Reviews for The Piaculum:a novel

The average rating for The Piaculum:a novel based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-07-19 00:00:00 Natonya Alexander This is a classic case of propaganda that actually has the opposite effect of its intention. "The Air Trust" feels at times less like a Radium-Age scifi thriller and more like the sacred tome of some cult, in this case--socialism. "Socialism! It leaped from his spirit like a living flame! "Socialism! The glory and the vision seemed to blind and dazzle... "Socialism! The Hope of the World!" If you feel like crawling between the cracks of the sofa cushions just reading that, imagine how I felt with page after page of this so-called "poetry" shoehorned into otherwise a fairly standard pulp scifi yarn. George Allan England doesn't miss a chance to have one of his heroes preach to the reader about the evils of Capitalism and spout horrible and embarrassing odes to Socialism. If you have any socialist leanings, this book may likely beat them out of you than make you a believer. This is certainly no "Iron Heel," which I think should be essential reading for young movers and shakers these days. "The Air Trust" suffers from several primary problems. To the sane mind, the propaganda comes across as just plain creepy and cringy. The story, about a billionaire in an alternate future who wants to control the world's air, speaks for itself about the insanity of unfettered capitalism. He should have focused on crafting the best story that could have won sympathies for the cause of the proletariat everywhere by the very power of the narrative. Instead, we get more "O Socialism!" The characters are all cartoons. The good guy is too perfect, a square-jawed paladin with not a ignoble thought in his socialist brain. The heroine is gorgeous and rich, and the author constantly directs our attention to her ample bosom. The villains are dope fiends or drunks, completely selfish and sociopathic, and twirl their mustaches while thinking aloud, "Soon, the world shall be mine! All MINE!!!" There were some great opportunities to make all involved much more sympathetic and well-rounded, but these were sacrificed to bang the already unsubtle message into the heads of readers, as though the author didn't trust the intelligence of his readers. Though this novel is quintessentially American, clearly riding on the momentum generated by the presidential candidacy of Eugene Debs and the persecution of socialists that began under the Woodrow Wilson administration, Revolutionary Russia also must have taken interest in this book at some point, as Alexander Belyaev wrote a very Soviet version of this story in the 1920s called "The Air Merchant," which was more superior and also reviewed here. The positives that might intrigue modern readers to this otherwise very clunky novel includes how it handles the media. Often portrayed in early scifi as the one bastion of truth, "The Air Trust" has the press instead as stooges to Big Money, minions to their masters, spreading only half-truths and full lies to influence public opinion. Because I get my news from multiple sources, it always amazes and frightens me just how the truth differs depending on the political bias of the overlords. "The Air Trust" reminds us to pay attention to these discrepancies, because when a society ceases to have an honest press, it ceases to have an accountable government, and then citizens cease to be free, with all the violent consequences thereof. There is also a chilling account of early "cancel culture" against those who dared use free speech to foster social justice, ironic today as the same kinds of folks who were victim to such censorship and suppression are embracing similar tactics today. It seems power is corruption in anyone's hands, and this is why I love Radium-Age scifi, which gives us visions of a history we are fated to repeat unless nations become more self-aware. Another time this book seemed prescient was in predicting that in 1920, five years after publication, a volatile and deadly clash between union workers and police in Gary, IN would occur. This in fact did happen in the fall of 1919. Furthermore, the alternate future sees unions on the brink of collapse thanks to cheap labor from Mexico, and the puppet president refuses to secure the border in order to please his capitalist masters who want to profit off of not supplying American workers with a living wage. Reading stuff like this reminds me how far the contemporary Republican party, once considered the party of big business and the upper class, has surprisingly taken on the populist flavors of more traditionally liberal policies which defended the laboring class. So, there are parts of this book which do feel very in tune with the political climate of today, or at least give some context to our current debates and challenges. But from a purely historical standpoint, as with any work from this time period, I also enjoyed learning tidbits about early industrial-age culture. Did you know an "Owl" cart was the precursor to the modern-day food truck? Also, the main villain in this novel, billionaire Flint, lives in a mansion called "Idle Hour," which I thought was a farcical name. It actually was the moniker given to one of the homes of the Vanderbilt estate, one of the largest houses in the country. So there really was a lot to recommend here, saving the book from a full one-star rating, but unfortunately, to rate this three stars would perhaps oversell it. The fact is this novel is too full of melodramatic affectation, on-the-nose propaganda, and childlike preaching, while not having enough of a strong narrative, effective pacing, and rich characterization to keep most any reader engaged. I'm not sure I could even recommend this to AOC or Bernie Sanders, assuming they would ever be interested in my little old book reviews. This is purely for students of 20th Century politics and the history of science fiction.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-12-13 00:00:00 Henry Lupori Full disclosure: I am sort of a socialist, with occasional streaks of contrarianism. I love the dystopian novels of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that correctly predicted and critiqued the rise of a global oligarchy, the destruction of the middle class, and the gradual acceptance of a permanent underclass of the poor. The Air Trust focuses on the danger of allowing individuals to create monopolies that control the necessities of life. The issues are important, and I was disposed to enjoy the book. But yikes--this novel achieves an almost surreal vivacity in its wildly overdrawn characters and themes. The hero is a hero through and through, with a mission to lead the revolution to return labor to its importance. The villain is a self-congratulatory, power-mad caricature of the evil 1%--think Mr. Burns from the Simpsons, complete with evil laugh and regular rants about the power he lusts after. It's exhausting. But the good guys win, so that's a plus. I do recommend this novel to those looking to compare styles within the genre. I would NOT recommend it to anyone I'd like to persuade about the evils of unfettered capitalism.