A Rage for Revenge

by David Gerrold

Book Overview

In A Rage For Revenge, his third War Against the Chtorr book, David Gerrold increases the amount of homosexual material markedly, and pumps up the pop psychology and pop philosophy content radically.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553278444
• ISBN13: 9780553278446
• Release Date: March 1989
• Publisher: Spectra Books
• Length: 517 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Just wait, and stop badgering Gerrold

Good things come to those who wait.In response to jdthorn007's diatribe, which he seems to have posted as a "review" with each of David Gerrold's "Chtorr" novels, I present the author's own words. I hope David doesn't mind my reproducing them here; the original link to his posting of September 2002 is at Here's David::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::In the past ten years, I have 1) adopted a little boy 2) survived a rather harrowing earthquake (we were litterally at the epicenter) 3) had a house fire 4) had a near-fatal case of bilateral pneumonia 5) dealt with the worse-than-usual problems of adolescence in my teenage son 6) dealt with the emotional traumas connected to all of these events. 7) a somewhat milder recurrence of pneumonia this year. 8) and several minor legal matters which necessitated my killing a couple of lawyers.... Several years ago, Bantam Books shut down their science fiction line, which meant that all of my backlist books, including all four of the Chtorr books and The Man Who Folded Himself and When Harlie Was One, went out of print. This also meant that two other completed novels have not yet seen publication. I am now publishing with Tor Books who have a sizable commitment to science fiction. Before they were willing to invest in the Chtorr series, they wanted something original for their own line of books, hence JUMPING OFF THE PLANET, BOUNCING OFF THE MOON, LEAPING TO THE STARS. (And the story of my son's adoption, THE MARTIAN CHILD.) (I will immodestly mention that THE MARTIAN CHILD and JUMPING OFF THE PLANET are both award winners, and BOUNCING OFF THE MOON is a multiple award nominee. Now that those books are finding an audience, Tor Books has committed themselves to publishing The War Against The Chtorr -- they will reprint the first four books when book five is finished. The War Against The Chtorr is my life's work, magnum opus, call it what you will. It is the series that I have invested the most energy in. It is the one that I want to do right, more than any other project I have ever worked on. And in that regard, there is no one more impatient and more frustrated than I am. I have nearly a million words of notes on where the series must go. Plus I have dictated over a dozen hours of additional notes that need to be reviewed. I want to show as much of the Chtorran ecology as I can. The first four books have only been the setup for several MAJOR surprises planned for the fifth book. Much of what we thought was so we now discover that we had it wrong. There are realizations and discoveries that must be carefully and patiently worked out so that they are not inconsistent with what has already been established and at the same time, opens up the series for what is to come next. At this point in time, there are over 180,000 words finished of the narrative and another 30,000 words of interstitials, the stuff that goes between the chapters. And the book isn't even half done. It will be at least 300,000 words, maybe longer.

Best I have ever read

My review title actually refers to the series. This book, as well as the other 3 in the series, are simply fascinating. I read alot, and can usually figure out what is going to happen before the author lets us readers in on things. In these books, with few exceptions, I cannot. And I certainly have no idea where DG is headed with the worms, bunny dogs, all the weird plant life and so on. I REALLY wish there would be another book in this series. Maybe if DG has lost the edge, he can hire another writer to take over and get the thing to the conclusion he supposedly already has in mind? OK, bottom line, his character development is good, writing detains excellent, and the conversations and character interactions so well thought out, the book reads fast and easy, and you will want to read it again.

A Case for a Classic

The War against the Chtorr series of books was first published in the mid eighties. At a later point, the incomplete series was rereleased with a few changes. I first read the first three novels in a single hardback collection that I borrowed from a friend's house, and loved it. At the time, I was unaware that David Gerrold had also written "the Trouble with Tribbles." I later bought what paperbacks(the first 4 novels) were available. This set has been with me through multiple moves, and is the last book I will read this millenium. This series has not become dated--in fact, many of the thoughts remain refreshingly new. David has created a very complete world that is easy to enjoy. The characterizations are complex, the plot engaging, and along with the intense descriptions combine to present a seamless experience. However, the series remains unfinished, so ultimately, you must resolve the fate of the world yourself.

Great, but let's have book 5 already

I've passed this series onto at least 15 people. All of them very different, some never have read SF before and all still loved it. One of the best series I've ever read, but the one question everyone keeps asking me is........When is DG going to finish the series? Not at all fair to those of us that have read every word ever published by DG. Please, finish the series.

One of the best series ever, but le get on with it already!

In the 30 years that I've been reading Science Fiction, This series has been one of the most intersting, exciting, and riveting of anything by any author, ever. It has also been one of the most disapointing reads of all. I don't understand why the author appears to have lost all interest in finishing it -- or at least continuing it. Is it ego, sadism, or just plain boredom? Come on Dave! You got me, I'm a fan already, but I'm a little tired of searching for your work. It's wasting our time. If you aren't thrilled about working on the series, finish it...,then get on with -- whatever.It's not really fair to leave your readers waiting for so long. Perhaps, it not as lucrative as another Star Trek script, but at least the idea is all yours! Give us a break!How would you have felt if Asimov did this with the third book of the Foundation Trilogy?You are the only one who can write this thing. You are really good at it. I doubt anyone could follow your lead, and do it so well, but if I have to wait much longer, I'll have to consider writing it myself.After all that, if you haven't read this series, you don't know what you've missed. If you can stand the frustration of waiting for the author to get around to finishing it...well, you really should read it, regardless.