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A review by beaconatnight
Die Dramaturgisten von Yan by John Brunner
3.0
About 320 members of the human species settled on Yan where they live in harmony with the planet's original inhabitants. In fact, there is a big faction of the Yanfolk that celebrate all earthly customs and habits. However, there is only limited direct interaction between the (for them) alien settlers and the peace-loving Yans. Still, some individuals dare to seek sexual and cultural ascension.
The story is told with this delightful ease that characterizes the John Brunner novels I've read so far. In the beginning we learn much about the Yan way of living, which clearly mirrors the 1970s vision of love, peace, and harmony – and just a little bit of drugs to take off the edge. Oh wait, that's not it at all: apparently the Sheyashrim drug turns them into blood-thirsty animals to perform their brutal duties of population control.
At its core, The Dramaturges of Yan is a mystery novel, though it took me a couple of chapters to figure out what it really was all about. Actually, it's dressed up in the arrival of the extremist performance artist who attempts to stage the Yan's epic tales. Naturally, it's a difficult project, not the least because of the obvious difficulties of interspecies translation of verse (a fascinating idea).
It's all very pulpy, but I highly enjoyed how the pompous douche, the schemings, the silly failure of the human superintendent, the silly fellow who arrived to experiment with the local drugs, and especially the big revelation about the alien species and its past and intended future all come together in the multi-threaded plot. You vividly feel the novel's age on every page, not the least because of the perfectly unmemorable non-characters, but it's really much fun to read.
Some reviews on here express disappointment with the ending. To be honest, I don't fully see why. The Yan's collective and archaic consciousness is the big twist in a climax that involves other minor reveals that all contribute to the overall grandeur of the silly. How can you not love the psychedelic finale and its stumbling attempt at mind-bending retrospect?
Rating: 3/5
The story is told with this delightful ease that characterizes the John Brunner novels I've read so far. In the beginning we learn much about the Yan way of living, which clearly mirrors the 1970s vision of love, peace, and harmony – and just a little bit of drugs to take off the edge. Oh wait, that's not it at all: apparently the Sheyashrim drug turns them into blood-thirsty animals to perform their brutal duties of population control.
At its core, The Dramaturges of Yan is a mystery novel, though it took me a couple of chapters to figure out what it really was all about. Actually, it's dressed up in the arrival of the extremist performance artist who attempts to stage the Yan's epic tales. Naturally, it's a difficult project, not the least because of the obvious difficulties of interspecies translation of verse (a fascinating idea).
It's all very pulpy, but I highly enjoyed how the pompous douche, the schemings, the silly failure of the human superintendent, the silly fellow who arrived to experiment with the local drugs, and especially the big revelation about the alien species and its past and intended future all come together in the multi-threaded plot. You vividly feel the novel's age on every page, not the least because of the perfectly unmemorable non-characters, but it's really much fun to read.
Some reviews on here express disappointment with the ending. To be honest, I don't fully see why. The Yan's collective and archaic consciousness is the big twist in a climax that involves other minor reveals that all contribute to the overall grandeur of the silly. How can you not love the psychedelic finale and its stumbling attempt at mind-bending retrospect?
Rating: 3/5