Awards
Hugo (nominee)
Nebula (nominee)
See all available used copies of this book at: Abebooks UK or Abebooks US
Hugo (nominee)
Nebula (nominee)
Norman Spinrad made his biggest SF splash with Bug Jack Barron, whose 1967--68 New Worlds serialisation brought raging controversy which Michael Moorcock discusses in an afterword. It's a quintessential 1960s novel, prophetically highlighting the irresponsible power of mass media and corporations.
TV megastar Jack Barron hosts the wildly popular Bug Jack Barron, a phone-in show that listens to public gripes and puts politicians and bosses on the spot--live. Naturally Barron pulls his punches for safety's sake...until he tangles with paranoid billionaire Benedict Howards, peddler of cryonic immortality, and walks into a minefield of deadly cover-ups. Violence erupts. Howards believes he can buy anyone, even Barron's estranged wife, even Barron. Barron doesn't mind selling out if the coin is immortality. On TV, the power remains all his:
TV megastar Jack Barron hosts the wildly popular Bug Jack Barron, a phone-in show that listens to public gripes and puts politicians and bosses on the spot--live. Naturally Barron pulls his punches for safety's sake...until he tangles with paranoid billionaire Benedict Howards, peddler of cryonic immortality, and walks into a minefield of deadly cover-ups. Violence erupts. Howards believes he can buy anyone, even Barron's estranged wife, even Barron. Barron doesn't mind selling out if the coin is immortality. On TV, the power remains all his:
As they rolled the final commercial Barron felt a weird manic exhilaration, knowing that he had set up a focus of forces that could squash the five-hundred-billion-dollar Foundation for Human Immortality like a bug if Bennie proved dumb enough to not holler "Uncle".The Foundation's medical secret--poor science but still packing a vicious gut-punch--is more appalling than Barron's nastiest guesses; by the time he learns the truth he's ensnared in complicity. Worse things follow. At the climax, with nothing left to lose, our man goes for broke in a desperate effort to crack Howards open in Barron's own glowing TV arena, in front of 100,000,000 viewers....Slightly dated and occasionally crude, but still hyper-intense, memorable stuff. --David LangfordNorman Spinrad made his biggest SF splash with Bug Jack Barron, whose 1967--68 New Worlds serialisation brought raging controversy which Michael Moorcock discusses in an afterword. It's a quintessential 1960s novel, prophetically highlighting the irresponsible power of mass media and corporations.
TV megastar Jack Barron hosts the wildly popular Bug Jack Barron, a phone-in show that listens to public gripes and puts politicians and bosses on the spot--live. Naturally Barron pulls his punches for safety's sake...until he tangles with paranoid billionaire Benedict Howards, peddler of cryonic immortality, and walks into a minefield of deadly cover-ups. Violence erupts. Howards believes he can buy anyone, even Barron's estranged wife, even Barron. Barron doesn't mind selling out if the coin is immortality. On TV, the power remains all his:
As they rolled the final commercial Barron felt a weird manic exhilaration, knowing that he had set up a focus of forces that could squash the five-hundred-billion-dollar Foundation for Human Immortality like a bug if Bennie proved dumb enough to not holler "Uncle".The Foundation's medical secret--poor science but still packing a vicious gut-punch--is more appalling than Barron's nastiest guesses; by the time he learns the truth he's ensnared in complicity. Worse things follow. At the climax, with nothing left to lose, our man goes for broke in a desperate effort to crack Howards open in Barron's own glowing TV arena, in front of 100,000,000 viewers....Slightly dated and occasionally crude, but still hyper-intense, memorable stuff. --David Langford
Similar Books by other authors...
The Man in the High Castle Philip K Dick | Frankenstein Mary Shelley | Embassytown China Miéville | Camp Concentration Thomas M Disch |
Used availability for Norman Spinrad's Bug Jack Barron
See all available used copies of this book at: Abebooks UK or Abebooks US
Hardback Editions
April 1981 : Textbook Binding
| Title: Bug Jack Barron Author(s):: Norman Spinrad ISBN: 0839826176 / 9780839826170 (USA edition) Publisher: Gregg Pr Availability: Amazon |
1970 : Hardback
| Title: Bug Jack Barron Author(s):: Norman Spinrad ISBN: 0356030849 / 9780356030845 (UK edition) Publisher: Macdonald & Co Availability: Amazon Amazon CA Amazon UK |
Paperback Editions
August 2004 : Paperback
| Title: Bug Jack Barron Author(s):: Norman Spinrad ISBN: 1585675857 / 9781585675852 (USA edition) Publisher: Overlook Press Availability: Amazon UK Amazon Amazon CA |
October 1999 : Paperback
| Title: Bug Jack Barron Author(s):: Norman Spinrad ISBN: 1902002180 / 9781902002187 (UK edition) Publisher: Toxic Availability: Amazon UK |
July 1992 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: BUG JACK BARRON Author(s):: Norman Spinard ISBN: 0553297953 / 9780553297959 (USA edition) Publisher: Spectra Availability: Amazon UK Amazon Amazon CA |
December 1985 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: Bug Jack Barron Author(s):: Norman Spinrad ISBN: 0425093212 / 9780425093214 (USA edition) Publisher: Spectra Availability: Amazon CA Amazon UK Amazon |
June 1983 : Mass Market Paperback
| Title: Bug Jack Barron Author(s):: Norman Spinrad ISBN: 0425062678 / 9780425062678 (USA edition) Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group Availability: Amazon Amazon CA Amazon UK |
February 1972 : Paperback
| Title: Bug Jack Barron (Panther science fiction) Author(s):: Norman Spinrad ISBN: 0586035354 / 9780586035351 (UK edition) Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd Availability: Amazon CA Amazon UK Amazon |
Kindle Editions
May 2011 : Kindle edition
| Title: Bug Jack Barron Author(s):: Norman Spinrad ISBN: B0050SS00E Publisher: ReAnimus.com Availability: Amazon Amazon UK |
January 2005 : Kindle edition
| Title: Bug Jack Barron Author(s):: Norman Spinrad ISBN: B00AFZUBLI Publisher: Overlook Availability: Amazon |
© 2013 Fantastic Fiction
Questions? Comments? Corrections? Please email webmaster@fantasticfiction.co.uk
Questions? Comments? Corrections? Please email webmaster@fantasticfiction.co.uk

