Brain Wave - The Library of the Uncommons

mass market paperback

English language

Published Dec. 12, 1973 by Ballantine Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-345-23668-5

(1 review)

What if we're all designed to be smarter than we actually are? That is, in short, the premise of master science fiction novelist Poul Anderson's 1954 debut work, Brainwave. Unbeknownst to its inhabitants, the solar system has, for millions of years, been caught in a force field that has had the effect of suppressing intelligence. When, in the course of normal galactic movement the solar system finally breaks free of the force field and its inhibiting effects, a remarkable change begins to sweep across the earth. In fact, the entire world is turned upside-down, and Anderson's novel is devoted to detailing the sometimes-surprising, sometimes-chilling aftereffects of this watershed event. In one of the novel's opening scenes, Archie Brock, a mentally disabled man, finds himself suddenly awash in new kinds of thoughts as he looks up at the night sky. In another scene, a young boy on summer break works out …

What if we're all designed to be smarter than we actually are? That is, in short, the premise of master science fiction novelist Poul Anderson's 1954 debut work, Brainwave. Unbeknownst to its inhabitants, the solar system has, for millions of years, been caught in a force field that has had the effect of suppressing intelligence. When, in the course of normal galactic movement the solar system finally breaks free of the force field and its inhibiting effects, a remarkable change begins to sweep across the earth. In fact, the entire world is turned upside-down, and Anderson's novel is devoted to detailing the sometimes-surprising, sometimes-chilling aftereffects of this watershed event. In one of the novel's opening scenes, Archie Brock, a mentally disabled man, finds himself suddenly awash in new kinds of thoughts as he looks up at the night sky. In another scene, a young boy on summer break works out the basic foundations of calculus before breakfast. Human life is dramatically transformed, as people with IQ's of 400 find themselves living within social structures and institutions designed for people of considerably less intelligence. There are also those who refuse to accept what has happened and band together to rebel against the new order. In another interesting twist, human relationships with other creatures on the planet are also thrown into upheaval, as animals rediscover their native intelligence. Archie Brock, for instance finds working on a farm with intelligent animals a frustrating, comic and confounding experience, as some animals band together and escape while others befriend their former masters.A fascinating "what if" novel, Brainwave is really an exploration into the ways human society is organized and the assumptions that are made about how life is valued. It is also a novel about equality and what happens when the hierarchical structures by which we arrange our daily lives disappear.

12 editions

Orlion reviewed Brain Wave by Poul Anderson

Review of 'Brain Wave' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Frankly, my review for this book would be mostly about how terrible I thought "Flowers for Algernon" was. So, let's have at it:

Flowers for Algernon was inane, wish-fulfillment garbage. It mostly taps into the presumed "outsider" feelings of its readership and is only tragic in that the nerd's fantasy did not last with the main character. The only real value was the technique where the writing changed style as the narrator grew in intelligence.

And how silly was that displayed! Somehow, a personality that was not adept to research or critical thinking was able to dive into it after being injected with magical science goo. And, furthermore, he was able to pursue and consummate a romantic relationship with a professional teacher who observed him as a drooling Neanderthal.

It was trite, it was tripe, it really did not have anything to say about the human psyche or how it …

Frankly, my review for this book would be mostly about how terrible I thought "Flowers for Algernon" was. So, let's have at it:

Flowers for Algernon was inane, wish-fulfillment garbage. It mostly taps into the presumed "outsider" feelings of its readership and is only tragic in that the nerd's fantasy did not last with the main character. The only real value was the technique where the writing changed style as the narrator grew in intelligence.

And how silly was that displayed! Somehow, a personality that was not adept to research or critical thinking was able to dive into it after being injected with magical science goo. And, furthermore, he was able to pursue and consummate a romantic relationship with a professional teacher who observed him as a drooling Neanderthal.

It was trite, it was tripe, it really did not have anything to say about the human psyche or how it would react to an increase of IQ.

Not so with Brain Wave. In Brain Wave, the increased ability to process and handle information is not this magical gift... it's a catalyst for an immense struggle for the soul of humanity. What happens when your brain functions on such a level that you recognize tedious work for what is? What happens when all your past achievements look childish? Where the greatest works of art humanity had produced in history no longer stimulate the intellect? Where the futility of your actions in the great empty universe are grasped subconsciously?

Brain Wave is about a world where every living organism has its IQ increased on Earth... the result is struggle against the fear that results, the chaos and societal collapse that engenders, and desperate effort to find purpose and meaning in one's existence when thousands of years of culture and experience are suddenly rendered mote.

Poetic at times, Brain Wave causes the reader to ponder what role intelligence plays in 'being human'.

And yes, there is, briefly, a monkey with a shotgun riding an elephant named Jumbo.

Subjects

Non-Classifiable
Nonfiction - General