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A review by dlbvenice
Flesh by Philip José Farmer
3.0
This was an interesting but seriously flawed attempt to speculate on a future American Dystopia. In in, an environmental catastrophe has wiped out much of Earth's population (and many plant and animal species as well), drastically altered the climate and geography, and a new order of civilization has begun to assert itself. The crew of a starship are delivered into this brave new world, courtesy of relativity and cryogenics, having been off scouring the galaxy for other potential homeworlds since the 21st century.
The new society is founded on the transformation of American historical figures and ideals into myth as the basis for religion, with a triune Goddess figure at the head. The stage seems to be set for the conflict between the all-male (but very internationally diverse) starship crew from the past, and a supposedly matriarchal society. Since the book was a product of the 1950's (published in 1960), it's hardly surprising that a great deal of it is utterly absurd to today's sensibilities. A starship sent off on a potentially generational journey - with a crew that includes no women! A matriarchal society in which the husband is still clearly the king of his castle. The female characters seems to rely on subterfuge and indirection, getting men to do what they want rather than openly wielding any power. In the end it felt like a stew of interesting ideas that had been thrown together without a clear understanding of how the flavors would complement one another (or not).
The new society is founded on the transformation of American historical figures and ideals into myth as the basis for religion, with a triune Goddess figure at the head. The stage seems to be set for the conflict between the all-male (but very internationally diverse) starship crew from the past, and a supposedly matriarchal society. Since the book was a product of the 1950's (published in 1960), it's hardly surprising that a great deal of it is utterly absurd to today's sensibilities. A starship sent off on a potentially generational journey - with a crew that includes no women! A matriarchal society in which the husband is still clearly the king of his castle. The female characters seems to rely on subterfuge and indirection, getting men to do what they want rather than openly wielding any power. In the end it felt like a stew of interesting ideas that had been thrown together without a clear understanding of how the flavors would complement one another (or not).