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Interplanetary Relations Bureau #1
The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets
The IPR Bureau (whose motto is "Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny") works to bring newly discovered planets up to the point where they have a planetary democratic government and then induct them into the galactic federation. Unfortunately, the planet Furnil offers problems. The continent of Kurr has a well-entrenched monarchy, and the citizens seem little inclined to change. In fact, they immerse themselves in art rather than politics...and have been doing so for more than 400 years! So what's a poor IPR agent to do...?
206 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
12 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Lloyd Biggle Jr.
131 books27 followersBiggle was born in 1923 in Waterloo, Iowa. He served in World War II as a communications sergeant in a rifle company of the 102nd Infantry Division; during the war, he was wounded twice. His second wound, a shrapnel wound in his leg received near the Elbe River at the end of the war, left him disabled for life.
After the war, Biggle resumed his education. He received an A.B. Degree with High Distinction from Wayne State University and M.M. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan. Biggle taught at the University of Michigan and at Eastern Michigan University in the 1950s. He began writing professionally in 1955 and became a full-time writer with the publication of his novel, All the Colors of Darkness in 1963; he continued in the writing profession until his death.
After the war, Biggle resumed his education. He received an A.B. Degree with High Distinction from Wayne State University and M.M. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan. Biggle taught at the University of Michigan and at Eastern Michigan University in the 1950s. He began writing professionally in 1955 and became a full-time writer with the publication of his novel, All the Colors of Darkness in 1963; he continued in the writing profession until his death.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 20, 2009
Lloyd Biggle Jr. is best known for bringing the arts to science fiction (just as Mack Reynolds brought sociology and economics to SF). He had a gentle, thoughtful style that made his books a pleasure to read; in that, his work resembles that of James White.
The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets is classic Biggle. The premise may perhaps seem a bit naive in these harsh days of realpolitik; a Galactic Federation which cannot expand unless a planet at its borders becomes a planetary democracy, without overt interference by Galactic agents. The natives of the planet, Gurnil, have a relatively low level of technology; they are not aware that aliens walk among them. If they discover that, the planet will be considered "blown", and the Galactic agents will have to withdraw in failure.
Those agents are also hampered by a web of regulations, rules, and maxims.
When Forzon, an officer of the Cultural Survey, is mysteriously reassigned to Gurnil he must not only find out why he was reassigned, but how to apply his speciality, the arts, to turning a brutal monarchy into a peaceful democracy. The natives have a magnificent appreciation of beauty and art, but seem to have virtually no political awareness. Forzon is allowed to introduce one technological innovation to the planet, but how can a single change literally revolutionize an entire world?
Biggle's answer is memorable and believable.
It must be noted that the book was first published in 1968, and that Biggle was not one of the "New Wave" authors who were in ascendence at that time. To some, his style may seem a little old-fashioned, though it's eminently readable. The romantic relationship between Forzon and Ann Curry, one of his agents, may also seem rather a bit dated - although accusations of sexism are not credible, since Forzon never treats Ann with less than respect, and her mistakes are not the stereotypical "stupid helpless female" behavior that was a staple of the poorer sort of science fiction a generation earlier.
The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets is a short, elegant, and thoughtful example of a type of science fiction which is still all too rare. It's well worth reading, and re-reading. Although it's quite a short book, Biggle wrote other memorable books on the same general theme, and most of them are back in print.
The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets is classic Biggle. The premise may perhaps seem a bit naive in these harsh days of realpolitik; a Galactic Federation which cannot expand unless a planet at its borders becomes a planetary democracy, without overt interference by Galactic agents. The natives of the planet, Gurnil, have a relatively low level of technology; they are not aware that aliens walk among them. If they discover that, the planet will be considered "blown", and the Galactic agents will have to withdraw in failure.
Those agents are also hampered by a web of regulations, rules, and maxims.
When Forzon, an officer of the Cultural Survey, is mysteriously reassigned to Gurnil he must not only find out why he was reassigned, but how to apply his speciality, the arts, to turning a brutal monarchy into a peaceful democracy. The natives have a magnificent appreciation of beauty and art, but seem to have virtually no political awareness. Forzon is allowed to introduce one technological innovation to the planet, but how can a single change literally revolutionize an entire world?
Biggle's answer is memorable and believable.
It must be noted that the book was first published in 1968, and that Biggle was not one of the "New Wave" authors who were in ascendence at that time. To some, his style may seem a little old-fashioned, though it's eminently readable. The romantic relationship between Forzon and Ann Curry, one of his agents, may also seem rather a bit dated - although accusations of sexism are not credible, since Forzon never treats Ann with less than respect, and her mistakes are not the stereotypical "stupid helpless female" behavior that was a staple of the poorer sort of science fiction a generation earlier.
The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets is a short, elegant, and thoughtful example of a type of science fiction which is still all too rare. It's well worth reading, and re-reading. Although it's quite a short book, Biggle wrote other memorable books on the same general theme, and most of them are back in print.
August 2, 2014
And the trumpets shall sound.
Charming. Trumpets save the day. Music, revolution and the conscience of the king.
Biggle is quite a witty writer, and as usual it's the Interplanetary Relations Bureau (strategists in orbit and on-the-ground agents) who have to call in a guy from Cultural Services in order to understand a planet and effect the goals spelled out in the 3000-page manual. I only found hard to believe that the IPR people were that dense about art and the cultural functions of the planet they had studied for four hundred years, but perhaps this is typical.
Charming. Trumpets save the day. Music, revolution and the conscience of the king.
Biggle is quite a witty writer, and as usual it's the Interplanetary Relations Bureau (strategists in orbit and on-the-ground agents) who have to call in a guy from Cultural Services in order to understand a planet and effect the goals spelled out in the 3000-page manual. I only found hard to believe that the IPR people were that dense about art and the cultural functions of the planet they had studied for four hundred years, but perhaps this is typical.
September 1, 2019
I read this as a pre-teen and was blown away. I approached it as an adult worried I wouldn't be as impressed many years later but I loved it all over again when I re-read it in middle age. SO GOOD.
April 23, 2021
1992, 2021 grade A+
Series B1
Fast reading 60s era adult social SciFi. It would probably be rated R because of violence but it is appropriate to the story. "Close your eyes" and it is not graphic. I finished the first third in about 75min and the whole book in about 4 hours. The Trumpets title telegraphs the solution to the problem at hand. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. But although they are critical to the story, they are also incidental.
The protagonist is a cultural survey officer who is sort of a fish out of water sent to pa lanet to help convert the dictatorship to a democracy. The organization he is working for has no "culture" at all, and he does not understand the native people. But he likes their arts! He has a lot to learn and a difficult problem to solve. On the surface level the book is written from, it is simple, but it is actually quite complex.
Very Recommended. I need to read this more often.
(The cover has absolutely nothing to do with the story.)
Series B1
Fast reading 60s era adult social SciFi. It would probably be rated R because of violence but it is appropriate to the story. "Close your eyes" and it is not graphic. I finished the first third in about 75min and the whole book in about 4 hours. The Trumpets title telegraphs the solution to the problem at hand. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. But although they are critical to the story, they are also incidental.
The protagonist is a cultural survey officer who is sort of a fish out of water sent to pa lanet to help convert the dictatorship to a democracy. The organization he is working for has no "culture" at all, and he does not understand the native people. But he likes their arts! He has a lot to learn and a difficult problem to solve. On the surface level the book is written from, it is simple, but it is actually quite complex.
Very Recommended. I need to read this more often.
(The cover has absolutely nothing to do with the story.)
March 6, 2013
This was the first science fiction book I read. It really changed my life. I was now hooked on sci-fi, which made me quite different than most girls in the 70s. The beauty of Mr. Biggle's descriptions had me living in this world and hearing the haunting melodies of the trumpets. I highly recommend this and Mr. Biggle's other works.
January 6, 2023
Never did I imagine the potential power that trumpets could have. This was such a smart science fiction novel, blending an appreciation for aesthetic art and science fiction tropes in such a beautiful way.
September 23, 2021
Still delightful on a second read.
Read
February 13, 2022Um história interessante e de leitura rápida.
January 22, 2026
review of
Lloyd Biggle, Jr's The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - January 22, 2026
I got interested in Biggle's writing when I read his The Fury Out of Time (see my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ). I liked that one very much. I liked this one even more. In fact, I liked it so much that I'm going to give it a 5 star rating even tho it doesn't live up to what I might call the 'Finnegans Wake Standard', meaning it's not particularly adventurous in terms of innovative writing.
One cd say that this is a fable about the conflict between people who appreciate beauty & people who don't. As usual, I think about my own life. I'm often in conversation w/ people in wch I find them to be mentally numb. Things that I wax enthusiastic about arouse no reaction in them. That's almost across the board w/ everyone. I find people to be generally insensitive & unappreciative. When my own work gets 'reviewed' the things that people say are so incredibly stupid that it amazes me. They take things that they clearly have no understanding of & act as if that's b/c there's nothing there to understand, as if the work is just the product of random derangement rather than extremely careful & inspired complexity. Oh, well. Biggle's fable expresses this lack of sensitivity wonderfully. His protagonist, a cultural surveyor, soon learns that the people he's hypothetically working w/ are oblivious to the marvelous works of art that surround them.
"["]One of the paintings is a portrait of a musician. Do you know which one I mean?"
""I seem to recall—"
""Good. The musical instrument is a plucked chordophone, which for the want of a better term I'm calling a harp—though it's totally unlike any harp I've ever seen or heard of. It has a beautifully carved frame, and the strings are stretched from the perimeter of a globular sounding medium to converge in a sort of dragon's head that ornaments the top of the instrument." He paused. The coordinator was gaping at him wide-eyed. "What I want to know is this: what musical scale does that instrument employ?"
""I'm—" The coordinator's throat bulged as he tried to swallow. "I'm afraid I don't know." - p 10
The coordinator is the head of 2 teams whose intention is to democratize the planet they're on. Team B is on the continent on wch there's been no success. It's also the continent from wch the paintings came. The coordinator shd, hypothetically, be an expert on the conditions on that continent since Team B has been trying to clandestinely subvert the monarchy there for 400 yrs - &, yet, he's never really looked at the paintings & knows nothing about the music - b/c, to him, they're of no interest, irrelevant. Forzon, the protagonist, accidentally finds a Team B member who plays the instrument in question.
"["]This one is a torru, a woman's instrument. It's tone is well-suited to the boudoir but is much too delicate for concert use."
""A marvelous, whispering tone," Forzon said. He got to his feet and bent over the torru. The slender strings were of some tightly twisted fiber, white and—every fifth string—black. He plucked them gently, one at a time. "It's an inflected pentatonic scale!" he exclaimed. "Primitive, and at the same time highly sophisticated. Curious."" - p 15
Biggle was a musician as well as a writer. It shows. Forzon goes to the continent where he's expected to help surreptitiously foster democracy & is almost immediately captured. He escapes & finds refuge in a farmhouse.
"He cautiously descended the ladder. The naked child was playing in a net suspended from the ceiling; she gazed at him with a wide-eyed, coy charm, and gurgled and cooed when he made faces at her. The woman was at work in the fields, driving the ungainly beast ahead of a farm implement. The man was nowhere to be seen.
"The paintings caught Forzon's eye, and he moved a bench to a corner of the room and sat down to study them admiringly. Art of that quality, in an ordinary farmhouse!" - p 46
Forzon makes contact w/ the underground Team B where it's speculated why he was so immediately set upon on his arrival.
"["]Rastadt gave you the Larnorian language, dressed you as a Larnorian priest, and even outfitted you with the most extreme form of Larnorian nose, all of which was mailiciously contrived to make you as conspiscuous as a horse in a flock of sheep—which is an old Kurrian saying, except that Kurrian horses aren't horses and their sheep are even less like sheep, but it will do. To the Kurrian peasant a Larnorian priest is—"
""I know. Now I know. A bogyman."" - 57
Forzon notices that the Teacm B leader, Leblanc, has disguised his cover story poorly b/c he doesn't understand the deeper aesthetics.
""What's wrong with my family album?" Leblanc demanded.
""I insist that the natives of Kurr display paintings primarily because they love art and enjoy looking at it, and no lover of art would place his cherished collection in this corner. The light is terrible. You don't even have taper brackets here, and in the daytime the only decent light is at the other end of the room. You might as well hang it in a closet."" - p 66
Do you ever go into someone's home & realize that they don't have any bks or musical instruments? & then realize that you're probably not very compatible w/ them?
""Come and look," Forzon said.
""I really don't see—"
"Look!"
"Each took a turn at the window, shrugged, returned to his seat. Ann remained the longest, alternately peering at the sunrise and directing sidelong glances at Forzon.
"Finally she turned away, and Forzon said sharply, "That won't do. You looked, but none of your admired it."
""Does this have something to do with the plan that you don't have yet?" Leblanc asked.
""It has something to do with the reason none of Team B's plans have worked. Team B doesn't understand the people of Kurr. It won't until its agents take the time, now and then, to admire a sunrise."" - p 102
There's good reason to want to undermine the monoarchy. Forzon is caught & put in a dungeon.
"He looked up and caught his breath. The lofty ceiling was supported by enormous pillars that flared like the exterior walls of houses. Pillars, walls, ceiling—every place the light from the guards's torches touched glowed with swirling color. Never in his wildest imaginings could he have conceived of such a dungeon. Its sheer beauty overwhelmed him." - p 145
Forzon eventually triggers a rebellion based on the people's love of culture. I cd use something like that.
Lloyd Biggle, Jr's The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - January 22, 2026
I got interested in Biggle's writing when I read his The Fury Out of Time (see my review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ). I liked that one very much. I liked this one even more. In fact, I liked it so much that I'm going to give it a 5 star rating even tho it doesn't live up to what I might call the 'Finnegans Wake Standard', meaning it's not particularly adventurous in terms of innovative writing.
One cd say that this is a fable about the conflict between people who appreciate beauty & people who don't. As usual, I think about my own life. I'm often in conversation w/ people in wch I find them to be mentally numb. Things that I wax enthusiastic about arouse no reaction in them. That's almost across the board w/ everyone. I find people to be generally insensitive & unappreciative. When my own work gets 'reviewed' the things that people say are so incredibly stupid that it amazes me. They take things that they clearly have no understanding of & act as if that's b/c there's nothing there to understand, as if the work is just the product of random derangement rather than extremely careful & inspired complexity. Oh, well. Biggle's fable expresses this lack of sensitivity wonderfully. His protagonist, a cultural surveyor, soon learns that the people he's hypothetically working w/ are oblivious to the marvelous works of art that surround them.
"["]One of the paintings is a portrait of a musician. Do you know which one I mean?"
""I seem to recall—"
""Good. The musical instrument is a plucked chordophone, which for the want of a better term I'm calling a harp—though it's totally unlike any harp I've ever seen or heard of. It has a beautifully carved frame, and the strings are stretched from the perimeter of a globular sounding medium to converge in a sort of dragon's head that ornaments the top of the instrument." He paused. The coordinator was gaping at him wide-eyed. "What I want to know is this: what musical scale does that instrument employ?"
""I'm—" The coordinator's throat bulged as he tried to swallow. "I'm afraid I don't know." - p 10
The coordinator is the head of 2 teams whose intention is to democratize the planet they're on. Team B is on the continent on wch there's been no success. It's also the continent from wch the paintings came. The coordinator shd, hypothetically, be an expert on the conditions on that continent since Team B has been trying to clandestinely subvert the monarchy there for 400 yrs - &, yet, he's never really looked at the paintings & knows nothing about the music - b/c, to him, they're of no interest, irrelevant. Forzon, the protagonist, accidentally finds a Team B member who plays the instrument in question.
"["]This one is a torru, a woman's instrument. It's tone is well-suited to the boudoir but is much too delicate for concert use."
""A marvelous, whispering tone," Forzon said. He got to his feet and bent over the torru. The slender strings were of some tightly twisted fiber, white and—every fifth string—black. He plucked them gently, one at a time. "It's an inflected pentatonic scale!" he exclaimed. "Primitive, and at the same time highly sophisticated. Curious."" - p 15
Biggle was a musician as well as a writer. It shows. Forzon goes to the continent where he's expected to help surreptitiously foster democracy & is almost immediately captured. He escapes & finds refuge in a farmhouse.
"He cautiously descended the ladder. The naked child was playing in a net suspended from the ceiling; she gazed at him with a wide-eyed, coy charm, and gurgled and cooed when he made faces at her. The woman was at work in the fields, driving the ungainly beast ahead of a farm implement. The man was nowhere to be seen.
"The paintings caught Forzon's eye, and he moved a bench to a corner of the room and sat down to study them admiringly. Art of that quality, in an ordinary farmhouse!" - p 46
Forzon makes contact w/ the underground Team B where it's speculated why he was so immediately set upon on his arrival.
"["]Rastadt gave you the Larnorian language, dressed you as a Larnorian priest, and even outfitted you with the most extreme form of Larnorian nose, all of which was mailiciously contrived to make you as conspiscuous as a horse in a flock of sheep—which is an old Kurrian saying, except that Kurrian horses aren't horses and their sheep are even less like sheep, but it will do. To the Kurrian peasant a Larnorian priest is—"
""I know. Now I know. A bogyman."" - 57
Forzon notices that the Teacm B leader, Leblanc, has disguised his cover story poorly b/c he doesn't understand the deeper aesthetics.
""What's wrong with my family album?" Leblanc demanded.
""I insist that the natives of Kurr display paintings primarily because they love art and enjoy looking at it, and no lover of art would place his cherished collection in this corner. The light is terrible. You don't even have taper brackets here, and in the daytime the only decent light is at the other end of the room. You might as well hang it in a closet."" - p 66
Do you ever go into someone's home & realize that they don't have any bks or musical instruments? & then realize that you're probably not very compatible w/ them?
""Come and look," Forzon said.
""I really don't see—"
"Look!"
"Each took a turn at the window, shrugged, returned to his seat. Ann remained the longest, alternately peering at the sunrise and directing sidelong glances at Forzon.
"Finally she turned away, and Forzon said sharply, "That won't do. You looked, but none of your admired it."
""Does this have something to do with the plan that you don't have yet?" Leblanc asked.
""It has something to do with the reason none of Team B's plans have worked. Team B doesn't understand the people of Kurr. It won't until its agents take the time, now and then, to admire a sunrise."" - p 102
There's good reason to want to undermine the monoarchy. Forzon is caught & put in a dungeon.
"He looked up and caught his breath. The lofty ceiling was supported by enormous pillars that flared like the exterior walls of houses. Pillars, walls, ceiling—every place the light from the guards's torches touched glowed with swirling color. Never in his wildest imaginings could he have conceived of such a dungeon. Its sheer beauty overwhelmed him." - p 145
Forzon eventually triggers a rebellion based on the people's love of culture. I cd use something like that.
April 17, 2016
The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets (1968) 206 pages by Lloyd Biggle, Jr.
The Interplanetary Relations Bureau is trying make Gurnil a member planet, but they can't do so until the natives meet certain requirements including a democratic government. The IPR can't impose democracy on them and can't even let them know of the existence of an extraplanetary civilization. The IRP has been on Gurnil for 400 years. They quickly got one continent to become a democracy, but Kurr has kept its monarchy despite all efforts.
Since the normal procedures have failed, they send Jef Forzon from Cultural Services. Forzon's orders are lost and he is kind of shuffled around. When his orders finally do show up he is in charge of Team B on Kurr. All of team B are undercover. Other than a brief encounter with Ann, he has no idea who is working for him. After language lessons he goes to Kurr with the coordinator. He soon discovers he's been betrayed.
Kurr is a prosperous nation and all of the people have a high appreciation of art. Paintings, music, and all of their crafts are beautifully made. Forzon catches onto this right away, whereas the agents that have been in place don't have the appreciation and don't see it in the people. Maybe there is a chance that this CS man can do what the trained field operatives have failed to do for 400 years.
This was a fun read. We followed Jef Forzon the whole way, it's a good thing he's a really likable character. The story holds up really well for being written in the sixties. Very clever ending, of course I thought Forzon would come up with an idea to save the day, but there's stuff I didn't see coming.
The Interplanetary Relations Bureau is trying make Gurnil a member planet, but they can't do so until the natives meet certain requirements including a democratic government. The IPR can't impose democracy on them and can't even let them know of the existence of an extraplanetary civilization. The IRP has been on Gurnil for 400 years. They quickly got one continent to become a democracy, but Kurr has kept its monarchy despite all efforts.
Since the normal procedures have failed, they send Jef Forzon from Cultural Services. Forzon's orders are lost and he is kind of shuffled around. When his orders finally do show up he is in charge of Team B on Kurr. All of team B are undercover. Other than a brief encounter with Ann, he has no idea who is working for him. After language lessons he goes to Kurr with the coordinator. He soon discovers he's been betrayed.
Kurr is a prosperous nation and all of the people have a high appreciation of art. Paintings, music, and all of their crafts are beautifully made. Forzon catches onto this right away, whereas the agents that have been in place don't have the appreciation and don't see it in the people. Maybe there is a chance that this CS man can do what the trained field operatives have failed to do for 400 years.
This was a fun read. We followed Jef Forzon the whole way, it's a good thing he's a really likable character. The story holds up really well for being written in the sixties. Very clever ending, of course I thought Forzon would come up with an idea to save the day, but there's stuff I didn't see coming.
October 19, 2012
While it has not aged quite as well as a fine wine might after 40 years, I still enjoyed this story, and it was a refreshing change of pace compared to so many current novels that seem to be obliged to weave multiple plots and numerous characters across at least 600 or more pages. In comparison, "Trumpets" seemed almost like a novella (especially after having just finished Pandora's Star).
There is very little in the way of typical scifi techno-babble, and no hard science at all, really. Instead, it's about the story (not all that complex, though original -- and it includes trumpets!) and the characters (nothing too deep, but a decent variety and a surprise or two); making for an enjoyable read that you fast-readers can probably consume in a couple evenings (or one long evening?).
There is very little in the way of typical scifi techno-babble, and no hard science at all, really. Instead, it's about the story (not all that complex, though original -- and it includes trumpets!) and the characters (nothing too deep, but a decent variety and a surprise or two); making for an enjoyable read that you fast-readers can probably consume in a couple evenings (or one long evening?).
October 22, 2012
An interesting juxtaposition of tyranny and intrigue against a backdrop of beauty, elegance, art, and music. To become inducted into the galactic federation new planets must have a democratic government of the people -- and that can't be brought about obvious 'alien' influence. The conflict within this book is that for over 400 years of hidden agents (the IPR Bureau) working towards that goal, the planet Gurnil steadfastly continues with it's ruling monarchy completely in charge. The king has a habit of chopping an arm of people who displeases him. These subjects are then sentenced to exile in one of many one-arm villages. It's up to an officer of the Cultural Survey to help things along despite the dicates of the IPR who do not see the value of outside help from the Cultural Survery.
I liked this book. It was a bit naive though in it's examination of subversive politics and the people's desire for beauty, but I feel that we all can still learn a message from the pages here.
I liked this book. It was a bit naive though in it's examination of subversive politics and the people's desire for beauty, but I feel that we all can still learn a message from the pages here.
February 18, 2022
Forzon is a Cultural Affairs guy in the Inter-Planetary Bureau. He loves art and music and culture, and never gets to work on a new planet until it's already been admitted to the IPR. So why the devil has he suddenly been assigned to lead an advance team that has failed to invisibly bring about a democratic revolution in the kingdom of Kurr (a prerequisite for admission)? And how will he succeed when the IPR's finest operatives have failed for 400 years?
An intriguing First Contact story that comes at things from a different angle. I enjoyed the cultural dimension and how it informed Forzon's plans.
Forzon's attitudes towards women and his relationship with Ann are a bit outdated and grating, but overall this was a fun little novella.
An intriguing First Contact story that comes at things from a different angle. I enjoyed the cultural dimension and how it informed Forzon's plans.
Forzon's attitudes towards women and his relationship with Ann are a bit outdated and grating, but overall this was a fun little novella.
June 15, 2008
In the interplay of two cultures, one primitive & one advanced, how do the advanced refrain from damaging the primitive. On a planet with a deeply artistic people who have created an expressive and capable life style but are politically & technologically primitive humans wish to introduce democracy as a first step towards contact and federation. Human bureaucrats, unaware of the importance of an artistic nature in this culture, cannot make headway. The Monarch's excesses & cruelties refrain from provoking a revolt by avoiding limiting what the people hold most dear, their music & art.
Prequel to World Menders.
Prequel to World Menders.
March 30, 2013
A classic from the early 1970s revisited and still enjoyed. Cultural Survey Administrator Jef Forzon is sent to the planet Gurnil to move along its progress toward democracy, and finds himself a fugitive in a whole society of culture vultures. The human mission reads as unbridled paternalism these days, but Biggle has done a good job of moving the story right along and folding in intriguing details about art and, especially, music. A little creaky in the attitudes, but fun.
February 11, 2018
1982 was the second time I read this book. I had been looking to find it again! This time, it reminded me of these lyrics by Holly Near. (Sorry the copy paste is in caps.)
THE JUNTA BROKE THE FINGERS ON VICTOR JARA'S HANDS
THEY SAID TO THE GENTLE POET "PLAY YOUR GUITAR NOW IF YOU CAN"
VICTOR STARTED SINGING BUT THEY BROUGHT HIS BODY DOWN
YOU CAN KILL THAT MAN BUT NOT HIS SONG
WHEN IT'S SUNG THE WHOLE WORLD ROUND.
I need to reread this and see if it is still wonderful.
THE JUNTA BROKE THE FINGERS ON VICTOR JARA'S HANDS
THEY SAID TO THE GENTLE POET "PLAY YOUR GUITAR NOW IF YOU CAN"
VICTOR STARTED SINGING BUT THEY BROUGHT HIS BODY DOWN
YOU CAN KILL THAT MAN BUT NOT HIS SONG
WHEN IT'S SUNG THE WHOLE WORLD ROUND.
I need to reread this and see if it is still wonderful.
October 14, 2017
This is a book I remember reading when I was in high school, a piece of science fiction about a group of agents who attempted to prepare alien planets to enter the galactic community. Unlike much of he science fiction I read at that time, this story focussed more on people and the arts (especially music) rather than science and technology.
October 23, 2017
A story of the determination of a people who have a love of beauty of the arts and music to gain democratic rule. The characters were interesting and fun to identify with their situations. I didn't like the part in the ending where a marriage took place. It was not a necessary plot development and didn't move the plot forward.
May 16, 2013
This book was AMAZING. Fantastic idea, well written and paced, and a great read overall. The idea of a society that so loves art that it's blind to the atrocities committed around it is so fascinating, and the brilliant way Biggle snuck in trumpets is so good! Read this book as soon as you can!
June 14, 2016
Great book
Read many times and will read it again. One of my very favorite books. Glad to get it on digital.
Read many times and will read it again. One of my very favorite books. Glad to get it on digital.
January 28, 2017
I have read this book several times over the years, and I enjoy it each and every time.
May 8, 2017
Rather dated but an entertaining tale of what happens when you violate the Prime Directive.
January 26, 2021
Pretty good story, this was written back in the 1960's and it shows in the attitudes towards women. Overall, a well written interesting story.
May 9, 2022
I was unfamiliar with Biggle's work prior to reading this. This was a surprisingly good, well-plotted and engrossing. Intellectual SciFi. I will look for more of his writings.
December 14, 2022
While the plot of the story, and the idea behind it is amazing, the writing is bad, characterization horrible.
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The protagonist is hardly relatable. He comes off as an all perfect, all knowing, flawless, misogynist male who always has everything prepared and handed to him. Barley does anything in the path of the story, besides one part.(oh please, hold the applause)
The misogyny comes in play in the way he comments on what women wear and how they act, it could be argued that it's related to his job, but the way other male characters also speak about women is more proof of the sexism in the writing. Even more proof, the protagonist gets in trouble by the "mistake" of the only female in the story.
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His love interest and romantic scenes in the story seem to be thrown in at random intervals just to include a small one paragraph space or even less. I can't even put in words how their love connection began...actually I can so...
!!!SPOILER!!! They met, she was the only woman not dressed in a soldiers' uniform, and that's what set her apart, they kissed once randomly (legit don't know how that came about), and at the end of the book the get married. It is literally boiled down to these three scenes.
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The only appealing character is one by the name of Tor who at best is considered a character D in the story. If the book was centered more around him or narrated through the eyes of someone less condescending, it would've been a wonderful read.
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An example of bad writing, it's not attractive or interesting in anyway to have the protagonist conclude the story at the end with a monotonous monologue explaining something that has been explained throughout the story many times, the same way. Even as a humour effect.
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Not recommended. Just read a summary or something. It's not worth the read.
.
The protagonist is hardly relatable. He comes off as an all perfect, all knowing, flawless, misogynist male who always has everything prepared and handed to him. Barley does anything in the path of the story, besides one part.(oh please, hold the applause)
The misogyny comes in play in the way he comments on what women wear and how they act, it could be argued that it's related to his job, but the way other male characters also speak about women is more proof of the sexism in the writing. Even more proof, the protagonist gets in trouble by the "mistake" of the only female in the story.
.
His love interest and romantic scenes in the story seem to be thrown in at random intervals just to include a small one paragraph space or even less. I can't even put in words how their love connection began...actually I can so...
!!!SPOILER!!! They met, she was the only woman not dressed in a soldiers' uniform, and that's what set her apart, they kissed once randomly (legit don't know how that came about), and at the end of the book the get married. It is literally boiled down to these three scenes.
.
The only appealing character is one by the name of Tor who at best is considered a character D in the story. If the book was centered more around him or narrated through the eyes of someone less condescending, it would've been a wonderful read.
.
An example of bad writing, it's not attractive or interesting in anyway to have the protagonist conclude the story at the end with a monotonous monologue explaining something that has been explained throughout the story many times, the same way. Even as a humour effect.
.
Not recommended. Just read a summary or something. It's not worth the read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2017
Pessimo, pessimo, pessimo. Ho già detto che è pessimo?
Non sono riuscito a trovare alcun aspetto favorevole: storia debole ed eccessivamente semplice, personaggi insipidi, ambientazione infantile. La tentazione di abbandonarlo dopo un paio di capitoli è stata forte, ma ho insistito nello sprecare il mio tempo.
Al momento, il peggior romanzo sci-fi che abbia mai letto.
Non sono riuscito a trovare alcun aspetto favorevole: storia debole ed eccessivamente semplice, personaggi insipidi, ambientazione infantile. La tentazione di abbandonarlo dopo un paio di capitoli è stata forte, ma ho insistito nello sprecare il mio tempo.
Al momento, il peggior romanzo sci-fi che abbia mai letto.
July 30, 2025
Another great entry by an underhyped master SF author.
There's a lot to unpick here. From the ethics of interfering with a civilization purely on the bases of a tidier map, to an engaging adventure of a man sent to destabilise a pretty stable government.
Where do the trumpets come into it? Ah, that's the big twist and a marvellous one at that.
I really enjoyed this one.
There's a lot to unpick here. From the ethics of interfering with a civilization purely on the bases of a tidier map, to an engaging adventure of a man sent to destabilise a pretty stable government.
Where do the trumpets come into it? Ah, that's the big twist and a marvellous one at that.
I really enjoyed this one.
January 15, 2026
A wonderful sci-fi read that reminded me heavily of The Left Hand of Darkness in all the best ways. A great mix of the arts and sci-fi, this book, its action scenes, and its few well placed twists had me hooked the whole way through.
April 4, 2024
For a first novel, this is excellent.
December 14, 2024
Читала на русском языке. В целом этот писатель средненький. Вроде идеи интересные у него, но социально-политическая подоплека и отношение к женщинам портят остальное, что есть хорошего в его книгах.
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