The Godwhale by T.J. Bass
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes it's utterly amazing to me how much we seem to have lost in modern literature. And I mean this in terms of Science Fiction Literature, of course. I grew up thinking of it not as the 'pew-pew' and 'oh, look, boobies' that was utterly IMPLIED in the covers of the old books, but as a true bait-and-switch literature that hits us hard with implications of science, the dangers of the roads we're on (in this case, massive overpopulation and its consequences) and the necessities of survival amid one adventure or another.

In this case, Godwhale ought to rank up there with the adventures of Ringworld or Gateway, if not on the same worldbuilding playing field. What it DOES do is hit us, even as far back as 1973, with true bio-punk ethos, genetic engineering, CYBERPUNK WHALES, and the brilliant impetus of re-seeding the sterile future oceans of Earth with life.

The creativity is astounding.

Now, I will be clear on this: all reproductive social issues are going to be contentious, whether back in the '70s or now. Turning any kind of female into a breeding station is going to be an ugly point without context or whether the actual CHARACTERS are willing and happy in the setup. (Not to mention us, the readers, having our own hard-wired reactions.) But this is kinda the whole point. Back in the late '60s and early '70s, it was the time of horny boomers practically overwhelming the whole planet, and anyone with half a brain could see over half of the Earth's natural wilderness disappear almost overnight. The implications, should it all continue as it was, was astoundingly HORRIBLE. And yes, tons of novels have focused on this topic--and all for a very good reason.

We're LIVING it. A dying Earth, massive overpopulation, and the willingness of many to turn our very lives into meaningless chaff to be thrown away because of the resource issue.

In the Godwhale's future, also seen in a different aspect in Half-Past Human, it's an extremely 'Use and Be Used' world, with horrible, body-horror aspects. The powerful, or even the low-level powerful, throw out all ethics, or maybe never even had opportunity of thinking about ethics. Nutrition and control is everything.



I'll just make one big request: if someone like Musk reads this, then PLEASE, PLEASE consider it a WARNING, not a BLUEPRINT? PLEASE?


Otherwise, just consider it a really fascinating and original novel.

My synesthesia is amazingly amused by the standard and not so standard flavor options available to my protein selections here. Unfortunately for me, the FLAVOR of Pink is strangely like that of raw fish with about a half a cup of cardamom poured all over it--and served that way.


Personal note:
If anyone reading my reviews might be interested in reading my own SF, I'm going to be open to requests. Just direct message me in goodreads or email me on my site. I'd love to get some eyes on my novels.

Arctunn.com


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