our own, that is going through many drastic changes. As a common theme to Burgess' books, this story is looking at the indaviduals that somehow get lost in a place that is drying out their humanity. The author praises them as they try to find and hold onto their humanity, at the same time he attacks major functions of society: the army and government, witha priceless satirical wit. Again, as with other novels, Burgess uses his background as a linguisist, to toy with the odd variety of speech, and the many forms that it takes. The prose style is very vivid. Burgess paints stiring, oft times disturbing pictures for the reader.
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