A review by tome15
The Age of the Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl
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.