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Logan #1-3

Logan: A Trilogy

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William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Logan: A Trilogy. Baltimore: Maclay and Associates, 1986.

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1986

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About the author

William F. Nolan

372 books239 followers
William F. Nolan is best known as the co-author (with George Clayton Johnson) of Logan's Run -- a science fiction novel that went on to become a movie, a television series and is about to become a movie again -- and as single author of its sequels. His short stories have been selected for scores of anthologies and textbooks and he is twice winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Special Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

Nolan was born in 1928 in Kansas City Missouri. He attended the Kansas City Art Institute and worked as an artist for Hallmark Cards. He moved to California in the late 1940s and studied at San Diego State College. He began concentrating on writing rather than art and, in 1952, was introduced by fellow Missouri native (and established writer) Ray Bradbury to another young up-and-coming author, Charles Beaumont. Moving to the Los Angeles area in 1953, Nolan became along with Bradbury, Beaumont, and Richard Matheson part of the "inner core" of the soon-to-be highly influential "Southern California Group" of writers. By 1956 Nolan was a full-time writer. Since 1951 he has sold more than 1500 stories, articles, books, and other works.

Although Nolan wrote roughly 2000 pieces, to include biographies, short stories, poetry, and novels, Logan’s Run retains its hold on the public consciousness as a political fable and dystopian warning. As Nolan has stated: “That I am known at all is still astonishing to me... "

He passed away at the age of 93 due to complications from an infection.

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5 stars
49 (27%)
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50 (28%)
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55 (31%)
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18 (10%)
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Bill.
414 reviews104 followers
February 5, 2012
Logan's Run

Logan's run is an action adventure Sci-Fi that never lets up. It is impossible to read this book without comparing it to the movie. The latter is a favorite I've probably seen 15 or 20 times since I 1st saw it at the movies. The movie works and contains the major themes of the book. In his preface to the omnibus Logan: A Trilogy, the edition I am reading, Nolan states there are many layers to the novels, like peeling the layers of an onion. I've read many novels that are many layered and this just does not seem to me to fit the structure of these better novels. Or maybe I just got too caught up in the adventure and missed the subtleties. I don't think so, though.

The novel is much different from the movie. Most important perhaps is in the book there is one domed city in a dystopian future; in the novel the entire world and its cities are involved in an advanced, if strange civilization. Also important is the character Francis 7 is much different, more complex and more important. The concept of Sanctuary is also much different from the movie. Nolan explains the use of one domed city as having been cinematically necessary and much cheaper. Still the movie works for me. It is just a different cut of meat.

Logan's Run is a quick and exciting read, I would recommend for anyone who has enjoyed the movie and to lover's of Science Fiction.

Logan's World

Book 2 of Logan: A Trilogy maintains the racing towards resolution of the original novel, but does not provide the sense of wonder or newness. It's a simple, exciting read and does not burden one's intellect.

Still it is an exciting adventure.

Logan's Search

The weakest of the 3, Logan's Search is essentially a reboot of Logan's Run and like most reboots, the worse for wear. There are differences, but not enough to justify a 3rd book. Taken by itstelf, it reminds one of average pulp fiction.
Profile Image for Greg Kerestan.
1,287 reviews19 followers
July 31, 2017
If you're gonna judge a book by what it is and what it aspires to be, and not by some massive overarching Theory of Literature, the "Logan Trilogy" gets top marks for being smart, pulpy and original sci-fi action at a time when writers like Frederic Brown, Philip K Dick and Harlan Ellison were making the high-concept-meets-low-concept sci-fi dystopia trendy in the literary world. The prose is sharp, almost hard-boiled; it's clear that William F. Nolan is coming from the same pop-literary magazine tradition that produced the early, sci-fi tinged Stephen King as well as Ellison and Dick. Though some of the characterizations are a bit thin, the set pieces and concepts here are memorable and vivid: demented cyborg artiste Box, a life relived in fast-forward under the influence of drugs, exotic dancers lit on fire to perform as their body covering burns, and of course the jewel glowing in the palm of every citizen of a condemned universe. It's not as campy as the film- it's its own weird thing. Dig in.
Profile Image for C.O. Bonham.
Author 15 books37 followers
July 24, 2012
Because this is an omnibus I will refrain from making movie comparisons in this review. Though needless to say, if all you know of Logan's Run is the movie then you know nothing about it.

Logan's Run: In the 23rd century every citizen is required to submit to sleep at the age of 21. If refuse, if you try to run, the Sandmen will find you. Logan is a Sandman. His job is to hunt and kill runners. At least it was until his 21st birthday. That was the day Logan Ran. His Goal: Sanctuary. To find Sanctuary he must navigate an intricate underground railroad and find Ballard the man who lived a double life.

This book was the best of the three and raises so many questions about life and responsibility. while reading this at 26 you can't help thinking how little you've accomplished and how sad it would be if you were already dead.

Logan's World: Set ten years after the first novel this book follows Logan as he tries to protect his family in a chaotic world. The great computer is dead and all of the life flowers are black. Road Warriors attack anyone they fell like, scavengers control the dead cities and some want to revive the system.

The story wasn't bad but I could have lived without the stupid road warriors and it was sad to see Logan at such a low point for a hero.

Logan's Search: The worst book of the three and really unnecessary. Aliens abduct Logan and send him to an alternate Earth in order to learn the mystery of the renewal ritual known as "God-birth."
Shake your head and sigh now. It will save you time later. No good ever comes from aliens getting involved with a perfectly constructed franchise.
Profile Image for Jeff Koeppen.
688 reviews51 followers
April 17, 2020
Logan: A Trilogy consists of Logan’s Run, Logan’s World, and Logan’s Search. Logan’s Run was co-authored by William Nolan and George Johnson, the latter two were penned by William Nolan. If you are of my generation you probably remember the Logan’s Run movie and TV series. In the twelve page introduction to this trilogy, Nolan gives us a media history of Logan’s Run: he talks about writing it and his struggles trying to get it adapted as a motion picture and eventually a TV series. He actually walked away from the TV series as he thought it would be boring and it wasn't true to his vision. I remember rather liking the TV series, and the movie as well. The book is quite a bit darker than both.

This is a hard one to review as each novel stands alone and I thought the third novel was weaker than its predecessors. What they had in common was action, the plot is fast paced and barely allows you to catch your breath. I enjoyed the fast pace and the twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Another thing they had in common was the paper-thin characters. Even the main characters throughout most of the three books, Logan and Jessica, lacked depth. Couple that with gross 1960s and 1970s sexual stereotypes and it became somewhat off-putting at times. This was especially the case in Logan’s Run in which humans did not live to be over 21, so society was populated by minors, mostly. The citizens included the DS Sandmen assassins, prostitutes, and “gypsies”, who were basically violent criminals - thugs and rapists. And there is a lot of rape in this trilogy. Jessica is raped numerous times in the first two books, and Logan is raped by eight woman in succession in the first book. For the most part, the women in Nolan’s books are brainless, helpless, beauties. Ugh. What I did like was the cool technology and Nolan’s vision of a future world. I thought the coolest idea Nolan imagined were mazecars, which traveled quickly throughout the world in underground tunnels. You could literally travel rapidly anywhere in the world very quickly.

In Logan’s Run Logan is a DS man, a Sandman, responsible for tracking down and killing “runners”, citizens who do no surrender for death upon their 21st birthday as required by law. The entire world is governed by a computer, “The Thinker”, which is located under the Crazy Horse Memorial monument in South Dakota. Logan turns 21 and meets his love Jessica and decides to run with her rather than turn himself in, with the goal of reaching the fabled Sanctuary where a person can live out their lives naturally. With the introduction of Jessica, cheesy romance is added to the non-stop, action-driven plot.

Logan’s World takes place about ten years after the events of Logan’s Run. The world is in ruins and cities destroyed after The Thinker loses its control. Violent scavengers roam the lawless countrysides. After getting kidnapped by some young thugs while running errands, Logan is drugged and forced to have adult relations with a number of women while Jessica is kidnapped from her home by young scavengers who rape her and sell her as a sex slave. Logan eventually escapes and sets out to find Jessica and eventually ends up back in South Dakota to deal with what's left of The Thinker and the good-for-nothing humans who are trying to re-establish control of the world.

Logan’s Search is the weakest tale of the bunch. While Logan is out making a delivery from his home in Old Washington (DC) to Chicago in his paravane (helicopter thing) he is abducted by aliens and transported to a parallel earth ten years in the past where he transformed in to younger (under 21) Logan and must perform a mission for the aliens in order to return to his earth and be united with Jessica. But wait, there is also a Jessica in this alternate Earth. The aliens demand that he stick to his mission and not seek out the alternate Earth Jessica, but we all know how that’s going to end up. There were some plot points in this one that made my scratch my head.

Overall, I give the trilogy and OK rating, 2.5 stars. I enjoyed the future world that Nolan built and there was a lot of neat tech, but Nolan’s cardboard-thin, two-dimensional characters, old school portrayal of women, and recurring rapes were off-putting kept this from being a good read for me.

P.S. I bought this in 1992 when it was published and it sat on my bookshelf for 28 years before I read it. That's probably a record for me.
57 reviews
October 8, 2014
I liked the world, the premise, and some of the writing for the first story (Logan's Run). The second story was nothing great, and the third was just silly.

I wanted to understand references to Logan's Run, as I've heard of it before, but not read or seen it. But, the characters had no depth at all and no development, so I didn't really connect with it. The main character was thin, and the supporting characters were worse, caricatures at best. (Example from the second book: a woman is kidnapped, raped for two weeks, and finally sold to an evil man. Her reaction is more that she is insulted or slightly put out. Seriously? This is not how strength is written.)

So, I'm glad I am now able to discuss it, but I wouldn't recommend it on its own merits.
Profile Image for Damien.
271 reviews57 followers
August 30, 2023
In 1976, Logan's Run was my favorite movie; I was 10 years old. Still, I liked it even more than Star Wars when that movie came out a year later. I first read Logan's Run the book when the edition with the movie stills came out. At that time I also really liked the book, but I was conflicted by the major differences between the book and the movie. Ultimately, the movie made a little more sense, although I have to say that I really preferred the, uh, revelation at the end.
I also read Logan's World as soon as it came out, just shortly after I read the Marvel Comics adaptation, in which issue #7 offered a continuation of the film version. I was disappointed when the series was cancelled. But it was this year that I learned that the early draft of Logan's World was actually intended as a sequel to the movie. I was really disappointed that the sequel never happened. This year was the first time I read Logan's Search. Again, I'm kind of disappointed. I was looking forward to a movie remake, hoping that in many ways it would be closer to the book, although it seems it would really be hard to imagine the within 24 hours one could realistically go from LA to an underwater city in the middle of the Pacific to the Artic to Dakota to DC to the Florida Keys, especially considering all the action and delays.
Anyhow, to add the multiverse to the Logan story was annoying, although at least Nolan did it decades before it became such a major trend in movies.
Also, the sexist concepts in the novels seem ridiculous now, unless we imagine that right wing fanatics took over after the Little War keeping all their "conservatism" but without the monotheistic religion.
Profile Image for Gregory Freeman.
177 reviews1 follower
January 9, 2024
Terrible

Three of the worst books I've read in a long time. The only upside is that they are pretty short and quickly read......and just as quickly forgotten. None have very strong plots and it's just a series of scenes clumsily stitched together. There is no great attempt to explore this world and fill it with interesting characters. Having just finished all three in rapid succession I'm hard pressed to recall any memorable moments. Apart from Logan and Jessica there were others of note. They come and go and have no real impact on whatever "plot" does exist. As someone who loves the 1976 film I was very disappointed that these books did not expand on the story. This is a case where the film is better than the book, at least the first one. A two star rating is more than generous. It was a struggle to finish them and I find it highly unlikely that I would read them again. Don't go in expecting much. The wrIting is like something a first semester creative writing student might produce and think it is "cutting edge" in its style. There are many times I was lost where characters were since it tends to jump from one location to another. I just counted the pages until the end.
Profile Image for Uzma.
289 reviews31 followers
December 20, 2017
The first book was decent. It read like a Chuck Norris movie from start to finish. What I did like about the book was the absolute emotion-less delivery of it. The narration was completely unaffected by the events in the book and that added to the charming dullness of the atmosphere.
The second book was just alright. The third was a joke.
Profile Image for Michelle.
25 reviews2 followers
August 2, 2022
Read Logan's Run before 1984 - I named my son Logan for this character.
Profile Image for Chris.
68 reviews9 followers
February 14, 2011
As expected the first novel in the trilogy went much further than the movie. Taking place on a global scale, instead of just one city, Logan is quick to reject the concept of sleep. Now, aiding a runner, Jessica, they set out on a sprint to Sanctuary. The story is fast paced and ruthless, they are barely able to stay one step ahead of their pursuers as they a tested to their limits. The author shows no remorse for making it difficult on his charas, pushing them into deadly situations after one another. I was impressed by the vision of the future that the author had perceived, modern realities fit nicely next to the fantasy of the possible future, an element of truth just under the surface that makes the dystopian setting believable.
The second book was an excellent fallow up. A well thought out continuation of the story that made sense. Again, the author placed such hardship on his chara, Logan. It was always impressive as he held himself together, and pushed forward. A proper way to make a sequel, and well handled.
The third book, was extremely bad, a complete waste of time. Almost like a joke, the author takes Logan and places him in an alternate reality, and makes him do it all over again, with slight changes in the rules. Although the story moved at the breakneck speed of the other two, it seemed like a fan fiction retelling of the movie, with plot changes to fit that person's taste. Yeah, it was that bad.
As a whole, I really enjoyed the first two books, they exceeded my expectations, and found them to be of the highest quality science fiction. The third should be ignored, and left out of the series.
Profile Image for Eric.
Author 5 books26 followers
January 2, 2016
Mixed reading.
Logan' Run the Movie was a poor cut down of the original story. There was so much more culture and areas that they had to cut out in making the movie. The book is much better. The book has time to delve into the history of why the world is like it is, and to show how the different people relate to it. Unlike the movie death is at 21 (three 7's) no 30, and it makes sense that Hollywood would increase the age as the public would have a hard time watching a movie about "adult" and sexually active 9 year olds.

Logan's World was a nice follow up, allowing us to see what happened after the end of Logan's Run.

Logan's Search should not have been written. The addition of aliens and alternate worlds did nothing for the series and could have been left out.
Profile Image for Kevin Anthony Flores.
8 reviews5 followers
April 7, 2013
I read Logan's Run when iw was in my early teens, I always loved the story. I found a paperback issue of the trilogy in a bookstore in Berkeley CA. about 18 years ago but didn't buy it, and have been kicking myself since... finally I have the trilogy (albeit in digital format, which isn't quite the same) in the end it's the story I'm really interested in getting my teeth sunk into.
Profile Image for Bracicot.
184 reviews2 followers
February 22, 2016
This is the full trilogy in one volume. Less smutty than I remember, and the prose is more carefully crafted than I expected. I think Logan's Run is the strongest of the three, and Logan's Search the weakest, but I like all three.

It's not so common for me to reread sonething I read as a kid and still like it, so I'm pleased.
625 reviews3 followers
May 16, 2015
I finished reading Logan's Run on 4/17/15.
Profile Image for Julian White.
1,711 reviews8 followers
June 2, 2017
Interesting to read the sequels - which essentially retread the same plot while exploring the new world. Now I need to go back and read the original Logan's Run...
Profile Image for Deaken Ehlers.
79 reviews2 followers
May 4, 2019
This is just a classic story that is thoroughly enjoyable. The first book in the trilogy is the special one, but I enjoyed how Logan’s story progressed.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

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