Enemies of the System

By Brian W. Aldiss

Book Overview

In the far future, a group of evolved utopians stranded on an inhospitable planet are unable to resist the reemergence of the human animal

One million years in the future, the universe has become a utopia for the humans inhabiting it. Having evolved into the race homo uniformis--"man alike throughout"--they share a centralized nervous system and know nothing of war, disease, violence, emotion, or any of the ancient ills that plagued their ancestors. But while en route to a vacation that is light years from Earth, a small group of elite travelers find themselves marooned in the wilderness of the planet Lysenka. And they are not alone. Many millennia ago, during Earth's darker days, human colonists came to this regenerate world, and the creatures their descendants became out of necessity bear little resemblance to the uniquely civilized beings now stranded in their midst. Here, in this place far removed from the protection of uniformity, there is only one rule: Adapt--or die.

One of the twentieth century's premier practitioners of the art of science fiction, Grand Master Brian W. Aldiss offers listeners a startling look into the far future with a remarkable work of speculation that explores what it means to be human.

• Format: MP3 CD
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0DD1PHQK4
• ISBN13: 9798228006058
• Release Date: August 2024
• Publisher: Tantor Audio
• Length: 1 Pages

Customer Reviews

Enemies of the System - SciFi tackles politics

Aldiss subtitled his book " a tale of homo-uniformis" and this is telling. The book tells of a group of overcivilised spacefarers marooned on a planet where people from their mollycoddled society have been marooned and subsequently gone wild.The 'natives' represent all the vibrant savagery and anarchistic creativity that the visitors have lost in their over organised, overdeveloped culture.The two different ways of life meet and interact, with challenging results, both sides leave the transaction changed and shaken up.This book examines themes relevant to our modern civilisation and the way that we may often feel lost when we come into contact with a simpler, more "primitive" way of life.The ending is typically Aldiss and satisfying, although I won't tell you what happens...