Five SF Novels That Ask, What If This Trend Continues Indefinitely?

What happens when certain trends from technology to pollution to
wealth inequality are left unchecked?

https://reactormag.com/five-sf-novels-that-ask-what-if-this-trend-continues-indefinitely/
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

In article <11a2vnm$p43$1@reader2.panix.com>,
James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:

Five SF Novels That Ask, What If This Trend Continues Indefinitely?

What happens when certain trends from technology to pollution to
wealth inequality are left unchecked?

https://reactormag.com/five-sf-novels-that-ask-what-if-this-trend-continues-indefinitely/

The Space Merchants is good but Kornbluth used the same concept in a whole
lot of stories (like the Marching Morons) and in the end so did Pohl as
well. And sadly we're living in a world even worse than they predicted in
that regard.

You are forgetting Heinlein's _If This Goes On..._ although that is borderline as far as being a novel goes. Signet said it was one but some people did not feel they got their money's worth in pagecount.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) writes:

In article <11a2vnm$p43$1@reader2.panix.com>,
James Nicoll <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote:

Five SF Novels That Ask, What If This Trend Continues Indefinitely?

What happens when certain trends from technology to pollution to
wealth inequality are left unchecked?

https://reactormag.com/five-sf-novels-that-ask-what-if-this-trend-continues-indefinitely/

The Space Merchants is good but Kornbluth used the same concept in a whole >lot of stories (like the Marching Morons) and in the end so did Pohl as >well. And sadly we're living in a world even worse than they predicted in >that regard.

You are forgetting Heinlein's _If This Goes On..._ although that is borderline >as far as being a novel goes.

James, tongue-in-cheek, referred to it in the first comment
in the discussion.



--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 10/6/2026 9:14 AM, James Nicoll wrote:

Five SF Novels That Ask, What If This Trend Continues Indefinitely?

What happens when certain trends from technology to pollution to
wealth inequality are left unchecked?

https://reactormag.com/five-sf-novels-that-ask-what-if-this-trend-continues-indefinitely/

Zero for five.

Lynn


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Oct 6, 2026, James Nicoll wrote
(in article <11a2vnm$p43$1@reader2.panix.com>):

Five SF Novels That Ask, What If This Trend Continues Indefinitely?

What happens when certain trends from technology to pollution to
wealth inequality are left unchecked?

https://reactormag.com/five-sf-novels-that-ask-what-if-this-trend-continues-in
definitely/

there must be something wrong. I?ve read four of the five, all but the
Butler.


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 07/10/2026 10:51, WolfFan wrote:

On Oct 6, 2026, James Nicoll wrote
(in article <11a2vnm$p43$1@reader2.panix.com>):

Five SF Novels That Ask, What If This Trend Continues Indefinitely?

What happens when certain trends from technology to pollution to
wealth inequality are left unchecked?

https://reactormag.com/five-sf-novels-that-ask-what-if-this-trend-continues-in
definitely/

there must be something wrong. I?ve read four of the five, all but the Butler.

Not much to add from me, but I wish to increase the number of posts!
I have read the first three but do not remember The Space Merchants. I
prefer Vernor Vinge's longer works and find Brunner OK but nothing
special. I think I will reread the Pohl/Kornbluth and wonder if the
prose has stood the test of time?

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Titus G wrote:

On 07/10/2026 10:51, WolfFan wrote:

On Oct 6, 2026, James Nicoll wrote
(in article <11a2vnm$p43$1@reader2.panix.com>):

Five SF Novels That Ask, What If This Trend Continues Indefinitely?

What happens when certain trends from technology to pollution to
wealth inequality are left unchecked?

https://reactormag.com/five-sf-novels-that-ask-what-if-this-trend-continues-in
definitely/

there must be something wrong. I?ve read four of the five, all but the
Butler.

Not much to add from me, but I wish to increase the number of posts!
I have read the first three but do not remember The Space Merchants. I
prefer Vernor Vinge's longer works and find Brunner OK but nothing
special. I think I will reread the Pohl/Kornbluth and wonder if the
prose has stood the test of time?

"The Sheep Look Up" got a rather nasty review, I think from New Worlds
and a young Turk named M. John Harrison: "fit only for recycling".

I can't confirm that, my copies of NWQ having flown the coop long ago,
but I did enjoy M. John's reviews. Even more than his fiction.

If it wasn't M. John it was some American magazine. There's nowhere
else I could have read it.

"Stand on Zanzibar" is frequently cited as Brunner's best novel, and I
suppose I agree. It is often combined with "The Jagged Orbit" and
"Sheep" into a sort of trilogy. The latter two were good reads for me,
but not on the same level as the first.

I quite like "The Squares of the City" (as a chess player I am required
to) which is actually a fairly early novel which he could only get
published after his success with "The Whole Man".

I like and admire "The Long Result", one of the most sane novels in SF.

"The Shockwave Rider" receives a lot of praise. It was the only Brunner
from that era that didn't work for me.

"The Traveler in Black" is of course a classic.

There are a large number of lesser novels which are nothing special but
quite enjoyable. Brunner had a distinct style, evident even in these
lesser efforts.

I find I can still dip into Pohl/Kornbluth with enjoyment. Pity there's
not more of it.

William Hyde

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:

In article <11a6eak$392s6$1@dont-email.me>,
William Hyde <wthyde1953@gmail.com> wrote:

Titus G wrote:

On 07/10/2026 10:51, WolfFan wrote:

On Oct 6, 2026, James Nicoll wrote
(in article <11a2vnm$p43$1@reader2.panix.com>):

Five SF Novels That Ask, What If This Trend Continues Indefinitely?

What happens when certain trends from technology to pollution to
wealth inequality are left unchecked?

https://reactormag.com/five-sf-novels-that-ask-what-if-this-trend-continues-in

definitely/

there must be something wrong. Iƒ??ve read four of the five, all but the >>>> Butler.

Not much to add from me, but I wish to increase the number of posts!
I have read the first three but do not remember The Space Merchants. I
prefer Vernor Vinge's longer works and find Brunner OK but nothing
special. I think I will reread the Pohl/Kornbluth and wonder if the
prose has stood the test of time?

"The Sheep Look Up" got a rather nasty review, I think from New Worlds
and a young Turk named M. John Harrison: "fit only for recycling".

I can't confirm that, my copies of NWQ having flown the coop long ago,
but I did enjoy M. John's reviews. Even more than his fiction.

If it wasn't M. John it was some American magazine. There's nowhere
else I could have read it.

"Stand on Zanzibar" is frequently cited as Brunner's best novel, and I
suppose I agree. It is often combined with "The Jagged Orbit" and
"Sheep" into a sort of trilogy. The latter two were good reads for me,
but not on the same level as the first.

I quite like "The Squares of the City" (as a chess player I am required
to) which is actually a fairly early novel which he could only get
published after his success with "The Whole Man".

I like and admire "The Long Result", one of the most sane novels in SF.

"The Shockwave Rider" receives a lot of praise. It was the only Brunner >>from that era that didn't work for me.

"The Traveler in Black" is of course a classic.

There are a large number of lesser novels which are nothing special but
quite enjoyable. Brunner had a distinct style, evident even in these
lesser efforts.

I find I can still dip into Pohl/Kornbluth with enjoyment. Pity there's
not more of it.

William Hyde

I don't know if it would still hold up, but _Polymath_ (and whatever
its Ace Double name was) was always my favorite.

"Polymath" is one I have a special liking for, as a snooty fellow math
student mocked me for reading a book on some crazy science fiction based mathematics.

When someone serves a lob like that to you you can be a gentleman or
smash it. I was not a gentleman.

When he next saw me reading "A Quest for Simbilis", he kept quiet.

William Hyde


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 08/10/2026 10:41, William Hyde wrote:

Titus G wrote:

On 07/10/2026 10:51, WolfFan wrote:

On Oct 6, 2026, James Nicoll wrote
(in article <11a2vnm$p43$1@reader2.panix.com>):

Five SF Novels That Ask, What If This Trend Continues Indefinitely?

What happens when certain trends from technology to pollution to
wealth inequality are left unchecked?

https://reactormag.com/five-sf-novels-that-ask-what-if-this-trend-
continues-in
definitely/

there must be something wrong. I?ve read four of the five, all but the
Butler.

Not much to add from me, but I wish to increase the number of posts!
I have read the first three but do not remember The Space Merchants. I
prefer Vernor Vinge's longer works and find Brunner OK but nothing
special. I think I will reread the Pohl/Kornbluth and wonder if the
prose has stood the test of time?

"The Sheep Look Up" got a rather nasty review, I think from New Worlds
and a young Turk named M. John Harrison: "fit only for recycling".

Should that be H. John Morrison :-)
To refresh my memory, I have read the Wikipedia page for "The Sheep Look
Up". I don't really remember it but it certainly sounds interesting and
I suspect Harrison's literary standards and comprehension are far higher
than mine.

I can't confirm that, my copies of NWQ having flown the coop long ago,
but I did enjoy M. John's reviews.ÿ Even more than his fiction.

If it wasn't M. John it was some American magazine.ÿ There's nowhere
else I could have read it.

"Stand on Zanzibar" is frequently cited as Brunner's best novel, and I suppose I agree. It is often combined with "The Jagged Orbit" and
"Sheep" into a sort of trilogy.ÿ The latter two were good reads for me,
but not on the same level as the first.

I quite like "The Squares of the City" (as a chess player I am required
to) which is actually a fairly early novel which he could only get
published after his success with "The Whole Man".

I like and admire "The Long Result", one of the most sane novels in SF.

"The Shockwave Rider" receives a lot of praise.ÿ It was the only Brunner
from that era that didn't work for me.

"The Traveler in Black" is of course a classic.

Yes. I do remember that.

There are a large number of lesser novels which are nothing special but
quite enjoyable.ÿ Brunner had a distinct style, evident even in these
lesser efforts.

I find I can still dip into Pohl/Kornbluth with enjoyment.ÿ Pity there's
not more of it.

William Hyde

Starting The Space Merchants last night, I read about a third of the way through and I am enjoying it.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Growing Up in Tier 3000. Felix C. Gotschalk.

I can't find the post but one of our Scotts briefly referred to this
under the topic, Five SF Novels That Ask, What If This Trend Continues.

The basic premise is that the trend is for children to have greater intelligence than their parents. I was interested in Scott's comments so
read it yesterday. It was quite short, (my previous reads were Brust's
Khaavren Romances), but quite difficult because of his incredible
vocabulary and his unexplained neologisms, eg Putfat - putative father
and plasticrete - concrete made from plastic, are easy ones but some
were incomprehensible. This also made the book fascinating.

The result of this trend once we get to the year 2500, is that logic and rationality completely overcome emotional attachments to the extent that
the child protagonists aged six years old are obsessed with trying to
kill their parents, which, because patricide and infanticide are
evolutionary adaptive and accepted as normal, is legal. The technology
to do this and the technology to prevent it is also fascinating. They
have various implants and "prosthets" for a variety of functions
including teleporting. Whilst the emphasis was on their sadistic and
sexual urges, the world building was also explored in less detail.

A surprisingly weird read. Felix has a unique style. Whilst I enjoyed
it, I am not sure that I wish to read more by him. He continually
aggressively provokes the reader by ascribing normality to all social
taboos such as murder, rape, cannibalism and descriptions of sexual
activity and sadistic fantasies are frequent and detailed. The rape or
sex by six year olds did not annoy me as there was no identification
with the characters and the basic concept was implausible.

There is a more informative review at https://www.skjam.com/2020/05/03/book-review-growing-up-in-tier-3000/
but if you plan to read this book, I recommend that this review is read
after reading.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 09/10/2026 15:56, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:

In article <11a995e$9rpa$1@dont-email.me>, Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> wrote:

Starting The Space Merchants last night, I read about a third of the way
through and I am enjoying it.

One of the inspirations behind "Wall-E", I think.

I finished Space Merchants today and loved the exposition of the satire.
The prose has aged brilliantly and as well as the satire, I enjoyed the
plot with a couple of major twists.


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

In article <11aa292$hheq$1@dont-email.me>, Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> wrote: >I finished Space Merchants today and loved the exposition of the satire.

The prose has aged brilliantly and as well as the satire, I enjoyed the
plot with a couple of major twists.

It really is great, isn't it? The thing is, I liked Wolfbane even more! --scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Scott Dorsey wrote:

In article <11aa292$hheq$1@dont-email.me>, Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> wrote:

I finished Space Merchants today and loved the exposition of the satire.
The prose has aged brilliantly and as well as the satire, I enjoyed the
plot with a couple of major twists.

It really is great, isn't it? The thing is, I liked Wolfbane even more! --scott

I too have a distinct fondness for "Wolfbane". It is a slight novel,
far more of a standard SF novel than their other work, and roundly
condemned on various fora in the past.

Still, I quite like it and reread it a few years ago.


William Hyde

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 10/10/2026 01:40, Scott Dorsey wrote:

In article <11aa292$hheq$1@dont-email.me>, Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> wrote:

I finished Space Merchants today and loved the exposition of the satire.
The prose has aged brilliantly and as well as the satire, I enjoyed the
plot with a couple of major twists.

It really is great, isn't it? The thing is, I liked Wolfbane even more! --scott

Yes. The ending was a little confusing. Although the Consies did achieve
their aim of controlling the ship to Venus with the expectation of
Consies governing the planet, I had a sneaking suspicion that the
protagonist might have swallowed his own propaganda. For the Consies to
succeed on Venus they would have to be self sufficient to gain
independence from Earth and it was not made clear that that could happen. Wolfbane is available on Project Gutenberg as well as The Engineer and A
Town is Drowning, also by Pohl and Kornbluth. I don't recall reading
either of these.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Fri, 9 Oct 2026 19:40:30 +1300, Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> wrote:

On 09/10/2026 15:56, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:

In article <11a995e$9rpa$1@dont-email.me>, Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> wrote:

Starting The Space Merchants last night, I read about a third of the way >>> through and I am enjoying it.

One of the inspirations behind "Wall-E", I think.

I finished Space Merchants today and loved the exposition of the satire.
The prose has aged brilliantly and as well as the satire, I enjoyed the
plot with a couple of major twists.

If they did a TV version today it would be accused of being an SF
ripoff of "Mad Men" despite that show's creator being born 13 years
after the novel's publication.

--
Jerry Brown

A cat may look at a king
(but probably won't bother)

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 10/10/2026 01:40, Scott Dorsey wrote:

It really is great, isn't it? The thing is, I liked Wolfbane even more!
--scott

I wasn't so keen on it as The Space Merchants slowly losing interest as
the Pyramids were outwitted. I would have liked more time spent
contrasting Citizens and Wolves. I have started The Engineer which is
another very short book.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 10/10/2026 12:33, Titus G wrote:
snip

Wolfbane is available on Project Gutenberg as well as The Engineer and A
Town is Drowning, also by Pohl and Kornbluth. I don't recall reading
either of these.

The Engineer is just a short story, (of hubris) and A Town is Drowning
appears to be a character study of people facing adversity rather than SF.


--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)