Just Finished re-Reading: The Syndic by C M Kornbluth (FP: 1953) [160pp] 

Charles Orsino was a low-level operative for The Syndic (The Syndicate) in New York and was rather surprised when, at the theatre, one of his own bodyguards tried to kill him. On reporting the failed hit, he was even more surprised to discover that three other hits that night had been successful. Someone was looking to start a war – but who? The Mob? Maybe, but why? Or was it the rump of the US Government holding on in Ireland? They certainly had the motivation to take the American continent back but how did they imagine they could achieve that aim after 100 years in exile? In order to find out, Orsino was to be sent into the belly of the beast and discover, if he could, the Government secret plans and return to tell the tale – if he could. 

On reflection, I’m not exactly sure why I (re)read this. Part of it, I think, was that I thought – wrongly as it turned out – that this was a work of dystopia or possible post-apocalypse which I’ve been hankering after for some reason. The blub at the back helped calling this the author’s ‘most brilliant and fascinating work’ and even boldly stating that it ranked alongside 1984 as a ‘terrifying vision of the future’. As advertising goes this was, to say the least, misleading.  

For a Sci-Fi novel of the early 50’s it wasn’t actually terrible. There were the expected heavy references to psychology and even some moderately interesting views on government, but the rest of the narrative was, at best, all rather weak. The characterisation was solidly two-dimensional, the world-building nonsensical, and the eventual outcome nebulous. For reasons unknown – except a failure to ‘give the people what they wanted’ - the US government and their military had been beaten and ejected from the country by a rebellion led by Organised Crime. If that wasn’t silly enough apparently the rest of the world's nations collapsed into primitive barbarism because their crime lords were not organised enough (ignoring Italy of course). Ireland, now at least partially occupied by US Forces, had degenerated – in FOUR generations – back to the early IRON Age... Needless to say, despite finishing this thankfully short book, I didn’t exactly enjoy it. Hopefully my next dystopia will be more fun. Not recommended.