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The Perils of Fix-ups
26 Feb 2005
All My Sins Remembered - Joe Haldeman - Futura 1978
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Not much to say about this one - I read it six months ago and don't remember it well now. It is a fix-up of three novellas about an undercover agent called Otto McGavin who works for a galactic government called the Confederaçion. The twist is that for each new mission, McGavin's body is reconstructed and new skills and characteristics are implanted in his brain through hypnotic suggestion. He then infiltrates some group of nasty people by pretending to be someone known to them.
This is a good idea, but as a novel it fails because of its structure. The only character who appears in all three sections is McGavin himself, and because most of the time he is being someone else, you find out little about him. The mental confusion caused by having another's personality overlaid over your own one is well-described and the three stories make good mini-thrillers, but I could not now give you a clear description of any of the other characters or settings because they failed to register.
Haldeman's universe is amoral and is clearly influenced by his experiences in the Vietnam War. While the groups that Otto is sent against are definitely unpleasant, the tactics that the Confederaçion uses are sneaky and underhand and one gets the impression that it is not necessarily morally superior to the groups themselves. This makes it hard to like or take much interest in Otto and his activities, though as the constant reprogrammings take their inevitable toll on his mental health a note of tragedy is achieved.
Ultimately, this is a lazy book. If Haldeman had made more effort to flesh out the background of his universe and to tie the stories together better, it could have been great. This is a shame, because the theme of a superpower that interferes in the activities of external organisations by covert means, and the effects on the operatives in the front line, has become scarily relevant again.
All My Sins Remembered - Joe Haldeman - Futura 1978
* *
Not much to say about this one - I read it six months ago and don't remember it well now. It is a fix-up of three novellas about an undercover agent called Otto McGavin who works for a galactic government called the Confederaçion. The twist is that for each new mission, McGavin's body is reconstructed and new skills and characteristics are implanted in his brain through hypnotic suggestion. He then infiltrates some group of nasty people by pretending to be someone known to them.
This is a good idea, but as a novel it fails because of its structure. The only character who appears in all three sections is McGavin himself, and because most of the time he is being someone else, you find out little about him. The mental confusion caused by having another's personality overlaid over your own one is well-described and the three stories make good mini-thrillers, but I could not now give you a clear description of any of the other characters or settings because they failed to register.
Haldeman's universe is amoral and is clearly influenced by his experiences in the Vietnam War. While the groups that Otto is sent against are definitely unpleasant, the tactics that the Confederaçion uses are sneaky and underhand and one gets the impression that it is not necessarily morally superior to the groups themselves. This makes it hard to like or take much interest in Otto and his activities, though as the constant reprogrammings take their inevitable toll on his mental health a note of tragedy is achieved.
Ultimately, this is a lazy book. If Haldeman had made more effort to flesh out the background of his universe and to tie the stories together better, it could have been great. This is a shame, because the theme of a superpower that interferes in the activities of external organisations by covert means, and the effects on the operatives in the front line, has become scarily relevant again.