I've never read a John Boyd (pseudonym of Boyd Bradfield Upchurch, n.1919), and the few covers I saw of her novels under my eyes became distant houses seen from an airplane. Not me was ignored, perhaps the megalithic history research as "Rendezvous with Rama" and "The Ringworld Engineers." John Boyd is an outlier in the field, a writer simply because it seems normal, abundant office, who gave it to CF. The "normal" I mean for his foray into social and sexual issues of his characters, traditionally ignored in the CF, or are reduced to pre-patterned short terms, since the purpose of the CF is to impress with logic, and its customers could no wonder with descriptions customs. Me included.
Particularly if you wanted to read about romance and sex I have the rest of the novels of the universe, where all authors certify its extensive knowledge of life. So the old priest of the CF, Arthur Clarke, given that now, when they should be more worried about his relationship with the bag of intravenous fluid.
However, in this case, the well-described conventional environment of a scientist and businessman (Hugh Dorsey) dedicated to the production and sale of advanced medicines, makes more plausible the story, "The Merchant of intelligence" ("The IQ Merchant, 1972).
reveals something of the argument:
Hugh Dorsey, biochemical, able to synthesize a product for improving memory. The patented as Memorazine, and I think a small business. But because competition is too aggressive (and unfair) to an inefficient campaign advertising and a mistaken policy of distribution, business got worse and the bankruptcy is likely.
also drag the problem of a moody, alcoholic wife (at least it is beautiful and highly cultured, go combination), a son of almost 18 years subnormal and an ulcer (at that time was not known that the ulcers were mostly virosicas). The only way out to see this on the success of its new drug, the Hexagon Six, "something more" than the next version of Memorazine. But their effectiveness goes far from 100%: 45% of the injected mice exhibited a significant improvement in learning the maze, more lively, better reflexes, 10% shows no effect and the remaining 45% die quickly by terrible tumors.
While these problems could be corrected, is far the marketing of the product. They should then begin testing with apes and rather later, with humans. And later, with luck, would come the approval of the Federal Drug Administration to begin sales. And Dorsey has no time. Not only that, if the final version of Hexagon Six too failure in humans will be their financial and professional failure, so that, literally, will also be his death. Because in order to protect his family would have only your life insurance. And in their desperation, Dorsey is fully willing to sacrifice. Anticipating
, needed evidence of the effect of Hexagon Six in humans, in absolute secrecy for months given tiny, tiny doses but his son Marlon. And testing with memory exercises and reflections. Since no adverse effects occur if some improvements, decides to do the full treatment: Marlon injected six doses spaced as appropriate, and himself. And makes him promise to declare that Marlon was twelve instead of six, if Dorsey dies of drug effect, might seem suicidal and would not be so effective for reimbursement.
Throughout the months Marlon progresses dramatically. Dorsey seems to be indifferent to the drug. His wife Liza finally finds and objects: In addition to alcohol, the great beauty wields a panoply of leftist moral pruritus does not preclude to wear dresses of 1000 dollars.
(In one of the contention and argument is mention of "Flowers for Algernon" story pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence potentiation: that is a touch of honesty). Dorsey, however, decided to continue. Starts in person, alone and wasting shoes, a blitzkrieg with your product Memorazine, skipping their own distributors and delivering them would gain the purchasing managers retailers. The study also breaks that make the advertising campaign (which was rigged by the competition). Things start to go. And Marlon, which is almost a genius, it helps in business.
Everything came out very well, when a family incident (Plus cumulative stress) causes a worsening of the ulcer Dorsey and send it to the clinic. Hors de combat for a while, you agree that Marlon, without due process (even less), to take charge of the company. The duration of their recovery seems that everything is going very well, with Marlon as revealing as a business. Returning Marlon
puts up with life, especially the money available, and apparently leaves to go to college. Then, belatedly, Dorsey discovered the terrible machinations of his son, which must be held accountable. And to make matters worse, Marlon disappears. The world comes to him carefully over.
Boyd's style is characteristic among writers contemporary Anglo-Saxon: plain, with a little humor from time to time. In opposition, the style typical of the CF-Anglo or non-tends (almost inevitably) to the charlatanism, in part by trying to anticipate the knowledge, in part because their writers are not writers, are just looking amazing consequences of new items . To give an example, consider the following paragraph and very representative of a science fiction story ("Memory", Poul Anderson, 1969). In this story Mr. Korul Wanen is recovered from a planet by former teammates who do not remember, alienated by the injection of a personality and false memories. Then they return your original psyche, and the inevitable specialist will "explain" the procedure:
"Yes." I explained the basic idea. -Horlam a deep breath and prepared to deliver his speech. It is understood that the memory patterns, including patterns of unconscious habits are synaptic networks 'striated' through the nervous system ... if I may speak with some imprecision. At one point, personality is based on the basic inheritance, the physical constitution, which influence health and diet, for example, and the total accumulated in synaptic networks. Given his physique, these networks can be explored and, of course, all that can be explored is capable of being registered. Inside this cylinder, contains a protein complex, whose molecules are distorted to selectively register the data analyzed. But here's the
detail. All that can be explored is also capable of being selectively heterodinizado, canceled, erased ... you name it. The process becomes an adult body mass without memory and without thinking, but learn with astonishing speed. In less than a year, becomes a new personality, which works without problems. If you cancel explore and turn the new memories, as you purchased in the
past five years, the former may "reactivated" so to speak, in the nervous system. So he returned to life Korul Lieutenant Wanen.
And here's a typical paragraph of John Boyd. In the scene Dorsey Keene consultation with the surgeon about the drugs to combat brain tumors caused by drugs eventually Hexagon Six, which aims to inject his son Marlon. To extract information Keene invited to lunch. Keene imagine very well in that walks Dorsey
Keene sure would keep his confidences, he spoke in detail of mice and six while the surgeon Hexagon swallow the food with elegant gesture. Keene could do things quickly while remaining calm. At the end of the starter, Dorsey asked if there was some method to prevent the growth of brain tumors.
"There have been some successes with dexamethasone," said Keene, "but is an unsafe proposition if you want to stimulate human neurology, which I suppose is your real purpose since you are a trader. Keene
Dorsey smiled trying to bite, but he nodded.
-in some cases. But it caused brain tumors give me the opportunity to investigate their causes. If I can eliminate the danger, the product would be much more effective. Keene
was writing on a pad that had just taken out of his pocket and stopped with a grimace on speculative face.
"I tend to think that brain tumors are the most important danger. This idea also had happened to Dorsey.
"You're talking about a psychopathic genius.
later realized that its response contained more than what he was trying to say. But Keene then just shook his head dubiously.
"Partly. But that would be an individual responsibility. Any projection of general intelligence to a higher level, despite accounting for only a few points increase on the standard theoretical (1) , can lead to a new tower of Babel, and even end with us. "But
and there are variations "said Dorsey.
"In our power-Keene-accepted, but a growing intelligence explosion ...
rejected the unanswered questions that came to mind, and then leaned forward, seeing everything clearly.
- What was the difference between Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon? A stone, a stick, dried tendons of an animal, plus a small increase in the creativity necessary to bring these elements to form a bow and arrow. But look at the results. We are the descendants of Cro-Magnon, while the Neanderthal is a fossil.
- Why would end this with us?
"Because we're men smiled Keene moral principles," and morality is a luxury and a burden that may not survive a change ... Here are some recipes to dexamethasone. You can get it at the pharmacy of the entry. Keep me informed of any progress.
While the paper folded and, Dorsey said, "You're talking
and that evolution is a genetic change.
"No it was for the Neanderthal. -Keene looked at his watch and drank coffee with educadísimos gestures. It was a sudden end ... As a scientist, Dorsey, I ask: What can you lose? You have not asked the question and I will not give you an answer. As a friend of the family I Liza concerned. As a priest of the Church, I have to think about Marlon. The experiment that you think is immoral but the more one thinks about the morality and legality becomes more futile.
As shown, there is no need to look with one eye these lines, in order to maintain the fiction. All the novel keeps the same reason, a constant consideration for the real obstacles of the real world where you have to fill in legal, business, partnerships, etc.. Nothing is easy, nothing is done by snapping your fingers.
As science fiction, the story is quite conservative. In terms of fantasy, it seems more fantastic that there is a beautiful and brilliant woman, or keep the love marriage for 18 years that the production of a drug to enhance intelligence.
When pages become scarce and when Dorsey has no room to maneuver, and when you think that the writer can only resort to nonsense to close the novel, there is the auction, fantasy, yet logical, natural, and that, incidentally, reveals Boyd as a true subversive evil that despite the conventional view of the whole story.
And here you have to take another prisoner.
(1) The average IQ of 100
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