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The Joy Makers
Imagine a world where you can have everything you want, or if you can't have it, you can be psychologically conditioned not to want it. Imagine a world so technologically advanced that happiness and contentment can be achieved without effort, a world where there is no sickness or hunger, no deprivation, no want, no striving, no disappointment. Imagine that any experience can be yours and any fantasy or desire reconstructed by machines and fed directly into your cerebral cortex. Imagine all this, and you have the world of James Gunn's 'The Joy Makers', a nightmare world of indolence, of lost purpose, of the death of civilisation.'The Joy Makers' tells of a future society on Earth where the psychomedical science of Hedonics, concerned with the manipulation of human desires and the achievement of happiness, becomes the ruling philosophy. In a chilling climax, an Earthman returning from Venus, where life is still a rugged pioneering affair, attempts to smash the grotesque dominance of the machine over a captive human population.
213 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
About the author
James E. Gunn
276 books122 followersAmerican science fiction author, editor, scholar, and anthologist. His work from the 1960s and 70s is considered his most significant fiction, and his Road to Science Fiction collections are considered his most important scholarly books. He won a Hugo Award for a non-fiction book in 1983 for Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction. He was named the 2007 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Gunn served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, after which he attended the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 1947 and a Masters of Arts in English in 1951. Gunn went on to become a faculty member of the University of Kansas, where he served as the university's director of public relations and as a professor of English, specializing in science fiction and fiction writing. He is now a professor emeritus and director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, which awards the annual John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award at the Campbell Conference in Lawrence, Kansas, every July.
He served as President of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1971–72, was President of the Science Fiction Research Association from 1980-82, and currently is Director of The Center for the Study of
Science Fiction. SFWA honored him as a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 2007.
Gunn began his career as a science fiction author in 1948. He has had almost 100 stories published in magazines and anthologies and has authored 26 books and edited 10. Many of his stories and books have been reprinted around the world.
In 1996, Gunn wrote a novelization of the unproduced Star Trek episode "The Joy Machine" by Theodore Sturgeon.
His stories also have been adapted into radioplays and teleplays:
* NBC radio's X Minus One
* Desilu Playhouse's 1959 "Man in Orbit", based on Gunn's "The Cave of Night"
* ABC-TV's Movie of the Week "The Immortal" (1969) and an hour-long television series in 1970, based on Gunn's The Immortals
* An episode of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World, filmed in 1989 and entitled "Psychodynamics of the Witchcraft" was based on James Gunn's 1953 story "Wherever You May Be".
Gunn served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, after which he attended the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 1947 and a Masters of Arts in English in 1951. Gunn went on to become a faculty member of the University of Kansas, where he served as the university's director of public relations and as a professor of English, specializing in science fiction and fiction writing. He is now a professor emeritus and director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, which awards the annual John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award at the Campbell Conference in Lawrence, Kansas, every July.
He served as President of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1971–72, was President of the Science Fiction Research Association from 1980-82, and currently is Director of The Center for the Study of
Science Fiction. SFWA honored him as a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 2007.
Gunn began his career as a science fiction author in 1948. He has had almost 100 stories published in magazines and anthologies and has authored 26 books and edited 10. Many of his stories and books have been reprinted around the world.
In 1996, Gunn wrote a novelization of the unproduced Star Trek episode "The Joy Machine" by Theodore Sturgeon.
His stories also have been adapted into radioplays and teleplays:
* NBC radio's X Minus One
* Desilu Playhouse's 1959 "Man in Orbit", based on Gunn's "The Cave of Night"
* ABC-TV's Movie of the Week "The Immortal" (1969) and an hour-long television series in 1970, based on Gunn's The Immortals
* An episode of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World, filmed in 1989 and entitled "Psychodynamics of the Witchcraft" was based on James Gunn's 1953 story "Wherever You May Be".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
October 14, 2007
This is a true SF classic -- it is amazing that nobody here has read or reviewed it. The Matrix is basically in many ways derived from ideas that were originally introduced in this book. Think Plato's Cave and Aristotle's Ethics (with a bit of JSMill) turned into a SF novel (really four novellas in one book). Awesome.
The basic theme of this book is that a business is founded in what is still a recognizable vision of modern society that sells happiness. Not cars, not books, not all the "things" that people pursue thinking the might make them happy, but happiness itself. For a chunk (a substantial chunk) of your net worth and future income stream, they will guarantee to make you happy in a money-back-and-more contract.
It works! They deliver real happiness, backed by a team of psychologists, life specialists, and self-improvement mavins that would gladden the heart of the TLC channel. As time passes, they gain political power, and eventually pass laws that mandate happiness. In as series of connected short novellas, Gunn explores the consequences of pursuit of happiness as a Platonic Ideal forming the basis of society, leading inevitably towards a powerful conclusion.
Honestly, this one is a "must read", and not just by SF fans. This book is literature, and deserves to be right up there with 1984, Brave New World, and Farenheit 451.
The basic theme of this book is that a business is founded in what is still a recognizable vision of modern society that sells happiness. Not cars, not books, not all the "things" that people pursue thinking the might make them happy, but happiness itself. For a chunk (a substantial chunk) of your net worth and future income stream, they will guarantee to make you happy in a money-back-and-more contract.
It works! They deliver real happiness, backed by a team of psychologists, life specialists, and self-improvement mavins that would gladden the heart of the TLC channel. As time passes, they gain political power, and eventually pass laws that mandate happiness. In as series of connected short novellas, Gunn explores the consequences of pursuit of happiness as a Platonic Ideal forming the basis of society, leading inevitably towards a powerful conclusion.
Honestly, this one is a "must read", and not just by SF fans. This book is literature, and deserves to be right up there with 1984, Brave New World, and Farenheit 451.
May 30, 2024
This novel is about what the word “happy” really means—and about freedom: “An unhappy man is a deadly focus of social disintegration” could almost be from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.
The story begins in the small town of Millville when a new company appears on the scene who, for a (huge) price, guarantee your happiness. Joshua Hunt’s initial scepticism gradually falters and, long dissatisfied with his life, he signs up for their services. What he finds himself increasingly drawn into is something called “hedonics”; but what is it exactly—a new form of psychotherapy, a new science or religion even? At its heart is a rigorous programme of self-discipline, using a combination of medical advances (if these really are “advances”) and an array of techniques for self-imposed mind-control. And Hedonics Inc. are ambitious: this is a whole ideology; and their aim, ultimately, is to create a new and perfect society. “That action is best which produces the greatest happiness of the greatest numbers.” And, “As long as we have these techniques available, nothing—no one—can make us unhappy. Like gods, we hold our own happiness in our own hands.” Mm, well maybe; but this is already sounding like Orwell, and the “perfect society” a dystopia.
A couple of extra things to say about this book. First, it’s divided into three parts, each set further into the future than the last, and was originally published (1954 and ̕55) as three novellas in various science-fiction magazines. Gunn claimed it wasn’t a classic “fix-up” though, that he wrote and sold them with this eventual single novel in mind.
And second, if you read it yourself be prepared for some pretty cringe-inducing 1950s stuff, such as this (talking about the colonisation of Venus): “It took Man four hundred years to conquer the relatively benign North American continent. In less than half that time he would change Venus’s alien, poisonous nature. Already he had tamed her, sweetened her breath, softened her hard bosom. Now he was making her fertile.” Gaah, I mean, where do you start? The way he saw himself, Western civilisation, colonisation, ourselves as a species, the environment, the planet and, of course, women all expressed in forty-five words! (But then, I have no doubt whatsoever that in another seven decades from now our descendants will be cringing, every bit as aghast, at our attitudes).
But if you can put up with that sort of thing, this is a really good read—some of the details in particular highly imaginative. I’m guessing it was mainly meant as a send-up of the Church of Scientology (“hedonics” a parody of scientology’s “dianetics”), which was brand-new back in the 1950s. I can’t help feeling, though, that Gunn must surely have also been influenced, as so many people were, by Orwell’s still-fresh nightmare which had been published only seven years earlier.
The story begins in the small town of Millville when a new company appears on the scene who, for a (huge) price, guarantee your happiness. Joshua Hunt’s initial scepticism gradually falters and, long dissatisfied with his life, he signs up for their services. What he finds himself increasingly drawn into is something called “hedonics”; but what is it exactly—a new form of psychotherapy, a new science or religion even? At its heart is a rigorous programme of self-discipline, using a combination of medical advances (if these really are “advances”) and an array of techniques for self-imposed mind-control. And Hedonics Inc. are ambitious: this is a whole ideology; and their aim, ultimately, is to create a new and perfect society. “That action is best which produces the greatest happiness of the greatest numbers.” And, “As long as we have these techniques available, nothing—no one—can make us unhappy. Like gods, we hold our own happiness in our own hands.” Mm, well maybe; but this is already sounding like Orwell, and the “perfect society” a dystopia.
A couple of extra things to say about this book. First, it’s divided into three parts, each set further into the future than the last, and was originally published (1954 and ̕55) as three novellas in various science-fiction magazines. Gunn claimed it wasn’t a classic “fix-up” though, that he wrote and sold them with this eventual single novel in mind.
And second, if you read it yourself be prepared for some pretty cringe-inducing 1950s stuff, such as this (talking about the colonisation of Venus): “It took Man four hundred years to conquer the relatively benign North American continent. In less than half that time he would change Venus’s alien, poisonous nature. Already he had tamed her, sweetened her breath, softened her hard bosom. Now he was making her fertile.” Gaah, I mean, where do you start? The way he saw himself, Western civilisation, colonisation, ourselves as a species, the environment, the planet and, of course, women all expressed in forty-five words! (But then, I have no doubt whatsoever that in another seven decades from now our descendants will be cringing, every bit as aghast, at our attitudes).
But if you can put up with that sort of thing, this is a really good read—some of the details in particular highly imaginative. I’m guessing it was mainly meant as a send-up of the Church of Scientology (“hedonics” a parody of scientology’s “dianetics”), which was brand-new back in the 1950s. I can’t help feeling, though, that Gunn must surely have also been influenced, as so many people were, by Orwell’s still-fresh nightmare which had been published only seven years earlier.
May 5, 2023
Shortly before being taken over by Random House in 1988, Crown Publishers had a wonderful thing going with its Classics of Modern Science Fiction series; a nicely curated group of books in cute little hardcover volumes that the imprint released during the mid-'80s. Previously, I had enjoyed (and, in some cases, written about here) such terrific titles in this series as Charles L. Harness' 'The Paradox Men' (1953), Murray Leinster's "The Forgotten Planet" (1954), Eric Frank Russell's "Men, Martians and Machines" (1955) and, most recently, Chad Oliver's "Shadows in the Sun" (1954) and "The Shores of Another Sea" (1971). And now, I would like to share some thoughts on another entry in this impressive group; namely, James Gunn's "The Joy Makers."
"The Joy Makers" was the Kansas City-born author's third full-length book, and is what is now known as a "fix-up novel"; in this case, it had its provenance as a novelette and two novellas that had been released in three different magazines in 1955. These stories were then cobbled together to make for one fairly seamless novel, originally released as a 35-cent Bantam Books paperback in 1961, with an expressionistic cover by William Hofmann. The book would be given a hardcover treatment by the British publisher Gollancz two years later, would be reincarnated as another Bantam paperback in '71, was reissued in paperback by the British publisher Panther in '76, and then appear in Germany, in '78, as an Ullstein paperback bearing the altered title "Wachter des Glucks" ("Guardian of Happiness"). The same year that Crown came out with its own copy of the book, 1984, the publisher Francisco Alves released a Portuguese language edition (I have unfortunately been unable to determine if this company hails from Portugal or Brazil) carrying the title "Os Vendedores de Felicidade" ("The Happiness Sellers"). I believe that ReAnimus Press has come out with its own edition as recently as 2020, so the bottom line is that this classic science fiction tale should pose no serious problem for prospective readers to acquire today. And that is indeed a happy state of affairs, because my recent perusal of "The Joy Makers" has revealed the book to be an intelligent, challenging and highly entertaining piece of science fiction that will surely impress most readers. As for the author himself, Gunn was 38 at the time of the novel's release, and had been a professional writer ever since his first sale to "Thrilling Wonder Stories" magazine in 1949. The creator of over 100 short stories and dozens of books, the author/editor/anthologist would ultimately be named a sci-fi Grand Master in 2007, when he was 84. Gunn, happily enough, lived to the ripe old age of 97 before passing away in 2020.
As to this third novel of his, it is broken up into three sections, as might be expected. In the first section (which originally appeared as the novelette "The Unhappy Man" in the February '55 issue of the 35-cent "Fantastic Universe" magazine) we witness the rise of Hedonics, Inc. through the eyes of a wary and disbelieving potential customer: businessman Joshua P. Hunt. Hedonics, Inc., startlingly enough, is promising nothing less than complete happiness to its customers. Its revolutionary diagnostic chairs not only analyze a customer's health problems automatically, but are capable of curing them on the spot! And its psychological therapies are guaranteed to make any person as happy as he or she wishes. All this, for the low low price of...everything the customer possesses. After all, what does a person need money for, when all his or her needs--food, housing, clothes--will be taken care of by the company? Hunt, of course, is naturally dubious about this sales pitch, and when his wife signs up for the full treatment, he finds that half of his life savings now belong to the company! The businessman thus vows to bring the new start-up corporation down...unsuccessfully, as might be expected.
The book's second section (which originally appeared as the novella "Name Your Pleasure" in the Winter '55 issue of the 25-cent "Thrilling Wonder Stories," with a beautifully faithful cover by the great Ed Emshwiller) jumps ahead a half century or so, to the year 2035, when hedonism is now very much the law of the land, having been made so by a Constitutional amendment in 2004. We view this period through the eyes of a 53-year-old character referred to almost exclusively by his title, the Hedonist; a man who acts as a combination psychiatrist/life coach/sex trainer/mentor to hundreds of young people in his care. Hedonics has become very much a science, and the Hedonist is an expert at teaching his wards the concepts of substituting, devaluing, projecting and suppressing to achieve optimal happiness. Unfortunately, the heads of the Hedonics Council have decided that the key to guaranteeing mankind's happiness rather lies in both drugs and a form of alternate reality (the so-called "realies"), and target the Hedonist for elimination. Thus, our hero must take it on the run, assisted by one of his young wards, 19-year-old Beth, who, despite their age difference, is very much in love with him.
And in the novel's third section (which originally appeared as the novella "The Naked Sky" in the Fall '55 issue of the 25-cent "Startling Stories" magazine, with another nicely faithful cover by Emsh) the action jumps ahead to the year 2150 or so. On Venus, which is undergoing the decades-long process of terraforming, a number of mechanical men have been detected that have substituted themselves for the genuine articles. The Hedonic leaders there decide to send young D'glas M'Gregor to Earth to ask for assistance with this suspected alien invasion; Earth, with which the Venusian colonists have had no contact for over half a century. But once arrived on the home world, D'glas discovers that all the humans there have seemingly vanished, although many "mechs" are to be seen. D'glas befriends a young woman, Susan, who has been living in hiding, on her own, for many years, and eventually learns that the old Hedonics, Inc. is now basically an all-encompassing computerized brain, and that all the humans...but no, I'll leave it to you to discover that appalling truth for yourself....
But this short plot synopsis barely scratches the surface at giving a thorough description of the manifold wonders to be found in this book, and critic Edmund Crispen, writing in "The Times Literary Supplement" back in 1963, was so right in saying "No brief summary can give anything like an adequate idea of the wide-ranging thoroughness with which this whole topic is treated." Like Alfred Bester's two greatest novels, "The Demolished Man" (1952) and "The Stars My Destination" (1956), Webb's book here is written with remarkable panache, evincing great color, imagination and detail on every single page. It is the kind of book--bristling with intelligence, movement and gusto, and completely unpredictable from one page to the next--that I would have thought to be a natural for inclusion in Scottish critic David Pringle's "Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels" volume, but no (although Pringle does call it "capably written sf" in his "Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction"). Gunn's book is well depicted in what "The Science Fiction Encyclopedia" calls his "dark, sometimes ponderous, generally impressive manner," and it aspires to the level of thinking man's sci-fi not only in its themes and subject matter, but also by the inclusion of quotes on the subject of happiness from some of the greatest minds in history. Thus, each of the novel's 28 chapters is prefaced by a suitable quote, some from familiar men such as H. G. Wells, Charles Dickens, George Bernard Shaw, Robert Frost and Immanuel Kant, and some not so familiar, such as Robert Green Ingersoll, Epictetus, George Du Maurier, Thomas Hood and Francis Hutchison. Wonderful quotes all...and if Sheryl Crow's 1996 song with the line "If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad, If it makes you happy, then why the hell are you so sad" had been released before 1961, it probably would've been included, too. It sure would have fit right in!
Seriously, though, it is surprising that "The Joy Makers" does not seem to enjoy a greater renown today, what with its fast-moving and action-packed story line, abundant detail, and fascinating nuggets for the reader's later cogitation. Among the many things to consider: Does love indeed make a person happy or, because the more you have, the more you stand to lose, miserable? Is the only good "the sentient pleasure of the moment," as the radical Council members insist, or must happiness come from within, rather than foisted from without? Is the hedonic solution imposed by the godlike computer the answer to man's problems, or the death of civilization? As D'glas tells Susan, "...it would have been constant hell to have heaven always available for the asking." And Gunn's book comes loaded with any number of scenes that almost border on the psychedelic, like Bester's. Among them: The transit that the Hedonist makes in the Council's anteroom, a testing zone filled with hologramlike snakes, a blue-colored desert, darkness, and tumbling buildings; the Three Worlds fun house that the Hedonist visits, with its 3-D welcoming satyr; the adrenaline-inducing subway/roller coaster trip that D'glas takes in the abandoned city, during which projected, winged women, harpies, a three-headed dog, tiny demons, and a cronelike witch make for one helluva ride; and the multiple scenarios concocted by that computer for Dglas' befuddlement, including a jungle hunt with a succession of vicious panthers. The book does not shortchange the reader when it comes to action sequences, either, the two standouts, perhaps, being the Hedonist's ascent escape on the side of the Council Building using his attachable "geckopads," and D'glas blasting his way through an abandoned hotel and dealing with a variety of robotlike service mechs. And Gunn's novel contains any number of wonderful futuristic touches, such as the time-lapse grenades that can make a person completely unaware though still conscious; those geckopads; the diagnostic chair; the ability to schedule weather events; the hedometer (for measuring an individual's exact happiness index); the mile-wide radioactive crater in the city that the Hedonist resides in and that D'glas later visits, indicative of some sort of earlier world war, I take it; the vending machines that sell mescaline and neo-heroin; and the insectlike, mechanical street cleaners. As I mentioned, ceaseless invention on every single page.
For the rest of it, "The Joy Makers" features two very plucky female characters--Beth and Susan--who are every bit as cool and resourceful as the men they are coupled with. And those Hedonists, to be clear, almost come off as being graced with superpowers, their training having given them the skills to perfectly control their bodies both physically and mentally...although it must be conceded that D'glas' skills at confounding computers take a decided backseat to those of Captain Kirk! Overall, the three linked stories that comprise this novel flow seamlessly together, referencing one another wonderfully and giving us a nice overview of hedonics over a 150-year period. And Gunn's book ends on a note that questions the very nature of reality itself; one that Philip K. Dick probably smiled upon with great approbation....
I actually have very few complaints to lodge against Gunn's very impressive piece of work here. To start my quibbles, though, there are a few errors as regards dates. February 23, 2035 will not be a Thursday, as stated, but rather a Friday. (I know, I know...who cares, right?) And how could the Hedonist, in 2035, be berated by his superiors for not reading a memo that was written in...2054? Oopsie! The book dates itself in one spot, too, when it mentions that Monsanto was responsible for the synthetic fruit juice that the Hedonist is seen drinking with breakfast. But Monsanto, as we now know, ceased being a corporate entity in 2018! To end this nitpicking, it would have been nice if we could have seen how hedonism managed to take over the rest of the world, other than the U.S. What were the residents in other countries doing in 2150, while the Americans were...never mind. But again, these are merely quibbles. I for one now look forward to reading many other works by James Gunn (perhaps his second novel, 1955's "Star Bridge," written in collaboration with one of my favorite authors, Grand Master Jack Williamson)...as well as the one other novel in Crown's Classics of Modern Science Fiction series that I haven't yet experienced, namely Ward Moore's "Greener Than You Think" (1947). As for "The Joy Makers," despite its somewhat downbeat ending, I was left very happy with it...and as we all know, you really can't put a high enough price on genuine happiness....
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at https://fantasyliterature.com/ ... a most ideal destination for all fans of James Gunn....)
"The Joy Makers" was the Kansas City-born author's third full-length book, and is what is now known as a "fix-up novel"; in this case, it had its provenance as a novelette and two novellas that had been released in three different magazines in 1955. These stories were then cobbled together to make for one fairly seamless novel, originally released as a 35-cent Bantam Books paperback in 1961, with an expressionistic cover by William Hofmann. The book would be given a hardcover treatment by the British publisher Gollancz two years later, would be reincarnated as another Bantam paperback in '71, was reissued in paperback by the British publisher Panther in '76, and then appear in Germany, in '78, as an Ullstein paperback bearing the altered title "Wachter des Glucks" ("Guardian of Happiness"). The same year that Crown came out with its own copy of the book, 1984, the publisher Francisco Alves released a Portuguese language edition (I have unfortunately been unable to determine if this company hails from Portugal or Brazil) carrying the title "Os Vendedores de Felicidade" ("The Happiness Sellers"). I believe that ReAnimus Press has come out with its own edition as recently as 2020, so the bottom line is that this classic science fiction tale should pose no serious problem for prospective readers to acquire today. And that is indeed a happy state of affairs, because my recent perusal of "The Joy Makers" has revealed the book to be an intelligent, challenging and highly entertaining piece of science fiction that will surely impress most readers. As for the author himself, Gunn was 38 at the time of the novel's release, and had been a professional writer ever since his first sale to "Thrilling Wonder Stories" magazine in 1949. The creator of over 100 short stories and dozens of books, the author/editor/anthologist would ultimately be named a sci-fi Grand Master in 2007, when he was 84. Gunn, happily enough, lived to the ripe old age of 97 before passing away in 2020.
As to this third novel of his, it is broken up into three sections, as might be expected. In the first section (which originally appeared as the novelette "The Unhappy Man" in the February '55 issue of the 35-cent "Fantastic Universe" magazine) we witness the rise of Hedonics, Inc. through the eyes of a wary and disbelieving potential customer: businessman Joshua P. Hunt. Hedonics, Inc., startlingly enough, is promising nothing less than complete happiness to its customers. Its revolutionary diagnostic chairs not only analyze a customer's health problems automatically, but are capable of curing them on the spot! And its psychological therapies are guaranteed to make any person as happy as he or she wishes. All this, for the low low price of...everything the customer possesses. After all, what does a person need money for, when all his or her needs--food, housing, clothes--will be taken care of by the company? Hunt, of course, is naturally dubious about this sales pitch, and when his wife signs up for the full treatment, he finds that half of his life savings now belong to the company! The businessman thus vows to bring the new start-up corporation down...unsuccessfully, as might be expected.
The book's second section (which originally appeared as the novella "Name Your Pleasure" in the Winter '55 issue of the 25-cent "Thrilling Wonder Stories," with a beautifully faithful cover by the great Ed Emshwiller) jumps ahead a half century or so, to the year 2035, when hedonism is now very much the law of the land, having been made so by a Constitutional amendment in 2004. We view this period through the eyes of a 53-year-old character referred to almost exclusively by his title, the Hedonist; a man who acts as a combination psychiatrist/life coach/sex trainer/mentor to hundreds of young people in his care. Hedonics has become very much a science, and the Hedonist is an expert at teaching his wards the concepts of substituting, devaluing, projecting and suppressing to achieve optimal happiness. Unfortunately, the heads of the Hedonics Council have decided that the key to guaranteeing mankind's happiness rather lies in both drugs and a form of alternate reality (the so-called "realies"), and target the Hedonist for elimination. Thus, our hero must take it on the run, assisted by one of his young wards, 19-year-old Beth, who, despite their age difference, is very much in love with him.
And in the novel's third section (which originally appeared as the novella "The Naked Sky" in the Fall '55 issue of the 25-cent "Startling Stories" magazine, with another nicely faithful cover by Emsh) the action jumps ahead to the year 2150 or so. On Venus, which is undergoing the decades-long process of terraforming, a number of mechanical men have been detected that have substituted themselves for the genuine articles. The Hedonic leaders there decide to send young D'glas M'Gregor to Earth to ask for assistance with this suspected alien invasion; Earth, with which the Venusian colonists have had no contact for over half a century. But once arrived on the home world, D'glas discovers that all the humans there have seemingly vanished, although many "mechs" are to be seen. D'glas befriends a young woman, Susan, who has been living in hiding, on her own, for many years, and eventually learns that the old Hedonics, Inc. is now basically an all-encompassing computerized brain, and that all the humans...but no, I'll leave it to you to discover that appalling truth for yourself....
But this short plot synopsis barely scratches the surface at giving a thorough description of the manifold wonders to be found in this book, and critic Edmund Crispen, writing in "The Times Literary Supplement" back in 1963, was so right in saying "No brief summary can give anything like an adequate idea of the wide-ranging thoroughness with which this whole topic is treated." Like Alfred Bester's two greatest novels, "The Demolished Man" (1952) and "The Stars My Destination" (1956), Webb's book here is written with remarkable panache, evincing great color, imagination and detail on every single page. It is the kind of book--bristling with intelligence, movement and gusto, and completely unpredictable from one page to the next--that I would have thought to be a natural for inclusion in Scottish critic David Pringle's "Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels" volume, but no (although Pringle does call it "capably written sf" in his "Ultimate Guide to Science Fiction"). Gunn's book is well depicted in what "The Science Fiction Encyclopedia" calls his "dark, sometimes ponderous, generally impressive manner," and it aspires to the level of thinking man's sci-fi not only in its themes and subject matter, but also by the inclusion of quotes on the subject of happiness from some of the greatest minds in history. Thus, each of the novel's 28 chapters is prefaced by a suitable quote, some from familiar men such as H. G. Wells, Charles Dickens, George Bernard Shaw, Robert Frost and Immanuel Kant, and some not so familiar, such as Robert Green Ingersoll, Epictetus, George Du Maurier, Thomas Hood and Francis Hutchison. Wonderful quotes all...and if Sheryl Crow's 1996 song with the line "If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad, If it makes you happy, then why the hell are you so sad" had been released before 1961, it probably would've been included, too. It sure would have fit right in!
Seriously, though, it is surprising that "The Joy Makers" does not seem to enjoy a greater renown today, what with its fast-moving and action-packed story line, abundant detail, and fascinating nuggets for the reader's later cogitation. Among the many things to consider: Does love indeed make a person happy or, because the more you have, the more you stand to lose, miserable? Is the only good "the sentient pleasure of the moment," as the radical Council members insist, or must happiness come from within, rather than foisted from without? Is the hedonic solution imposed by the godlike computer the answer to man's problems, or the death of civilization? As D'glas tells Susan, "...it would have been constant hell to have heaven always available for the asking." And Gunn's book comes loaded with any number of scenes that almost border on the psychedelic, like Bester's. Among them: The transit that the Hedonist makes in the Council's anteroom, a testing zone filled with hologramlike snakes, a blue-colored desert, darkness, and tumbling buildings; the Three Worlds fun house that the Hedonist visits, with its 3-D welcoming satyr; the adrenaline-inducing subway/roller coaster trip that D'glas takes in the abandoned city, during which projected, winged women, harpies, a three-headed dog, tiny demons, and a cronelike witch make for one helluva ride; and the multiple scenarios concocted by that computer for Dglas' befuddlement, including a jungle hunt with a succession of vicious panthers. The book does not shortchange the reader when it comes to action sequences, either, the two standouts, perhaps, being the Hedonist's ascent escape on the side of the Council Building using his attachable "geckopads," and D'glas blasting his way through an abandoned hotel and dealing with a variety of robotlike service mechs. And Gunn's novel contains any number of wonderful futuristic touches, such as the time-lapse grenades that can make a person completely unaware though still conscious; those geckopads; the diagnostic chair; the ability to schedule weather events; the hedometer (for measuring an individual's exact happiness index); the mile-wide radioactive crater in the city that the Hedonist resides in and that D'glas later visits, indicative of some sort of earlier world war, I take it; the vending machines that sell mescaline and neo-heroin; and the insectlike, mechanical street cleaners. As I mentioned, ceaseless invention on every single page.
For the rest of it, "The Joy Makers" features two very plucky female characters--Beth and Susan--who are every bit as cool and resourceful as the men they are coupled with. And those Hedonists, to be clear, almost come off as being graced with superpowers, their training having given them the skills to perfectly control their bodies both physically and mentally...although it must be conceded that D'glas' skills at confounding computers take a decided backseat to those of Captain Kirk! Overall, the three linked stories that comprise this novel flow seamlessly together, referencing one another wonderfully and giving us a nice overview of hedonics over a 150-year period. And Gunn's book ends on a note that questions the very nature of reality itself; one that Philip K. Dick probably smiled upon with great approbation....
I actually have very few complaints to lodge against Gunn's very impressive piece of work here. To start my quibbles, though, there are a few errors as regards dates. February 23, 2035 will not be a Thursday, as stated, but rather a Friday. (I know, I know...who cares, right?) And how could the Hedonist, in 2035, be berated by his superiors for not reading a memo that was written in...2054? Oopsie! The book dates itself in one spot, too, when it mentions that Monsanto was responsible for the synthetic fruit juice that the Hedonist is seen drinking with breakfast. But Monsanto, as we now know, ceased being a corporate entity in 2018! To end this nitpicking, it would have been nice if we could have seen how hedonism managed to take over the rest of the world, other than the U.S. What were the residents in other countries doing in 2150, while the Americans were...never mind. But again, these are merely quibbles. I for one now look forward to reading many other works by James Gunn (perhaps his second novel, 1955's "Star Bridge," written in collaboration with one of my favorite authors, Grand Master Jack Williamson)...as well as the one other novel in Crown's Classics of Modern Science Fiction series that I haven't yet experienced, namely Ward Moore's "Greener Than You Think" (1947). As for "The Joy Makers," despite its somewhat downbeat ending, I was left very happy with it...and as we all know, you really can't put a high enough price on genuine happiness....
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at https://fantasyliterature.com/ ... a most ideal destination for all fans of James Gunn....)
December 18, 2019
This underrated, dystopian mindbender belongs on the same shelf as 1984 and Brave New World. It is a brilliant work of science fiction and philosophy.
January 11, 2018
This is the most remarkable book that you've probably never heard about. Originally written in three separate novellas over the period of 1954-55, then collected into one volume in 1961, this book starts out with the novel premise of a business which is devoted entirely to human happiness. From a laughable premise the company of happiness, Hedonics, Inc., suddenly overwhelms an unhappy CEO who has strong reservations about someone selling the dream of giving you total happiness; his staff starts using new slang and his secretary quits. But make no mistake, it is a sale; the price of total happiness is to sign over all property and wealth, no matter how great or small, to Hedonics, Inc. And this is just the very beginning!
The majority of the book takes you on a journey as Hedonics develops from a company to a philosophy and far beyond, into the future, and in ways you would never suspect. It is riveting and fascinating. The world building is incredible, and the characterization is not forgotten. What this book is not, however, is an action or adventure story, unless you consider this an adventure of the mind. But to anyone who wants to get into the workings of human existence and the value of life, this will count as a worthy read.
The majority of the book takes you on a journey as Hedonics develops from a company to a philosophy and far beyond, into the future, and in ways you would never suspect. It is riveting and fascinating. The world building is incredible, and the characterization is not forgotten. What this book is not, however, is an action or adventure story, unless you consider this an adventure of the mind. But to anyone who wants to get into the workings of human existence and the value of life, this will count as a worthy read.
April 9, 2026
I was debating between 4 and 5 for this one… I may change it later once I’ve thought about it more (I changed it to 5).
This book is essentially about what happiness is, what it means to be happy and whether complete happiness is achievable. We explore this concept in three parts, each set at different times, with different points of view. Each part has quick pacing with world building thrown at you on every page as the story progresses. I struggled to put the book down because I kept getting intrigued and my mind was going crazy with possible theories for what was developing on this world. This is definitely on the softer sci-fi side, many things aren’t fully explained and don’t necessarily make sense for the timeline but if you let yourself be immersed in it anyway you will have a good time.
It is a great balance of character development, moral quandary, love interest and sci-fi ideas. It was an enjoyable easy read and I like the open end. It feels slightly inspired by ‘Brave New World’, but I found it more enjoyable and a more balanced read with similarishhhh ideas. Definitely worth a read if you find a copy!
This book is essentially about what happiness is, what it means to be happy and whether complete happiness is achievable. We explore this concept in three parts, each set at different times, with different points of view. Each part has quick pacing with world building thrown at you on every page as the story progresses. I struggled to put the book down because I kept getting intrigued and my mind was going crazy with possible theories for what was developing on this world. This is definitely on the softer sci-fi side, many things aren’t fully explained and don’t necessarily make sense for the timeline but if you let yourself be immersed in it anyway you will have a good time.
It is a great balance of character development, moral quandary, love interest and sci-fi ideas. It was an enjoyable easy read and I like the open end. It feels slightly inspired by ‘Brave New World’, but I found it more enjoyable and a more balanced read with similarishhhh ideas. Definitely worth a read if you find a copy!
September 21, 2013
Gunn's 1961 novel is a fix-up of a short story and two novellas from the 1950's, not an uncommon path for SF to take from the magazines to paperback at that time. The narratives, set centuries apart, chart what happens when happiness transforms from a desire, to a possibility, to law, and then to something much darker and stranger.
In the opening story, which takes place either in mid-twentieth century America or a near future, Josh Hunt is a successful manufacturer and he is not happy. He is tired of his wife and family; he has union problems at work; and, his health is not too good. He has ulcers and drinks too much, which I suppose is 1950's-speak for alcoholic. Everything pisses him off, especially these dinky ads that appear in the newspaper for Hedonics, Inc. He dismisses them a fly-by-night operation that promises to make their clients happy. He is even grouchier when everyone he sees during the day starts greeting him with a cheery, "Joy!" Eventually he makes an appointment with an eye towards exposing Hedonics, Inc., for the sham he is sure it is. But a few minutes in their "diagnostic chair" cures his head cold, his ulcer, and makes him feel really good. He sees the business potential here, but he finds that the $100 introductory price is just the beginning. Hedonics. Inc., however, is a start-up already planning its global reach and customers are flocking in. (I confess I had to read another review to catch the parody here of Scientology, which when Gunn was writing was just beginning to make its mark, especially in the SF world thanks to founder L. Ron Hubbarb. But then, I try not to think about Scientology very much at all.)
A century or so later, America and most of the world is now overseen by the Hedonics Consul. Gunn's second protagonist is a trained Hedonist. He oversees the happiness quotient of his community. The principles laid out here have a jumbled history in Greek notions of pleasure as the highest human value, some practical lay psychology, a system of training/indoctrination that begins in pre-school, and the resort to lobotomy for those unfortunates who just don't get it. Our professional hedonist, an honorable man and a true believer, runs foul of the consul and becomes a familiar figure from Gunn's work of the period, a Man on the Run. This portion of the book is enjoyable but the weakest, most predictable narrative.
Centuries later, colonists who have been terraforming Venus realize that they have been invaded by mechanical duplicates who are taking over key positions. Contact with earth and other planet colonies has been cut off for years, and D'glas M'Gregor makes a risky journey back to earth to find answers. They are not pleasant answers. Hedonics has metastasized from well-intentioned idea, to law, to science, to a force that no one could have seen coming but that most everyone on earth has adjusted to. Once again, pursuit and escape are the order of the day, but this final vision is of a much stranger, more fully realized, and compelling world than what Gunn offered in part two.
In the opening story, which takes place either in mid-twentieth century America or a near future, Josh Hunt is a successful manufacturer and he is not happy. He is tired of his wife and family; he has union problems at work; and, his health is not too good. He has ulcers and drinks too much, which I suppose is 1950's-speak for alcoholic. Everything pisses him off, especially these dinky ads that appear in the newspaper for Hedonics, Inc. He dismisses them a fly-by-night operation that promises to make their clients happy. He is even grouchier when everyone he sees during the day starts greeting him with a cheery, "Joy!" Eventually he makes an appointment with an eye towards exposing Hedonics, Inc., for the sham he is sure it is. But a few minutes in their "diagnostic chair" cures his head cold, his ulcer, and makes him feel really good. He sees the business potential here, but he finds that the $100 introductory price is just the beginning. Hedonics. Inc., however, is a start-up already planning its global reach and customers are flocking in. (I confess I had to read another review to catch the parody here of Scientology, which when Gunn was writing was just beginning to make its mark, especially in the SF world thanks to founder L. Ron Hubbarb. But then, I try not to think about Scientology very much at all.)
A century or so later, America and most of the world is now overseen by the Hedonics Consul. Gunn's second protagonist is a trained Hedonist. He oversees the happiness quotient of his community. The principles laid out here have a jumbled history in Greek notions of pleasure as the highest human value, some practical lay psychology, a system of training/indoctrination that begins in pre-school, and the resort to lobotomy for those unfortunates who just don't get it. Our professional hedonist, an honorable man and a true believer, runs foul of the consul and becomes a familiar figure from Gunn's work of the period, a Man on the Run. This portion of the book is enjoyable but the weakest, most predictable narrative.
Centuries later, colonists who have been terraforming Venus realize that they have been invaded by mechanical duplicates who are taking over key positions. Contact with earth and other planet colonies has been cut off for years, and D'glas M'Gregor makes a risky journey back to earth to find answers. They are not pleasant answers. Hedonics has metastasized from well-intentioned idea, to law, to science, to a force that no one could have seen coming but that most everyone on earth has adjusted to. Once again, pursuit and escape are the order of the day, but this final vision is of a much stranger, more fully realized, and compelling world than what Gunn offered in part two.
August 8, 2014
Sadly, I was planning my review entirely around certain quotations from the book. Unfortunately I have turned the book in and can no longer follow my plan. And woe is me--the drop-down menu with the bookshelf selection won't go away so I can't see what I am typing, as that box occludes much of the review-entry box. Anyway, I will simply write this one quotation to sum up what would have been my review:
"Happiness is death."
"Happiness is death."
December 21, 2022
This is my second favorite sci-fi novel. I first read it in the 7th grade and have reread it a number of times since. While the whole is great, it's the first part that really resonates with me.
That line has haunted me for 45 years.
That line has haunted me for 45 years.
August 9, 2013
Everyone wants to be happy, Right? And if we make everyone else happy, that will help us be happy.
So, this novel starts off happy. A new breed of professionals, called Hedonists, use a combination of folk wisdom and advanced scientific tricks to make people happy. The trouble is, they are so very good at it that eventually a law is passed making it illegal to be unhappy. Unhappy people are arrested and cured; soon they are released as model citizens, very grateful that they were caught. This makes some people so unhappy that they try as hard as they can to look happy ...
I read this back in the 60's and it had a big impact on me then. The final nightmare the book leads up to does not seem quite so far fetched today, so the idea is still very relevant.
So, this novel starts off happy. A new breed of professionals, called Hedonists, use a combination of folk wisdom and advanced scientific tricks to make people happy. The trouble is, they are so very good at it that eventually a law is passed making it illegal to be unhappy. Unhappy people are arrested and cured; soon they are released as model citizens, very grateful that they were caught. This makes some people so unhappy that they try as hard as they can to look happy ...
I read this back in the 60's and it had a big impact on me then. The final nightmare the book leads up to does not seem quite so far fetched today, so the idea is still very relevant.
October 6, 2014
Every one of these hundreds of millions of human beings is in some form seeking happiness...Not one altogether noble nor altogether trustworthy nor altogether consistent; and not one is altogether vile. Not a single one but has at some time wept.
This book is a gem.
This book is a gem.
May 22, 2018
This has to be the best mind-f*ck I have read to date.
A mix between 1984, Fahrenheit 451 and a deep look at our personal phycology of happiness.
A mix between 1984, Fahrenheit 451 and a deep look at our personal phycology of happiness.
July 29, 2024
Un début très fort puis l’on perd les personnages de vue ce qui m’a attristé bien que l’univers soit extrêmement bien construit et intéressant.
March 23, 2025
Very effective novel assembled from three separate short stories originally published in the 1950s. Of the three, the first and third sections are highly compelling as works of philosophical fiction, blending well into a nightmarish dystopia; "happiness" has never seemed such a menacing concept before. The middle story focuses more on action, and is frankly the weakest of the three sections because of it. That said, the third story has a surreal, unsettling quality to it, and a pay-off that brilliantly satisfies- if you are willing to trust it. James Gunn is playing with several elements here: satire on mid-Century culture and business life, fear and fascination with technology, the menace of giant organizations with questionable motives, and logical bubbles that ideology creates for itself. .
August 30, 2021
I read this book by complete happenstance (this is sort of a trend for me) and I am glad I did. This book takes heavy inspiration from Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World and appears to have been a major source of inspiration for contemporary works of sci-fi like The Matrix. It is composed of three loosely related parts that detail humanities self destruction in pursuit of happiness. The book can be quite dense at times (especially the second part) and is laden with philosophical musings about the nature and proper implementation of happiness. Nevertheless, the book provides enough action and interesting extrapolations of this philosophy to make it interesting. One of the biggest take-aways I had from this book was how relevant it felt. Despite being written in the 50's the book describes technology and societal attitudes that are shockingly realistic. I would highly recommend this book to others as long as they were ready to think just a little bit.
February 9, 2025
Roman d’anticipation désabusé écrit par James Gunn et sorti en 1961, Les Bienfaiteurs est composé de trois parties distinctes séparées par des décennies. On y parle du bonheur et de ses conséquences.
Une firme américaine propose de vous vendre le bonheur en échange de l’ensemble de ce que vous possédez. Satisfait ou remboursé ! Mais comment vivre dans un monde où le bonheur est obligatoire ?
Commençant comme une fable sur la recherche du bonheur, le roman vire vite au cauchemar. Dans un monde où le malheur est illégal, le libre-arbitre n’a pas sa place et l’humanité perd son nom, son statut et son âme en échange d’une promesse glacée.
Derrière sa prémisse alléchante, le roman accuse cependant son âge. D’un sexisme hallucinant, sa démarche philosophique autour de l’hédonisme n’est pas sans intérêt, mais le récit reste handicapé par des personnages féminins dont le bonheur se résume : aux mecs, au mariage ou aux enfants... grinçant.
Une firme américaine propose de vous vendre le bonheur en échange de l’ensemble de ce que vous possédez. Satisfait ou remboursé ! Mais comment vivre dans un monde où le bonheur est obligatoire ?
Commençant comme une fable sur la recherche du bonheur, le roman vire vite au cauchemar. Dans un monde où le malheur est illégal, le libre-arbitre n’a pas sa place et l’humanité perd son nom, son statut et son âme en échange d’une promesse glacée.
Derrière sa prémisse alléchante, le roman accuse cependant son âge. D’un sexisme hallucinant, sa démarche philosophique autour de l’hédonisme n’est pas sans intérêt, mais le récit reste handicapé par des personnages féminins dont le bonheur se résume : aux mecs, au mariage ou aux enfants... grinçant.
February 6, 2020
I didn't mind this book, but there are some choppy plot points within. The idea's behind the book are remarkable' like how too much of a good thing is bad; we all need to feel other emotions, and not just happiness. I've heard that this is three novella's in here and just put together as one novel; however, it would have been nice is James Gunn would have just maybe rewrite the book and have all the parts run smoothly together instead of three books smacked together into one just to created a buck. Sorry James, but more thought should have be brought to the table.
March 15, 2020
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"The three parts of James Gunn’s fix-up novel The Joy Makers (1961) were originally published in magazine form in 1955 as ‘Name Your Pleasure,’ ‘The Naked Sky’, and ‘The Unhappy Man.’ I have not read the originals so I’m unsure of how much was added or subtracted or completely re-conceptualized. Largely a satire — Gunn pushes his point to the logical, and terrifying [...]"
"The three parts of James Gunn’s fix-up novel The Joy Makers (1961) were originally published in magazine form in 1955 as ‘Name Your Pleasure,’ ‘The Naked Sky’, and ‘The Unhappy Man.’ I have not read the originals so I’m unsure of how much was added or subtracted or completely re-conceptualized. Largely a satire — Gunn pushes his point to the logical, and terrifying [...]"
February 8, 2025
A pretty quick read ... this is really 3 separate novellas bundled into a book ... they share a common theme, so work well together. Written in the late 50's early 60's, it's always fun to see authors visions of the future from that perspective.
The common theme is "Happiness isn't all there is in life ..." and it's a little preachy how it gets there...seems like something authors just did back then.
It was fun, some good sci-fi aspects, but nothing mind blowing.
The common theme is "Happiness isn't all there is in life ..." and it's a little preachy how it gets there...seems like something authors just did back then.
It was fun, some good sci-fi aspects, but nothing mind blowing.
March 25, 2020
A tedious, poorly written book. I got part way through the second part and gave up. It's been on my shelf for years and I started reading it recently, after finishing the equally poorly written Star Trek novel The Joy Machine by the same author (though based on an unfilmed Trek episode by Theodore Sturgeon). I have actually donated The Joy Makers to a charity shop.
March 20, 2022
The premise of this one is so timeless. With burn-outs on the rise, unrealistic dreams and whishes, perfectionism as the 'new normal'... Whilst all the while we can't be unhappy. This is very relevant, I think. The Matrix philosophies comes to mind.
The execution lost me mid-book but it found me again towards the end. Glad I read this!
The execution lost me mid-book but it found me again towards the end. Glad I read this!
June 5, 2025
This three part story is amazing. Very thought provoking without being heavy handed. What is happiness and how do we achieve it? What if we could build systems that automate happiness for us and guarantee it? The writing is a great balance of sci fi and philosophy and it was so good I read it in a day.
August 13, 2020
Worth reading for the ideas and because it inspired the Matrix. Unfortunately, some of the prose in the German version (Wächter des Glücks) is not well translated and some of the scenes have not aged very well. Still worth consideration.
January 8, 2026
I find that little of that old sf has held up well to time, and this was no exception - stylistically it's a bit draining, some characters are cardboard, or cliche, and yeah, interesting premise but just not very good
February 13, 2020
My first introduction into the sci-fi world and fell in love, highly reccomend!!
March 1, 2020
Ho trovato la prima parte estremamente interessante e l'ultima parte estremamente confusa. Non mi ha convinto del tutto
December 7, 2025
mind bending read.
June 12, 2026
Such a surrealistic ending
June 21, 2026
Very interesting read. I really liked the separation of the three different stories that collaborate to tell a beginning, middle, and end of this dystopian world. Forces the reader to ask questions about the world around them and what it truly means to be happy.
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