Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Del Rey (New York, 1981). Book club edition (gutter code L36). 283 pages.
Description
One day, the Reverend Hornswell Hake had nothing worse to contend with than the customary power shortages and his routine pastoral chores, such as counseling the vivacious Alys Brant--and her husbands and wife. At nearly forty, his life was placid, almost humdrum. The very next day, Horny Hake was first enlisted as an unwilling agent of the Team--secret successor to the long-discredited CIA--and then courted by an anti-Team underground group. In practically no time at all, Horny and Alys were touring Europe on a mission about which he knew zip, except that it was a new move in the Cool War, the worldwide campaign of sabotage that had replaced actual combat.
User reviews
LibraryThing member selkins
Interesting ideas about the future of warfare (economic sabotage), but annoying characters/plot developments weaken the story.
LibraryThing member KevinRubin
Far from a new book, I just now caught up with reading Frederick Pohl’s “The Cool War” that he wrote in 1979.
The book follows the Reverend Hornswell Hake, who most of his acquaintances call “Horny”. He’s the pastor of a small church in Long Branch, New Jersey in a world where energy
For background, at some point some years before the book takes place, the Israelis nuked all the Arab oil fields as a way to reduce their power and worldwide influence. So, Hake’s world is powered by a lot of coal, some minimal oil, some solar, and it’s a lot more polluted than our world now.
Pohl’s characterization of Hake felt a lot more like sci-fi authors from the 50’s than from the late 70’s. Hake, and since it’s from his perspective, the reader, goes through most of the novel without much clue what’s going on.
As a reader, I felt more like I was stuck in the head of an idiot. At many points in the story I kept thinking he could’ve clarified a lot by asking some questions of others, but he never did and I felt dissatisfied.
Some of the espionage acts were interesting and some made me want more detail on what Hake’s associates were doing. But he was too stupid to ask the questions I wanted answered.
Overall, it was not a very good book. And even worse by late 70’s sci-fi literature standards than earlier.
The book follows the Reverend Hornswell Hake, who most of his acquaintances call “Horny”. He’s the pastor of a small church in Long Branch, New Jersey in a world where energy
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production and usage is quite a lot different.For background, at some point some years before the book takes place, the Israelis nuked all the Arab oil fields as a way to reduce their power and worldwide influence. So, Hake’s world is powered by a lot of coal, some minimal oil, some solar, and it’s a lot more polluted than our world now.
Pohl’s characterization of Hake felt a lot more like sci-fi authors from the 50’s than from the late 70’s. Hake, and since it’s from his perspective, the reader, goes through most of the novel without much clue what’s going on.
As a reader, I felt more like I was stuck in the head of an idiot. At many points in the story I kept thinking he could’ve clarified a lot by asking some questions of others, but he never did and I felt dissatisfied.
Some of the espionage acts were interesting and some made me want more detail on what Hake’s associates were doing. But he was too stupid to ask the questions I wanted answered.
Overall, it was not a very good book. And even worse by late 70’s sci-fi literature standards than earlier.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1981-04
Physical description
283 p.; 8.3 inches
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