claytonhults's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I read this book as a joke.
I am pretty funny.
I am pretty funny.
evmondo's review
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It’s was quick, sweet, and to the point with sly humor. Weird to read it now since it’s 50 years old
tome15's review
4.0
Pohl, Frederik. The Age of the Pussyfoot. Ballantine, 1969.
When he was preparing his 1966 magazine serial, The Age of the Pussyfoot, for book publication, Frederik Pohl wrote an afterword that said he probably set the story too far in the future, that 50 rather than 500 years, might have been more reasonable for some of his prognostications. He had seen some emergency medical resuscitations and had been shown one of the early time-sharing computers. He was also aware of the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the growing drug culture. From these few real-world elements, he constructed a future with easy cryogenic storage and unlimited medical life extension, an online culture that has portable devices that resemble web-connected cell phones that also deliver mood-altering drugs. Charles Forrester, a twentieth-century guy who died in a fire, has insurance that puts him in the freezer for 500 years until he can be resurrected. Because death is not considered permanent, dueling and contract murder have been legalized. Charles discovers that stepping on a Martian’s fragile foot can get you back in the freezer if you are not careful, or even start an interplanetary war. Still fun after all these years. 4 stars.
When he was preparing his 1966 magazine serial, The Age of the Pussyfoot, for book publication, Frederik Pohl wrote an afterword that said he probably set the story too far in the future, that 50 rather than 500 years, might have been more reasonable for some of his prognostications. He had seen some emergency medical resuscitations and had been shown one of the early time-sharing computers. He was also aware of the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the growing drug culture. From these few real-world elements, he constructed a future with easy cryogenic storage and unlimited medical life extension, an online culture that has portable devices that resemble web-connected cell phones that also deliver mood-altering drugs. Charles Forrester, a twentieth-century guy who died in a fire, has insurance that puts him in the freezer for 500 years until he can be resurrected. Because death is not considered permanent, dueling and contract murder have been legalized. Charles discovers that stepping on a Martian’s fragile foot can get you back in the freezer if you are not careful, or even start an interplanetary war. Still fun after all these years. 4 stars.
pinknantucket's review
3.0
I liked it, but maybe not quite as much as I liked other books I've given a ranking of "I liked it". "I liked it" is a broad category and of course you can like books for all sorts of reasons. Still, I'd be interested to read more by Frederick Pohl. The main character (Forrester) was a bit annoying as he wouldn't just shut up and read the instruction manual to his new life, but then I haven't woken up hundreds of years into the future after suffering a terrible accident like he has so I shouldn't criticise. Still I suppose a sequence of social and economic embarrassments IS the better storytelling device to reveal a society of the future.
NB I'm trying to pay attention to how cultural heritage is portrayed in science fiction, there was a museum in this one that sounded exactly like a museum from the 1960s which even now seems incongruous.
My copy: given to me by a friend, yayyy thank you!
NB I'm trying to pay attention to how cultural heritage is portrayed in science fiction, there was a museum in this one that sounded exactly like a museum from the 1960s which even now seems incongruous.
My copy: given to me by a friend, yayyy thank you!
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