Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Logan's Run
by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson
I first read this book when I was thirteen--back when my life clock, if I had one, would have been blue. Now I'm old enough to have a few years on Ballard, the senior character of the book. Logan's Run, if you're not familiar with the book, comics, television show or movie, is a tale set in a world under population control. Human beings are alloted 21 years of life, then must submit to euthanasia. (Pleasantly called "sleep" in the book.) Now and then you get someone who doesn't want to go quietly into that dark night and tries to escape. When someone becomes a "runner" like than, then the law is enforced by a Deep Sleep agent, a "Sandman". Logan is a Sandman, and when his Lastday comes up, he wants to spend it hunting down and eliminating Sanctuary, the rumored place where runners can live free of the law and of Sandmen. Posing as a runner, he hooks up with a lady named Jessica and together they make their way to the promised haven. But as their quest continues, one starts to wonder--is Logan that good an actor? Or is he starting to question the status quo? I've loved this book for years, though it's been a while since I last pulled it off my shelf. This time around it wasn't as enjoyable. I found myself questioning all sorts of things--from the timeframe required for all of Logan's adventures to the overuse of one word sentences. Truly! Maybe I'm just too old, but I have to wonder what a society essentially created by teenagers would look like. The teenagers in Logan's reality sound way too old. However, if you don't think too deeply, it's a fun read.
Check it out.
LibraryThing link
I first read this book when I was thirteen--back when my life clock, if I had one, would have been blue. Now I'm old enough to have a few years on Ballard, the senior character of the book. Logan's Run, if you're not familiar with the book, comics, television show or movie, is a tale set in a world under population control. Human beings are alloted 21 years of life, then must submit to euthanasia. (Pleasantly called "sleep" in the book.) Now and then you get someone who doesn't want to go quietly into that dark night and tries to escape. When someone becomes a "runner" like than, then the law is enforced by a Deep Sleep agent, a "Sandman". Logan is a Sandman, and when his Lastday comes up, he wants to spend it hunting down and eliminating Sanctuary, the rumored place where runners can live free of the law and of Sandmen. Posing as a runner, he hooks up with a lady named Jessica and together they make their way to the promised haven. But as their quest continues, one starts to wonder--is Logan that good an actor? Or is he starting to question the status quo? I've loved this book for years, though it's been a while since I last pulled it off my shelf. This time around it wasn't as enjoyable. I found myself questioning all sorts of things--from the timeframe required for all of Logan's adventures to the overuse of one word sentences. Truly! Maybe I'm just too old, but I have to wonder what a society essentially created by teenagers would look like. The teenagers in Logan's reality sound way too old. However, if you don't think too deeply, it's a fun read.
Check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
// posted by John @ 5:32 PM 
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