Gladiator at Law

Unfortunately for sci-fi fans, Cyril M. Kornbluth had a very short life (1923-1958). Nevertheless he was able to deliver several very good novels. "Gladiator-at-law" (1954) in collaboration with his friend Frederik Pohl is one of them. First of all what an enticing title! You simply can't let it pass by unnoticed! The story describes a dystopia with many traits in common with their previous successful novel "The Space Merchants" (1952). I think these similarities conspired against "Gladiator-at-law" relegating it to a more obscure place than it deserves. The plot is as follows: this future world is ruled by Corporations that control economic and political power. Population is roughly divided in three segments. Top level is the Titans (industrial and/or financial). Middle class (professionals, administrators, technicians) bonded to the Corporations by a contract. They live in permanent danger to loose their job AND housing. Being the housing the key issue of this nearly servitude status. Finally at the bottom of the pyramid a huge mass of dispossessed are nourished and entertained by the state and lives into pauper neighborhoods without law. A lawyer that is barely able to keep into the second class is contacted by a mysterious couple of siblings. From there on action rage without respite allowing the reader to get in touch with a nightmarish world. This book is a wonderful example of a turning point in sci-fi literature from traditional technological spaces operas to a more humanistic and sociological subjects. Enjoy this somehow underrated sci-fi classic! Reviewed by Max Yofre

Pohl and Kornbluth's's sharp satire of the consumer society and corporate corruption of government is as relevant today as when it was first published 50 years ago. "Gladiator at law" describes a possible future for the 1950s in which the working and middle classes are kept under control by the threat of losing their job and with it their tied housing--and the unemployed masses are kept quiescent with bread and circuses, Roman style. Reality tv may not have gone quite as far as the entertainment for the proles depicted in this novel, and science fiction is an exploration of possible futures rather than a prediction of an actual future, but Pohl and Kornbluth's depiction of one of those potential futures is uncomfortably close to present day reality. There are some nicely drawn characters, and a realistic look at the hazards of battling powerful vested interests -- while there is a happy ending, it comes at a price. The novel is short by today's standards, but a good read, and well worth hunting down a copy at a reasonable price.

Incisive but entertaining early science-fiction that questions the ethics of large corporations and overly close governmental ties to big business, written long before such sentiments were fashionable. An excellent read by written by SF masters of a generation past. Short and easy to read.

A wonderful exploration of the meaning of "political classes" in the guise of a rousing sci-fi adventure. The kind of story that just isn't written anymore.