Long ago (and in a far away place), I read a science fiction book that I would like to try and find again. The book was probably written in the 1950’s or early 1960’s. Below is what I remember of the story (which may be garbled by time).
It was about a future where criminals were sent to camps where their organs and body parts were harvested for use by the non-criminals (primarily politicians and the rich & powerful). People who had been in one of these camps for some time might have various and sundry parts missing as they were taken one by one as needed.
When a criminal is convicted, apparently s/he is assigned to appear at some camp and to ensure that s/he shows up, an explosive collar is attached around their neck that if tampered with or the person doesn’t show up at the camp on time, blows up (though this would seem to waste good body parts).
And of course, there is some sort of underground organization that wants to eliminate the parts camps (since “criminals” sent their aren’t always criminals) and there is also somebody who can remove the collar without it exploding. Part of the story revolves around the main subject trying to find the guy who can remove the collar before the time period expires and without it exploding.
There is also some sort of magnetic? underground train that our subject rides on.
Does any of this ring a bell for anyone? Any idea what this book title may be and who wrote it?
I had it in Italian a few years ago and the translated title was The Reefs of Space or something like that. It was based on the assumption that the cosmological theory of the Stationary State was true.
In the novel this was not common knoledge. Plus, the government of Earth tried to convince people that there was a great shortage of resources and so they had to cope with poor living standards - while high-ranking officers lived luxuriously (a general had a mistress all covered in gold leaf - go figure).
All the action started with some ludicrous alien animal that could fly at will in empty space, generating some force field that kept a bubble of air around itself; it also recycled oxygen, if I remember correctly.
I think the book was written by Fred Hoyle, and I also think (again, IIRC) that he was, in fact, one of the scientists that worked on the Stationary State theory.
Not a really good book. Okayish, but not re-readable.
Oh, and the underground train just appeared once. It was a sort of magnetic levitation thingy. Not developed, not re-used, not really well-thought. Blah.
Aside from the explosive collar part, this sounds very like the short story “A Planet Named Shayol” by Cordwainer Smith, first published in 1961. It’s available in this collection, which I cannot recommend highly enough.
…and the train part. Somehow I completely missed that sentence when first reading the OP; I suppose that’s what I get for reading sans caffeine.
Oh well–but I still stand by my recommendation for the Cordwainer Smith book; even though it’s not what you’re looking for, it’s still one of the all-time classics.
I don’t understand your post. The Reefs of Space was defintely not the book I am searching for and this book had nothing at all to do with space or aliens.
Then there was another book where criminals’ body parts were recycled and criminals themselves were donned with the explosive collar thingy. You did mention science fiction, and there’s but a small leap (yet not necessary, I’ll grant you this) from sci-fi to aliens and space faring - especially since you didn’t say “It’s definitely not The Reefs of Space”.
Maybe the two authors were hit by similar inspiration particles, huh?
The description also reminded me of the Cordwainer Smith story. I read it in Galaxy magazine, where I first encountered his works–with amazing illustrations by Virgil Finlay. And I may remember the exploding collars–but as part of a story by a less memorable writer, lost in the sands of time.
Glad to sieze any opportunity to tout Cordwainer Smith. Or Avram Davidson. Or R A Lafferty.
While Hoyle was one of those who proposed the Steady State Theory and also someone who wrote science fiction, the synopsis doesn’t match any of his major adult novels. He also co-authored a fair amount for juveniles however, but that was later than the early 60s.
That sounds very much like one of the three books of The Starchild Trilogy by Frederick Pohl and Jack Williamson.
I first read it when I was in Jr. High School, and that was in the mid-Seventies. And by then, the three books were already published together in a single paperback.
This must be The Reefs of Space, the first book in the Starchild Trilogy by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson. It was written in 1963. It has iron collars filled with explosives in it. It has organs harvested from criminals in it. It has magnetic underground trains in it.
Well! Dug through my old collection of SF books and found that I had a copy of "The Starchild Trilogy. Read the first few pages and yes, this is the book I am looking for. I didn’t remember this as part of a trilogy. When I did this exercise some years back, I had looked at the summary on the back of what I thought might be good possibilities but didn’t recollect on the “Plan of Man” which is all that is mentioned on the copy I have. So I skipped over it.
Since you’ve found your source, I will merely say that for the sake of thoroughness in the discussion of organ harvesting and social control, there is Niven’s A Gift from Earth.
