Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Editorial Sudamericana
Description
He had destroyed his punchcards and changed his face. There was no credit card, birth record, or passport for him in the International Data Bank. His names were many...any he chose. His occupation was taking megarisks in the service of a vast global detective agency. His interworld assignments were highly lucrative, incalculably vital, and terrifyingly deadly. And more often then not, his life was a living hell!
User reviews
LibraryThing member jimmaclachlan
This is a collection of 3 stories with a central character, a man with no name. Sound familiar? Well, it's not a Clint Eastwood western, but it is a fun set of SF-Mystery stories. I get the impression that Zelazny was wondering about some things, kind of thinking out loud.In the first story,
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"Rumoko", we meet the head programmer of the world bank database. He decided that the system he labored on so long, a database that contains every fact about every person on Earth, might not be such a good thing, so he drops out of the system & becomes a wandering troubleshooter. He's tough, smart & can be anyone he wants to be thanks to his backdoor into the database. He takes on interesting jobs such as protecting a project which is creating a new island chain by blowing holes in the Earth's crust with atomic weapons. But should he?The second story has an unpronounceable name, "Kjawlll'kje'k'koothai'lll'kjr'k", & explores dolphin intelligence, philosophy & possibly their religion.The last story is "Home is the Hangman" which was also published as a separate novella & with some short stories in another book. A deep space exploration robot is more intelligent than its creators counted on.All in all, not his favorite work of mine, but a good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
Its a fairly typical book written in the 70's. We have a large computer system that knows everything about everybody - but doesn't predict the Internet (or Facebook), but still runs on punchcards. There's some weird ESP stuff and dolphins in the middle story, and the last story is one that seems
The main character is a an every man - no set identity, but manages to be fit into any role he wants to be in. Not bad for a computer programmer from a former life. On women - there was an attempt at equality (the Security Officer from the first story), but for the most part, they are token characters, mainly designed for eye candy for our male hero.
General thoughts - the main character doesn't want to be added to the world wide computer system - so when he gets a chance, he takes it. But- he would still have records. Hes parents, co-workers, membership on gym membership, would all have been added. Him not existing doesn't make a lot of sense. Also, the world in the book is fairly benign - the computer doesn't take away free will, or takes over the world. Our unnamed hero doesn't make much of a case for not wanting to exist. It actually makes his life a lot more difficult. There are other nitpicky things - but it mostly stems from not being able to predict how computers work in 2018.
Overall, the stories are well written, but did not age well.
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the most plausible. An AI machine designed for exploration of the outer planets goes AWOL, and comes back with revenge on its mind...The main character is a an every man - no set identity, but manages to be fit into any role he wants to be in. Not bad for a computer programmer from a former life. On women - there was an attempt at equality (the Security Officer from the first story), but for the most part, they are token characters, mainly designed for eye candy for our male hero.
General thoughts - the main character doesn't want to be added to the world wide computer system - so when he gets a chance, he takes it. But- he would still have records. Hes parents, co-workers, membership on gym membership, would all have been added. Him not existing doesn't make a lot of sense. Also, the world in the book is fairly benign - the computer doesn't take away free will, or takes over the world. Our unnamed hero doesn't make much of a case for not wanting to exist. It actually makes his life a lot more difficult. There are other nitpicky things - but it mostly stems from not being able to predict how computers work in 2018.
Overall, the stories are well written, but did not age well.
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LibraryThing member TCWriter
What's astonishing is how little these stories have aged, and in fact, they may be more relevant today than when they were written.
Zelazny's central character for all three stories is a man who managed to erase all electronic traces of himself, and in a society where everybody is known (and
The stories themselves grapple with man's attempts to control technology that is frankly beyond our means (that relevance thing again), and while the characters are not as deeply drawn as in most Zelazny's work, they tell us enough to keep the stories moving.
Not Zelazny's best, but still worth a read.
Zelazny's central character for all three stories is a man who managed to erase all electronic traces of himself, and in a society where everybody is known (and
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tracked), he becomes something of a freelance agent. The stories themselves grapple with man's attempts to control technology that is frankly beyond our means (that relevance thing again), and while the characters are not as deeply drawn as in most Zelazny's work, they tell us enough to keep the stories moving.
Not Zelazny's best, but still worth a read.
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LibraryThing member Andy_DiMartino
Interesting, but not as enjoyable as his Amber series
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1976-04