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Bedlam Planet
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Everything about the planet revolving about Sigma Draconis seemed to indicate that here was a world that could be made into a second Earth. It was fertile and lacked native inhabitants and dangerous beasts. Then what was troubling the pioneer colony that had landed and set up shop there? Was it really possible just to create a new Earth on any vacant world waiting a landin
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Mass Market Paperback, Ace G-709, 160 pages
Published
April 1968
by Charter Communications Inc
(first published 1968)
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review of
John Brunner's Bedlam Planet
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - October 14, 2013
The bio opposite the title p tells us that Brunner's "interest in science fiction began at the age of six when "someone misguidedly left a copy of the War of the Worlds in the nursery." He sold his first sf paperback at the age of 17 and made his first sales to U.S. magazines before his 18th birthday." Impressive.
The Author's Note on p 4 informs us that: "In writing this novel I have made extensive use of th ...more
John Brunner's Bedlam Planet
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - October 14, 2013
The bio opposite the title p tells us that Brunner's "interest in science fiction began at the age of six when "someone misguidedly left a copy of the War of the Worlds in the nursery." He sold his first sf paperback at the age of 17 and made his first sales to U.S. magazines before his 18th birthday." Impressive.
The Author's Note on p 4 informs us that: "In writing this novel I have made extensive use of th ...more

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A pretty good entry into Brunner's vast catalog. This story is about a new settlement on a distance Earth-like planet. They run into problems when some of their supplies are destroyed on one of the ships that flies into the moon. They are also in trouble because a native bacteria doesn't allow them to absorb ascorbic acid, leading them to develop scurvy. They need to develop a way to get this nutrient, which may include needing to start eating the native vegetation. This is where things get trip
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I find Brunner's writing a bit on the ornate side and not easy to read, but I really enjoy his story lines. This certainly wasn't my favorite Brunner book - Stand on Zanzibar or Squares of the City would be that, but I'm glad I read it. This one really needs to be read through before it all makes sense. If you're a John Brunner fan, by all means go for it - if not, this probably isn't the best place to start.
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Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"To move past my variegated obsessions regarding William Kotzwinkle’s Doctor Rat (1976) (review + list of imaginary scientific articles), I decided to reread a lesser known John Brunner novel. I cannot pinpoint exactly when I first read Bedlam Plant (1968), other [...]" ...more
"To move past my variegated obsessions regarding William Kotzwinkle’s Doctor Rat (1976) (review + list of imaginary scientific articles), I decided to reread a lesser known John Brunner novel. I cannot pinpoint exactly when I first read Bedlam Plant (1968), other [...]" ...more

I haven't been so hooked on a book in a long time. I couldn't put it down for the last forty pages. a crazy trip exploring the development of human culture on outer planets, and our reliance on tech - even in a book written in 1968. definitely a good read for scifi fans and culture theorists alike.
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Imagine we find a planet that could be a second Earth and we send people there. It's fertile so that they can grow crops and there seem to be no dangerous wild animals or native inhabitants. But the Earthpeople face problems. There may be a lot more to a planetary ecology than they realize...
This one is from 1968 and reflects the growing concern about ecology of the late 60s which has continued to today. Brunner ( 1934-1995) was a British author who raised some important issues in his writing. ...more
This one is from 1968 and reflects the growing concern about ecology of the late 60s which has continued to today. Brunner ( 1934-1995) was a British author who raised some important issues in his writing. ...more
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John Brunner was born in Preston Crowmarsh, near Wallingford in Oxfordshire, and went to school at St Andrew's Prep School, Pangbourne, then to Cheltenham College. He wrote his first novel, Galactic Storm, at 17, and published it under the pen-name Gill Hunt, but he did not start writing full-time until 1958. He served as an officer in the Royal Air Force from 1953 to 1955, and married Marjorie Ro
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