The Wine of Violence

by James K. Morrow

Book Overview

Marooned on the planet Quatzalia after their ship has clashed with the irresistible force of gravity, fact-finding Nearthlings Francis Lostwax and Burne Newman realize they are not in the blissful... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0030590515
• ISBN13: 9780030590511
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: Holt McDougal
• Length: 299 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Can pacifism be taken too far?

Morrow has a gift for an unforgettable image. In Towing Jehovah, we have God's 2 mile long rotting corpse being towed by a supertanker, and here we have a river of liquefied hate. If you think the book is totally unrealistic (even by sfnal standards), you're right. But that's not the point-- read the cover: it's "A Science Fiction Fable." In between the satire runs the very serious question of how far we should bow before the altar of expedience. This book is deeper than it seems.

Terrific debut novel

Subtitled "A Science Fiction Fable," The Wine of Violence was a wonderful beginning to Morrow's career. The central plot element is a fabulous (as in "fable") river into which planetary inhabitants routinely "decant" their violent impulses. The book begins when an outsider makes a forced landing on the planet, and discovers the society that results when violence is all but eliminated. It takes off when the protagonist's new lover partakes of the wine of violence. For me, the book was a tour de force of characterization, as the main characters remained real throughout their transformations. Ever since I read it, I have eagerly looked forward to Morrow's work.