Galaxies

by Barry N. Malzberg

Book Overview

Presents the story of a fortieth-century female astronaut who investigates a mysterious black galaxy populated by greed, secretive and homicidal bureaucrats.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0881844918
• ISBN13: 9780881844917
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Searingly funny

I think one of the reviews posted on the book says much the same thing about it, but chances are you the people out there have never seen this book, let alone heard of it. Shame on someone. I was vaguely familar with Malzberg, having heard of his great works Beyond Apollo, Herovit's World and Chorale, but seeing this slim volume in a comic book store (three bucks!) grabbed my attention. The plot summary on the back of the book does no justice to the actual content of the book and indeed makes one wonder if the person who did that actually read the book, unless Malzberg himself wrote it as a complicated joke. The "plot" then. Basically, just as the author writes in the beginning, it's the series of notes for a novel called "Galaxies" where a woman space technician accidentally pilots her ship into a black galaxy (a black hole, essentially). The author uses the idea of sketches for a novel and this as a jump off point for some of the funniest explorations of the nature of writing and science fiction ever, both as a genre and as a publishing market. I've rarely laughed out loud so many times, Malzberg dips from seriousness to hilarity while keeping that same dry cynical tone (even funnier if you've seen a picture of him, he has the most dour, long face I've ever seen), all the while seeming to wink just at the edges that it's all in good fun. He debates the content of the novel, how much sex to put in, where science comes into play, the nature of science in science fiction, the entire bit and manages not only to hit his mark each and every time but manages to make all this stuff just as relevant today, probably the hardest part. Back then people probably thought this book was "weird" after all it is written as notes for a novel but that's the entire point there was no other way for the point to be gotten across (and as the author says the novel could never be written properly, since it takes place in the 40th century). A slim work that won't take up much of your time, you'll probably spend more time thinking about what you've read and pondering it than actually reading the book. Alas, maybe it's good that it's not in print today, genius publishers would probably turn it into an expensive trade paperback, inflate the price and no one would want to spend that kind of money on such a small book. Easier to snag it in some garage sale or used book store (not that he doesn't deserve the money) and pass it along to friends. One of the more essential science fiction books, especially if you want to understand what this genre just might be all about.

Metafictional Classic

Barry Malzberg's book "Galaxies" may have worked more effectively as a short story (it is essentially an expansion of his story "A Galaxy Called Rome"), but this is still the most self-reflective/metafictional SF novel ever written. It is a groundbreaking book, well worth reading. Actually, this book isn't a book at all but notes on a book which the author will never have the skill to actually write. He admits as much from the very beginning, and then asks us to consider the plight of an intergalactic astronaut who is caught in a black galaxy, a negative space, the underside of reality, etc. The dead, her cargo, begin to talk. All the way we are kept one or two steps removed from the action, in order to more clearly see what this action truly reflects. Malzberg's book isn't for everyone, but if you're looking for an SF equivalent of John Barth's "Lost in the Funhouse," this is it.