Book Review: John Brunner (Modern Masters of Science Fiction) by Jad Smith

 

John Brunner (Modern Masters of Science Fiction) by Jad Smith

Paperback, 200 pages

Published January  2013 by University of Illinois Press

 I am not going to say much here because I intend to use it as a source one or two articles on John Brunner. At the same time I want highlight some things. John Brunner has been a favorite writer of mine since the early 90s. I first noticed him as just a name on the shelf at the used book store I shopped at in the home town Caveat Emptor. There was always several shelves of his books. And I had never heard of him. I looked a few titles just curious what his books were about. I knew nothing about him but the book Crucible of Time just sounded mind bending.  I got and I admit it was beyond my teenage reasoning. I had a feeling so I kept on the shelf and planned to give it a shot.

Then as my views on environmentalism evolved and I read Brunner’s Classic the Sheep Look Up. I was not prepared in 1993 when I read it for how powerful it felt. I felt like I was seeing how things could’ve been if pollution didn’t get some more regulation. When I read in the Bush years it felt even closer to reality. The exact eco-challenges were different but the book still spoke to me. That is when I got serious about reading Brunner. I have read most of his major classics and will continue to learn more as time goes on. When the Dickheads journey with Phil is over I am going to read as many Brunner books as I can.

So reading Jad Smith’s fantastic Master of Science Fiction series on Brunner was just incredible for me. I knew a little about Brunner but not compared to Philip K. Dick who has multiple biographies and dozens of books about him. While we don’t have the exact timelines that we do for Dick it was amazing to learn about Brunner’s life. How he discovered HG Wells as a child, how he sold his first novel as a teenager, the various names he published under.

I want to read all the books in this series but this was where I needed to start. It is a must-read for anyone who takes scholarship of 20th-century science fiction seriously. I think John Brunner is one of the best but if you want me to say more you’ll have to wait. I have articles to write on the man.