Written at the peak of the swinging sixties, this is an ironic, hilarious and frank investigation of sexual politics and the male sex drive.
The Brian Aldiss collection includes over 50 books and spans the author’s entire career, from his debut in 1955 to his more recent work.
Events move fast in Umbalathorp, the capital city of the new African republic of Goya. When affable young PR man Soames Noyes arrives fresh off the boat from England to deliver the city’s first computer, he finds himself swept up in a current of women, witch-doctors and promiscuity.
Soon the indecisive Soames is saying goodbye to inhibition and hello to a new sexual politics.
**
Review
"Immoderate and witty" -- Simon Raven, The Observer
About the Author
Brian Wilson Aldiss was born in East Dareham, Norfolk, in 1925 and has written over 40 novels and over 300 short stories, making him one of the most important voices in science fiction writing today. He worked as a Bookseller in Oxford between 1947 and 1956 during which he wrote his first novel The Brightfount Diaries. His first work of science fiction was Non-Stop (1958) and he won the Most Promising New Author award at the SF convention the following year. At this time his work was characterised by innovative literary techniques and a high sexual content.
In 1962 Hothouse won a Hugo award given by the World Science Fiction Society and in the seventies he explored the experiences of a young soldier in The Horatio Stubbs Saga novels. With Frankenstein Unbound and Moreau’s Other Island he paid tribute to two founders of SF - Mary Shelley and H.G. Wells. By the time of the release of the well received Hellinconia sequence he had become one of the most prominent British SF writers rivalling such fellow authors as J.G.Ballard and Michael Moorcock
Since 1961 Aldiss has edited anthologies including SF Horizons and has regularly reviewed for the TLS as well as numerous newspapers. Other works include a history of SF, Billion Year Spree, an autobiography Twinkling of an Eye and some poetry. In 1999 he became A Grand Master at the Nebula awards given by the SF and Fantasy Writers Guild for his lifetime achievements in SF writing.
Events move fast in Umbalathorp, the capital city of the new African republic of Goya. When Soames Noyes, a young Englishman of the old school (public, of course) arrives, he finds himself caught in more than one stream of conflicting ideas – and more than one bed of conflicting women . . . . . This is Brian Aldiss’ first straight novel for some years. It is as straight as a circular saw and as sharp, and is neither straight-laced nor straight-faced. Under its ironic and fantastic humour lies a keen perception of what gives human sex drives their pep. The answer would seem to be – the male response..
Description:
Written at the peak of the swinging sixties, this is an ironic, hilarious and frank investigation of sexual politics and the male sex drive. The Brian Aldiss collection includes over 50 books and spans the author’s entire career, from his debut in 1955 to his more recent work. Events move fast in Umbalathorp, the capital city of the new African republic of Goya. When affable young PR man Soames Noyes arrives fresh off the boat from England to deliver the city’s first computer, he finds himself swept up in a current of women, witch-doctors and promiscuity. Soon the indecisive Soames is saying goodbye to inhibition and hello to a new sexual politics. **
Review
"Immoderate and witty" -- Simon Raven, The Observer
About the Author
Brian Wilson Aldiss was born in East Dareham, Norfolk, in 1925 and has written over 40 novels and over 300 short stories, making him one of the most important voices in science fiction writing today. He worked as a Bookseller in Oxford between 1947 and 1956 during which he wrote his first novel The Brightfount Diaries. His first work of science fiction was Non-Stop (1958) and he won the Most Promising New Author award at the SF convention the following year. At this time his work was characterised by innovative literary techniques and a high sexual content. In 1962 Hothouse won a Hugo award given by the World Science Fiction Society and in the seventies he explored the experiences of a young soldier in The Horatio Stubbs Saga novels. With Frankenstein Unbound and Moreau’s Other Island he paid tribute to two founders of SF - Mary Shelley and H.G. Wells. By the time of the release of the well received Hellinconia sequence he had become one of the most prominent British SF writers rivalling such fellow authors as J.G.Ballard and Michael Moorcock Since 1961 Aldiss has edited anthologies including SF Horizons and has regularly reviewed for the TLS as well as numerous newspapers. Other works include a history of SF, Billion Year Spree, an autobiography Twinkling of an Eye and some poetry. In 1999 he became A Grand Master at the Nebula awards given by the SF and Fantasy Writers Guild for his lifetime achievements in SF writing.
Events move fast in Umbalathorp, the capital city of the new African republic of Goya. When Soames Noyes, a young Englishman of the old school (public, of course) arrives, he finds himself caught in more than one stream of conflicting ideas – and more than one bed of conflicting women . . . . . This is Brian Aldiss’ first straight novel for some years. It is as straight as a circular saw and as sharp, and is neither straight-laced nor straight-faced. Under its ironic and fantastic humour lies a keen perception of what gives human sex drives their pep. The answer would seem to be – the male response..