science fiction

No Direction Home - Norman Spinrad Book Review

Enter a review
of your own!
Other books by
author Norman Spinrad

"No Direction Home"
Message Board
Review Summaries
"This is a collection of short stories dealing with such things as mass mind control through rock-music to initiate a nuclear holocaust; a world in which being off drugs is the nightmare; a lightning storm that transports a travelling biker into an alternative reality inhabited by mutant killer bikers; another planet visited by a newly married couple who are forced to choose the one to die by the planet's inhabitants; a television producer of sports programmes who invents the game of combat-football to boost the network's ratings; and so on."
Charles Smyth, Resident Norman Spinrad Scholar


Click above for the new Obama Girl Parody video!

Overall Review
Our unique search engine breaks down books and movies into
dozens of literary elements, all of which are searchable.
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Plotlets: - colonizing/homesteading another planet - surviving a post environmental/nuclear disaster - stranded on alien planet, fighting aliens to survive - fighting a disease/illness affecting everyone
Inner Struggle Yes
Plotlet: - search for identity/new understanding - change of heart
Kind of alteration: - exotic/alien torture for major character
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - explorer
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - scientist
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
Terrain - Mountains - Forests
Earth setting: - 20th century
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 1st - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - quite a lot of techical jargon
Sex in book? Yes
How much dialogue? - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books by Gordonator ranking
Mars by Ben Bova
The Culling Dark by Bettyann Craddock
The Price of the Samaritan by Ellen Anthony
Mindbridge by Joe Haldeman
Mission to Universe by Gordon R. Dickson





Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Try our new Star Wars & Star Trek puzzle pictures! Click here

Advertise with us
Feedback
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith plot spoilers
Hobbits
The politics game
The lawyer game

3 Book search options!
1) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
2) Detailed book search
(click here)
or

3) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion


Games:
Trivia Masters!

Rescue your favorite
scifi characters from
slavery!


Talk to your favorite
scifi characters!


Eating New Yorkers
Computer Game


Pomeranians

Most recent TV & Movie discussions:

Charmed: Who is cutest, Prue, Phoebe, Piper, or (ug!) Paige? 11/19/2008 1:26:01 PM

Blade Runner: Blade Runner 11/19/2008 12:59:50 PM

Charmed: How can Phoebe Halliwell get an abortion? 11/12/2008 8:07:59 PM

Star Wars Revenge of the Sith Episode III: Who is cuter, Carrie Fisher or Natalie Hershlag? 11/9/2008 10:37:23 PM

A Boy and His Dog: A Boy and His Dog 11/7/2008 1:14:27 PM

Xena: Last Episode: Lesbian Kiss Scene 11/2/2008 2:11:08 PM

Star Wars: Why did they need a floating syringe to interrogate Princess Leia? 10/15/2008 12:45:30 AM

Star Trek Enterprise: Jolene Blalock on T'Pol and Star Trek Enterprise 10/12/2008 3:22:58 AM

Blade Runner: Was Harrison Ford on Tranquilizers or an Actor's Strike When Filming Blade Runner? 9/20/2008 3:18:54 AM

Doctor Who: Who was the best companion? 9/18/2008 6:59:25 AM


Newest slaves:
7 of 9 (Jeri Ryan) 2:44:07 PM
Olivia Newton John 1:59:25 PM
Julia Roberts 1:40:38 PM
Princess Leia 1:20:13 PM
Oola 1:14:26 PM
Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) 12:52:29 PM
Luke Skywalker 12:50:42 PM
Charlton Heston 12:48:19 PM
Dana Delaney (China Beach) 12:46:24 PM
Cleopatra 12:45:52 PM
All slaves
(click here)


Celebrity interviews:
President George W. Bush 6:32:00 PM
Jan-Michael Vincent 2:16:51 PM
Captain Kathryn Janeway 3:47:46 PM
Jack ONeill (Richard Dean Anderson) 1:39:22 PM
Jennifer Aniston (Friends) 5:01:07 PM
All celebrities
(click here)