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Summary: An advanced culture will not be like ours as this book shows
Review: David Gulbraa demonstrates that western culture need not remain stuck in the morass of contridictions it presently finds itself in. The essence of western thought can be preserved while removing some of the more obvious mistakes. If you doubt real people could act like this or that a culture could develop and espouse such ideals you haven't met a diverse enough cross section of Objectivists. David Gulbraa is brilliant in his ability to create a culture not like ours in subtle ways as well as major ways. Most authors place people just like you know in unfamiliar futuristic situations. Do you really believe people will be just like they are now in an advanced cultural situation. If the actions people take seem contrived to you, think about the difference between our present culture and the politics which must have occured in the royal court of the Mayan civilization as mystics were consulted as to who should be taxed and who should be sacrificed to the gods so that yellow squash production would be remain high this season. The civilization of David Gulbraa creates a contrast as great as that between ourselves and ancient primitives.
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Summary: Objectivism and Bad Art
Review: I am a big fan of libertarian science fiction (Heinlein, Vinge, etc.), so I was looking forward to reading this book. However, from the very first page it was clear that I was going to be disappointed. The writing is, simply, bad. There's an interesting story in there, begging to be let out. I think a good book may have been salvaged if it had undergone some extensive editing and re-writing.
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Summary: A likeable concept mired in 6th-grade writing capability
Review: I am a big fan of libertarian science fiction (Heinlein, Vinge, etc.), so I was looking forward to reading this book. However, from the very first page it was clear that I was going to be disappointed. The writing is, simply, bad. There's an interesting story in there, begging to be let out. I think a good book may have been salvaged if it had undergone some extensive editing and re-writing.
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Summary: What I'd like is more of Gulbraa's writing!
Review: I loved the Tale of the Mall Masters--how I wish California--and malls, were really like this...
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Summary: I've ordered another copy to pass along to a friend!
Review: I've recently finished reading all the major Objectivist work--most of it two times, slowly and carefully. What a treat after all that to enjoy Tales of the Mall Masters! Chock-full of great ideas, and lots of fun! I won't forget it.
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Summary: Inane, stilted dialogue - couldn't finish it
Review: If one were to believe the hype on the postcard from Amazon, it should have been a good book. I gave it to my wife to read first. The first night she just gave me odd looks. The second night she laughed out loud and read some of the dialogue to me. I thought she was making it up. Nobody I know of talks as stilted as the dialogue in this book. She gave up after the third night, unable to bear anymore of it. Surprised, I tried to read it next, but didn't get very far for similar reasons. I skipped through the book desperately looking for an example of some redeeming feature: fresh philosophic perspective, ingenious insight, readable, interesting dialogue, . . . anything. None to be found. More entertainment could be found rereading The Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology. Sorry Mr. Gulbraa, I hope the next one is better.
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Summary: Very moving portrait of human greatness
Review: If you enjoy the sight of competence--excitingly joyous competence--open Tales of the Mall Masters. If you want to travel to a newly discovered civilization which hasn't been tainted by the sickness of Christianity, or any other religion, read Tales of the Mall Masters. If you are tired of sci-fi aliens (which are only human beings purposefully made ugly) see what a totally-at-home, self-loving human being looks like. If you want to pound your fist on a table in sheer admiration for a man's unbreakable pride, if you want to leap up in joy for the everlasting damnation of sacrifice, if you want to see a clean and beautiful reaffirmation of man's one god--himself--full of reason, certainty, fearlessness and love of truth, then read David Gulbraa's Tales of the Mall Masters. If you want to behold the already-achieved worldly heaven of trade, work, action, love and profit as with eagle-screaming eyes and a sinless soul--you know what to to.
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Summary: A rational culture without self-sacrafice?
Review: It's almost impossible to even conceive of a culture in which sneering (at values and the men who hold them) by altruists and nihilists is not endemic. And yet a rational culture, free from envious destroyers is precisely what Gulbraa has endeavored to show us in _Tales_.The essence of this novel is a presentation of a rational culture, and of three heros who stand out even in The Individual's Republic of California. I expect that Gulbraa's writing style will mature in his future works (of which I would especially look forward to a novel set 30 years father into the future when the Welfare States of America collapse and become replaced by a rational culture). The book's only serious problem is its presentation of sexuality. I do not sanction 14 year old children engaging in sex, nor polygamy under any circumstances. But in the full context, I think this book is very worthwhile reading, and I intend to put a copy on my bookshelf permanently.
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Summary: Great characters make the idealism real and intense.
Review: These are great characters trying to achieve great things, and their relationships make this story extra special. There are any number of great love stories integrated into the plot of this novel. As far as I can tell, one of the ideas Gulbraa is exploring is the concept of non-sacrifical love relationships. It makes for awe-inspiring drama to see these characters--who all love each other--refuse to engage in sacrifice of any kind, on any level! Especially Anton Layvanwick. When he realizes the woman he loves has fallen in love with his best friend, a man he loves, the way he deals with it is a truly inspiritional example of what "rational selfishness" actually means in reality. This only touches the tip of the iceberg of a story that is simply magnificent. I canot recommend this book highly enough.
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Summary: But FIVE parody stars!
Review: This is quite possibly the best parody on hack Objectivist writing I've ever read. Okay, I haven't read the whole thing...just what pages there are on the web. But, oh, I got laughs that will last for days, maybe even months, out of this. Thank you, David Gulbraa, for writing so terribly! LOL
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