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498th out of 2,946 books
—
12,406 voters
Wasp
The war has raged for nearly a year and Earth desperately needs an edge to overcome the Sirian Empire's huge advantage in personnel and equipment. That's where James Mowry comes in. Intensively trained, his appearance surgically altered, Mowry secretly lands on one of the Empire's planets. His mission: to sap morale, cause mayhem, tie up resources, and wage a one-man war o...more
Paperback, 176 pages
Published
December 31st 2001
by Gollancz
(first published 1957)
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"Yet he forced a government to start jumping around like fleas on a hot griddle. It shows that in given conditions, action and reaction can be ridiculously out of proportion. By doing insignificant things in suitable circumstances one can obtain results monstrously in excess of the effort."
"We can never gain victory Ailey by postponing defeat."
"You'll be crammed to the gills with everything likely to be useful to you: weapons, explosives, sabotage, propaganda, psychological warfare, map reading,...more
"We can never gain victory Ailey by postponing defeat."
"You'll be crammed to the gills with everything likely to be useful to you: weapons, explosives, sabotage, propaganda, psychological warfare, map reading,...more
This surprisingly unknown Golden Age SF novel features a human agent who is recruited for a daring psy-ops mission against the Sirians, a thinly disguised version of WW II Japan. When he arrives for his briefing, the agent's controller starts by telling him a story. Four fully-grown humans are driving along in a car. A tiny wasp, weighing only a few grams, flies in through the window, and stings one of the people. It manages to create so much panic and confusion that they drive off the road and...more
Summary: EF Russell's best-known book, Wasp is an excellently told story of one man working undercover in wartime to build enemy paranoia and confusion in preparation to a (less-bloody) invasion. Funny and clever idea- and story-SF with little character development and an "alien" culture clearly based on the Axis powers.
Eric Frank Russell worked in British military intelligence during WWII, in a group that dreamt up strange tricks to counter Axis intelligence. As one of the most inventive minds...more
Eric Frank Russell worked in British military intelligence during WWII, in a group that dreamt up strange tricks to counter Axis intelligence. As one of the most inventive minds...more
I'm in the mood for science fiction, so I got this classic on my Kindle. Wasp meets the basic standard for enjoyable reading: a coherent story that kept me engaged. I bet this book affects today's readers very differently than the Cold War audience for which it was published. I wouldn't even classify this as science fiction. The story is about a guy chosen by his government (Earth) to be a lone terrorist against the enemy (an alien planet). As long as you accept that the aliens are truly aliens,...more
“Прикольное руководство по террористической деятельности”. Примерно так назвал Терри Пратчетт этот хрестоматийный роман из “золотого века” американской фантастики в одной из своих старых статей. После событий “9/1/1” это определение приобрело совершенно иные смысл и контекст. И в них уже не было для американцев ничего прикольного и смешного.
В отдаленном будущем человечество ведёт космическую войну с сирианской империей. Пусть у землян более совершенные вооружение и технологии, но зато сирианцы п...more
В отдаленном будущем человечество ведёт космическую войну с сирианской империей. Пусть у землян более совершенные вооружение и технологии, но зато сирианцы п...more
A great sci-fi novel should be both thought provoking and an exciting read. Wasp does both in spades. Originally published in 1957, it remains a classic to aficionadoes of the genre but is sufficiently obscure to the general public that it has gone in and out of print. That is a shame, because the subject matter- the effective use of terrorism- has never been more relevant. Indeed there is currently a bit of a buzz (pardon the pun) about Wasp and its message that a government can waste much more...more
It is a science fiction book but that shouldn’t scare away any non-science fiction fans. It happens on another planet and there is space travel but the science fiction elements are not a big influence on the plot. Change it from another planet to another country and it becomes an espionage story instead. There is a dark humor to the story as you watch this one lone human running around an alien planet causing all sorts of trouble for the government and making them believe that there is a whole o...more
This is one of my all time favorite reads. It moves along crisply, telling an exciting and even humorous story about how one man can disrupt an entire planetary society. Our hero is dropped off on an enemy planet where he proceeds by various ingenious and devious ways to outwit and subvert the enemies leaders and citizens. Single handedly, he creates and executes so much mayhem that the planetary authorities have to spend much time and effect dealing with the 'organization' that is working again...more
A decent Golden Age sci-fi which had somehow previously passed me by. Slightly satirical in tone and premise, with some fun if silly action and a satisfying if predictable conclusion.
It's interesting to read so many years after it was written, as the assumptions and prejudices of the time underlay the entire book; nowadays we would need to explain why two species separated by hundreds of light years look similar, eat the same food, have roughly the same level of technological development, and th...more
It's interesting to read so many years after it was written, as the assumptions and prejudices of the time underlay the entire book; nowadays we would need to explain why two species separated by hundreds of light years look similar, eat the same food, have roughly the same level of technological development, and th...more
Read this if you want to know how terrorism 'works'. And mind you, Eric Frank Russell was one crafty author. His aliens are more like humans than not. Just to avoid any controversy, Russell created a far away planet (Planet Jaimec) on which our protagonist (or is he?) must practice his 'skills' of terrorism for the whole humanity.
Now let me just leave you with one of the gems from the novel (don't worry, it won't spoil anything, the dialogue takes place in the first chapter itself):
"Finally, let...more
Now let me just leave you with one of the gems from the novel (don't worry, it won't spoil anything, the dialogue takes place in the first chapter itself):
"Finally, let...more
1 like
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like
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Oct 28, 2009
Valerie
added it
This was not the edition I read, which was part of an Ace Double (remember Ace Doubles?)
Russell was never a 'team player', and so his 'military' tales have an odd slant. The sowing of chaos via a trickster figure is one of his specialties. It's not really clear whether the chaos is beneficial--but that it breaks down military capacities (which depend on 'groupthink') is a given. Some of the techniques are classic subversive tricks. Note that they are anything BUT 'terrorist', since what is sown...more
Russell was never a 'team player', and so his 'military' tales have an odd slant. The sowing of chaos via a trickster figure is one of his specialties. It's not really clear whether the chaos is beneficial--but that it breaks down military capacities (which depend on 'groupthink') is a given. Some of the techniques are classic subversive tricks. Note that they are anything BUT 'terrorist', since what is sown...more
Apr 02, 2013
Urpo Lankinen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kindle,
read-in-2013
Wasp is a rousing 1950s scifi adventure! ...with *strangely* out of place and interesting psychological ponderings. Specifically, it's a great study of how masses of people *actually* behave when there's a great big looming terrorist threat out there.
A lone agent, whose body structure kind of matches that of Sirians, an alien race humanity is waging war against, is sent to infiltrate the Sirian totalitarian society and cause trouble. He is a wasp - a saboteur, who, like a tiny wasp that can hara...more
A lone agent, whose body structure kind of matches that of Sirians, an alien race humanity is waging war against, is sent to infiltrate the Sirian totalitarian society and cause trouble. He is a wasp - a saboteur, who, like a tiny wasp that can hara...more
Under the right circumstances, totally innocent happenings can have effects far in excess of the original event. For instance, consider a prisoner escaping from jail. He will singlehandedly tie up hundreds of police and prison personnel, plus police cars, helicopters and who knows what else, for hours or days. Consider a wasp or bee. It flies into a car and, buzzing around, can cause the driver to lose control and crash. Taking things one step further, it is possible for one person to bring down...more
In the future, Earth is at war with Sirian Empire, a fascist police state. A human secret agent, James Mowry, after being recruited and trained as a subversive is sent to planet Jaimec. His mission is to cause domestic chaos among the Sirians, foment unrest in order to faciliate a Terran attack. Singlehandedly, Mowry creates the illusion of a revolutionary organization, Dirac Angestan Gesept. The "live long" valediction is a wonderful foreshadowing for Star Trek's "live long and prosper."
A fairly entertaining if somewhat outdated book where one person causes confusion and ties up government resources on a massive scale.
Some of my favorite books with a similar theme are
Cobra,
Stainless Steel Rat
,
Lawrence of Arabia.
Some of my favorite books with a similar theme are
Cobra,Stainless Steel Rat
, Lawrence of Arabia.
This is one of my all-time favorite Science Fiction books. It is very fast-paced, clever, and thoroughly entertaining. In fact, this is one of those books that I re-read time and again, along with Timegod, Replay, Stranger in a Strange Land and The Mind Parasites (yes, I know, each of those books is in a class by itself).
Read this book. I guarantee you'll devour it in a single sitting if you can.
Read this book. I guarantee you'll devour it in a single sitting if you can.
I first read Wasp when I was a teenager, just learning to love science fiction. Eric Frank Russell has given us a wonderfully funny story, which I find to have stood the test of time very well. All my life I have had occasions which reminded me of this tale. I would recommend this especially to anyone who has had experience in the military. It is likely to reduce you to tears and fits of giggles.
Nice piece of classic sci-fi. Its aliens aren't really worthy of the name, being basically human in society and motivation, but the main character's exploits are fun. The ending is good as well.
Doubtful that a similar tale would be published today as the main character is a terrorist (well, technically a guerilla, but defining someone as one or the other basically depends on your POV)
Doubtful that a similar tale would be published today as the main character is a terrorist (well, technically a guerilla, but defining someone as one or the other basically depends on your POV)
I wanted to like this book more than I ended up liking it. I really like Russell's unique humor and wit which I first sampled in his classic novella "...And Then There Were None." However, the premise and the middle of the book were much better than the too slow start and the too fast ending.
Besides these issues, I've noticed that Russell's aliens are alien in name only. The locations could just as easily be another country. This is definitely "soft sci-fi," but done pretty well. I think if mor...more
Besides these issues, I've noticed that Russell's aliens are alien in name only. The locations could just as easily be another country. This is definitely "soft sci-fi," but done pretty well. I think if mor...more
Eric Frank Russell was a brilliant short story writer, and the two novels I have read of his were kind of overgrown short stories, and that is really the weak link here. Well, that and a weak ending. Still, it is an inspired look at the value of insurgency, which in the current political climate (or any current political climate) is worth revisiting.
Other reviews cover the plot fairly comprehensively, so I'll just add that I've always found this a good fast read. Lots of fun as is true with Eric Frank Russell's other books. I've read this probably half a dozen times, but my first introduction was the criminally cut first American edition. That is now very much out of print (hooray).
Had this book been written today, it would have been twice as long, with a much-needed twist before the second half. But 50 years ago, it was allright to write a one-idea straight-line book. As long as it was entertaining. And that it is!
A couple of very enjoyable hours, and nothing more. You propably won't read it more than once.
A couple of very enjoyable hours, and nothing more. You propably won't read it more than once.
Very different from any other SF book I have read. This book has lessons we might learn from in how we react to terrorism. People should read this book just so they can get a sense of how we often over-react to terrorist acts and consider those reactions are actually what terrorist want us to do.
When I first read Wasp several years ago, it immediately entered my list of Top Ten Favourite Science-Fiction Novels for several reasons.
One reason is because its premise is irresistible. As the pulp-style tagline cries on the cover of the '80s-edition paperback that I own, 'He was sent to make war against another planet SINGLEHANDED!'
Another reason is that the story is engrossing, and yet another reason is that it moves at a brisk hard-bolied pace with never a moment wasted.
Finally, Wasp is ver...more
One reason is because its premise is irresistible. As the pulp-style tagline cries on the cover of the '80s-edition paperback that I own, 'He was sent to make war against another planet SINGLEHANDED!'
Another reason is that the story is engrossing, and yet another reason is that it moves at a brisk hard-bolied pace with never a moment wasted.
Finally, Wasp is ver...more
Говорят, это наиболее известная книга автора. На мой взгляд - обычный шпионский боевик, непонятно, зачем к нему прилеплен фантастический антураж.
After many readings, this book still retains the sharp edge of sarcasm and good feelings, similar to Ender's Game. The tongue-in-cheek humor and action combination is always worth re-reading.
Oct 07, 2007
James
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anarchists, or someone up for a laugh
Shelves:
science-fiction
I like this book alot, but it is utterly ridiculous. Here's the plot: a human soldier, trained in espianage special forces is sent to a capitalist alien planet of ultra consumerism disguised as an alien with the mission to cause complete mayhem in every direction to lower morale and weaken knowledge of a possible human ambush. Armed with everything from smoke bombs to crayons, the "WASP" goes on a mischief spree that is both ridiculous yet simultaneously a handbook for active anarchism. This boo...more
I thought I'd read all of Russell's books. I was wrong.
Another pleasant vignette, not quite as over the top as 'Next of Kin' but enjoyable comedy. Possibly the inspiration for The Stainless Steel Rat?
Another pleasant vignette, not quite as over the top as 'Next of Kin' but enjoyable comedy. Possibly the inspiration for The Stainless Steel Rat?
Thoroughly enjoyable with simple but effective storyline. I get so sick of the same story getting re-hashed over and over in sci fi books but this one has an imaginative plot.
A story of a saboteur living behind enemy lines. It's kind of old-fashioned, and perhaps dated by the events of the day. That being said, I did enjoy reading it.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| SF Masterworks Group: Wasp by Eric Frank Russell | 1 | 3 | Apr 26, 2013 08:07am |
Eric Frank Russell was a British author best known for his science fiction novels and short stories. Much of his work was first published in the United States, in John W. Campbell's Astounding Science Fiction and other pulp magazines. Russell also wrote horror fiction for Weird Tales, and non-fiction articles on Fortean topics. A few of his stories were published under pseudonyms, of which Duncan...more
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“Damn! - I'd rather walk into something of my own accord than to be frogmarched into it."
"So it says here in the file. James Mowry, twenty-six, restless and pigheaded. Can be trusted to do anything at all - provided the alternative is worse."
"You sound like my father. Did he tell you that?"
"The Service does not reveal its sources of information.”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
"So it says here in the file. James Mowry, twenty-six, restless and pigheaded. Can be trusted to do anything at all - provided the alternative is worse."
"You sound like my father. Did he tell you that?"
"The Service does not reveal its sources of information.”
I can't help myself!"
I'm just in general surprised that this book isn't well-known and required reading for any would...more
May 13, 2010 09:44pm