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kmdra06's review
3.0
Quick read - All plot with minor description makes it difficult to care about the characters or their world.
expendablemudge's review
3.0
Real Rating: 2.5* of five
I remembered this book fondly. The summer the film came out, I drove my licenseless buds to the Village Multiplex in Pygge, my 1968 Bonneville. (We'd passed the book around our Scooby-group, drinking it in.) There Michael York cheekboned his way into my, um, heart shall we say, and the rest of the film...and the entirety of the book...faded into insignificance.
Netflix loses the film on January 1st. I figured I'd rewatch it, while I give the book another go; after all, they're part of my formative years, so as I enter the last laps let's look back to the track, eh what?
You would think that, by now, I'd know better.
The book is just plain bad. The prose rises to the dizzying heights of serviceability a couple times, all the way up the slope of passable; the bulk of the 150pp are spent on the Plains of Puerility. A pair of fortyish numpties wrote about a world in which they'd be dead twenty years. It went about as well as that makes it sound. It's sexist, of course; it was ground-breaking for its day because the hedonism of its society isn't particularly concerned about who you do since there are no children born of sexual congress. Makes the property base of marriage pretty useless, so marriage simply isn't.
But the big draw, the martial arts bits, are tame and tedious 50 years on. (It came out in 1967, the film in 1976.) The action scenes are mildly fun. The story's versions of Logan and Francis are in a whole father/son dynamic that never gets much of anywhere because, well, you did see the page count, right? The ending takes place in Space. I won't say why, but it is the trippiest piece of dumbfuckery I can imagine. These guys were tripping when they wrote the ending, there's no other excuse. End it does, however, so I shook my head and started streaming the film.
Rob was here that day. He hadn't heard of the book or the film. He flipped through the book a bit and quietly reshelved it after about ten minutes. "Ready to see the film?" I asked; "not really" was the honest reply. Luckily Michael York is there from the get-go, cheekbones a-jut and body firmly and revealingly encased in a spiffy dark costume. I heard no further nose-sighs from little spoon...until a scene where Logan/Michael dials up a sex worker and gets, on his first try, a man.
"...?!!?..."
"Hey, even *I* had older mentors," I said. "Wait for the robot butcher scene. That's when we get to see Logan and Jessica naked!"
And that is pretty much it. The naked scene isn't him naked, it's just her, and some artfully obscured extras who earned that paycheck; a bit disappointing, but obscured by the fact that the film takes a turn for the idiotic from there on out. We ended up wondering what the hell was the point of this exercise, how far breaking ground can go in keeping a creative endeavor in active circulation. I think it's time to let this one slide into the background and we should pack it away in shredded copies of the awful book it was inspired by but doesn't much resemble.
I remembered this book fondly. The summer the film came out, I drove my licenseless buds to the Village Multiplex in Pygge, my 1968 Bonneville. (We'd passed the book around our Scooby-group, drinking it in.) There Michael York cheekboned his way into my, um, heart shall we say, and the rest of the film...and the entirety of the book...faded into insignificance.
Netflix loses the film on January 1st. I figured I'd rewatch it, while I give the book another go; after all, they're part of my formative years, so as I enter the last laps let's look back to the track, eh what?
You would think that, by now, I'd know better.
The book is just plain bad. The prose rises to the dizzying heights of serviceability a couple times, all the way up the slope of passable; the bulk of the 150pp are spent on the Plains of Puerility. A pair of fortyish numpties wrote about a world in which they'd be dead twenty years. It went about as well as that makes it sound. It's sexist, of course; it was ground-breaking for its day because the hedonism of its society isn't particularly concerned about who you do since there are no children born of sexual congress. Makes the property base of marriage pretty useless, so marriage simply isn't.
But the big draw, the martial arts bits, are tame and tedious 50 years on. (It came out in 1967, the film in 1976.) The action scenes are mildly fun. The story's versions of Logan and Francis are in a whole father/son dynamic that never gets much of anywhere because, well, you did see the page count, right? The ending takes place in Space. I won't say why, but it is the trippiest piece of dumbfuckery I can imagine. These guys were tripping when they wrote the ending, there's no other excuse. End it does, however, so I shook my head and started streaming the film.
Rob was here that day. He hadn't heard of the book or the film. He flipped through the book a bit and quietly reshelved it after about ten minutes. "Ready to see the film?" I asked; "not really" was the honest reply. Luckily Michael York is there from the get-go, cheekbones a-jut and body firmly and revealingly encased in a spiffy dark costume. I heard no further nose-sighs from little spoon...until a scene where Logan/Michael dials up a sex worker and gets, on his first try, a man.
"...?!!?..."
"Hey, even *I* had older mentors," I said. "Wait for the robot butcher scene. That's when we get to see Logan and Jessica naked!"
And that is pretty much it. The naked scene isn't him naked, it's just her, and some artfully obscured extras who earned that paycheck; a bit disappointing, but obscured by the fact that the film takes a turn for the idiotic from there on out. We ended up wondering what the hell was the point of this exercise, how far breaking ground can go in keeping a creative endeavor in active circulation. I think it's time to let this one slide into the background and we should pack it away in shredded copies of the awful book it was inspired by but doesn't much resemble.
brettt's review
3.0
The original Logan's Run novel is a good lesson in how science fiction can get caught by events, even when it's set in the future. William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson's 1967 novel extrapolates from the swell of young people seen in the Baby Boom and the pressure of overpopulation to set its stage. In this world, the 20th century closes with a revolt by teens and young adults, who make up more than 80 percent of the six billion people on the planet. Unwilling to accept their elders' plans to force families to stop at one child, they instead institute a regime of mandatory state-conducted suicide at the age of 21. The execution of everyone over that age and handing control of society over to a supercomputer called the Thinker cements the system in place. "Deep Sleep" operatives or "Sandmen" enforce this ultimate law, hunting down and killing anyone who does not report for death on their 21st birthday.
Logan 3 is a Sandman, loyal to the system although questioning the purpose of the hedonistic society he's supposedly protecting. When he meets Jessica 6, the sister of a runner he hunted, his questions deepen. And then his own Lastday happens, and Logan decides he himself will Run and seek a safe haven called Sanctuary, beyond the reach of Sandmen and the Thinker, where people can live out a normal lifespan.
Nolan has said one of the points of the novel is demonstrating how a society without age lacks any kind of roots or sense of understanding. The beginning chapters help demonstrate this idea to a degree, but it fades away into an echo once Logan and Jessica begin running. At that point, the novel turns into a long high-tension chase sequence. We get hints of the empty pleasure-seeking that's fueling the ennui of their society. We see some unusual aspects of the society that pairs Brave New World license with Nineteen Eighty-Four groupthink. But they remain mostly hints, as Nolan and Johnson press the pedal to the floor and run Logan and Jessica through one peril after another.
Some aspects of Logan's world offer food for thought. The aforementioned inability to grow or build anything when life is ended just as mature thought and innovation begin to develop is one. The emptiness of pure libertinism is another. But the main lessons turned out to be a miss. Nolan and Johnson wrote in 1967, as youth unrest began peaking and showed signs of some of the violence that would end that decade and begin the next. They extrapolated the increase in young people and the pressure of population growth, but didn't anticipate the effect of abortion and birth control on birth rates in First World countries. They also overestimated the effects of population pressure, seeing the crisis point at 6 billion. That figure was reached in 1999, a year earlier than they suggested, but did not provoke a global revolt.
Overtaken by the real world, Logan's Run winds up as an interesting sci-fi page turner, a little deeper than average but ultimately less impactful than the movie made from it.
Original available here.
Logan 3 is a Sandman, loyal to the system although questioning the purpose of the hedonistic society he's supposedly protecting. When he meets Jessica 6, the sister of a runner he hunted, his questions deepen. And then his own Lastday happens, and Logan decides he himself will Run and seek a safe haven called Sanctuary, beyond the reach of Sandmen and the Thinker, where people can live out a normal lifespan.
Nolan has said one of the points of the novel is demonstrating how a society without age lacks any kind of roots or sense of understanding. The beginning chapters help demonstrate this idea to a degree, but it fades away into an echo once Logan and Jessica begin running. At that point, the novel turns into a long high-tension chase sequence. We get hints of the empty pleasure-seeking that's fueling the ennui of their society. We see some unusual aspects of the society that pairs Brave New World license with Nineteen Eighty-Four groupthink. But they remain mostly hints, as Nolan and Johnson press the pedal to the floor and run Logan and Jessica through one peril after another.
Some aspects of Logan's world offer food for thought. The aforementioned inability to grow or build anything when life is ended just as mature thought and innovation begin to develop is one. The emptiness of pure libertinism is another. But the main lessons turned out to be a miss. Nolan and Johnson wrote in 1967, as youth unrest began peaking and showed signs of some of the violence that would end that decade and begin the next. They extrapolated the increase in young people and the pressure of population growth, but didn't anticipate the effect of abortion and birth control on birth rates in First World countries. They also overestimated the effects of population pressure, seeing the crisis point at 6 billion. That figure was reached in 1999, a year earlier than they suggested, but did not provoke a global revolt.
Overtaken by the real world, Logan's Run winds up as an interesting sci-fi page turner, a little deeper than average but ultimately less impactful than the movie made from it.
Original available here.
dilema's review
3.0
Though I was incredibly excited about the premise of this book, it ended up being centered around action and fighting instead of the dystopia.
This book was written in 1967, so for an entirely different audience than today, which made the writing style intriguing to look at.
As soon as the premise is established, Logan goes on the run and the book turns into an action story, with chases and racing, gypsies and monsters, various climates, and all types of things that are out to kill the pair. Though they were running because of their age, it really wasn't that different than if they'd been branded murderers or something and then had everyone come after them.
The history behind the premise was a little hard for me to digest. In the year 2000, the population of Earth had hit 6 billion and a movement had started to get everyone to die at 21. The youth eventually overthrew all politicians and city councilmen and took over. Nolan's optimism is cute--while there are a lot of youth, the likelihood of American politicians relinquishing power just like that is laughable. He hit the nail on the head with the population issue though.
Another problem I had with the story was in how society functioned. Kids from 14-21 were considered adults. While I think young adults often get a bad rep, it's hard to imagine them being mature enough for the jobs they needed to perform and to look after the other two-thirds of the population. I often found myself feeling like Logan was a lot older and more jaded than a mere 21-year-old.
It was extremely cool to see the technology that Nolan created for this book. While there's an elaborate transportation system to get people around, cell phones aren't a thing, showing how times have changed. Nolan didn't put much time into describing how this technology worked though, and I got kind of confused by how quickly they warped between scenarios.
My favourite scene was one in which he used a new technology to relive parts of his own life. This was a cool gimmick that allowed me to see what growing up in this world was like without having Logan recount it.
For what it was, this book was a good action story, but I thought the dystopian aspect could have been much stronger. I mainly enjoyed it for its age and different style, but I'm not much of a fan of chases and adventure, so I probably didn't appreciate it to its fullest extent.
Overall, though I won't be reading the sequels, I'm glad I did finally get my hands on a copy of this book.
This book was written in 1967, so for an entirely different audience than today, which made the writing style intriguing to look at.
As soon as the premise is established, Logan goes on the run and the book turns into an action story, with chases and racing, gypsies and monsters, various climates, and all types of things that are out to kill the pair. Though they were running because of their age, it really wasn't that different than if they'd been branded murderers or something and then had everyone come after them.
The history behind the premise was a little hard for me to digest. In the year 2000, the population of Earth had hit 6 billion and a movement had started to get everyone to die at 21. The youth eventually overthrew all politicians and city councilmen and took over. Nolan's optimism is cute--while there are a lot of youth, the likelihood of American politicians relinquishing power just like that is laughable. He hit the nail on the head with the population issue though.
Another problem I had with the story was in how society functioned. Kids from 14-21 were considered adults. While I think young adults often get a bad rep, it's hard to imagine them being mature enough for the jobs they needed to perform and to look after the other two-thirds of the population. I often found myself feeling like Logan was a lot older and more jaded than a mere 21-year-old.
It was extremely cool to see the technology that Nolan created for this book. While there's an elaborate transportation system to get people around, cell phones aren't a thing, showing how times have changed. Nolan didn't put much time into describing how this technology worked though, and I got kind of confused by how quickly they warped between scenarios.
My favourite scene was one in which he used a new technology to relive parts of his own life. This was a cool gimmick that allowed me to see what growing up in this world was like without having Logan recount it.
For what it was, this book was a good action story, but I thought the dystopian aspect could have been much stronger. I mainly enjoyed it for its age and different style, but I'm not much of a fan of chases and adventure, so I probably didn't appreciate it to its fullest extent.
Overall, though I won't be reading the sequels, I'm glad I did finally get my hands on a copy of this book.
mathew's review
4.0
It's easy to see why this book got picked up to become a movie. It's action from the start, and the pace never dips. The prose is spare but gets the job done; the occasional neologisms sprinkled throughout the text give it a futuristic flavor without getting as intrusive as (say) "A Clockwork Orange".
Sure, the backstory setting up the dystopia is implausible, as is the eventual truth of "Sanctuary", but it's a brisk, effortless and entertaining read, and that has to count for something.
Sure, the backstory setting up the dystopia is implausible, as is the eventual truth of "Sanctuary", but it's a brisk, effortless and entertaining read, and that has to count for something.
trevorbramble's review
2.0
I first saw the movie about 25 years ago and already knew it differed significantly from the book. In all that time I've assumed the book must be better, or at least more coherent. But it turns out they share a lot of the same problems, even if the details have changed. The screenplay may even be the superior version.
It's very easy to see an interesting high concept at the kernel of this story, but there is so much mid-future sci-fi tech involved that it's difficult to suspend disbelief. Rather than introduce one novel tech and let the consequences of its introduction play out, there is the core tech behind the story, the palm flowers and the computer that manages the population, and then a vast array of improbable technology like full-body cosmetic surgery to change your face or height or whatever else, and a world-wide network of extremely rapid trains, and rocket-powered flying motorcycle-like things.
The origin of all that tech is never even eluded to, and we're expected to believe a culture that executed everyone over 21 and continues to do so will not only maintain all of the infrastructure but advance it that far, in a hundred years? Having been a teenager, I doubt it.
All that dubious high tech aside, the story is haphazard, leaning on those high speed trains to setting hop so many times I lost count, often with whiplash transitions. By the time we get to the final setting they no longer seem exotic, only bothersome. It's at this last location that the authors give us a plot twist that is so boring and thin that I didn't even care.
It's rare that a book ends and I'm not filled with busy thoughts about how things might play out past the last page, and analysis of everything I read to think about what I may have missed and what makes more sense now that I've finished the story. But no, this one ended in a soft thud. I'd been curious about the sequels when I started, and now I'm happy to pass them by.
It's very easy to see an interesting high concept at the kernel of this story, but there is so much mid-future sci-fi tech involved that it's difficult to suspend disbelief. Rather than introduce one novel tech and let the consequences of its introduction play out, there is the core tech behind the story, the palm flowers and the computer that manages the population, and then a vast array of improbable technology like full-body cosmetic surgery to change your face or height or whatever else, and a world-wide network of extremely rapid trains, and rocket-powered flying motorcycle-like things.
The origin of all that tech is never even eluded to, and we're expected to believe a culture that executed everyone over 21 and continues to do so will not only maintain all of the infrastructure but advance it that far, in a hundred years? Having been a teenager, I doubt it.
All that dubious high tech aside, the story is haphazard, leaning on those high speed trains to setting hop so many times I lost count, often with whiplash transitions. By the time we get to the final setting they no longer seem exotic, only bothersome. It's at this last location that the authors give us a plot twist that is so boring and thin that I didn't even care.
It's rare that a book ends and I'm not filled with busy thoughts about how things might play out past the last page, and analysis of everything I read to think about what I may have missed and what makes more sense now that I've finished the story. But no, this one ended in a soft thud. I'd been curious about the sequels when I started, and now I'm happy to pass them by.
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