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Title: Far from classic
Review: Two powerful interstellar magnates vie for control of human-controlled space in this early (1959) John Brunner novel. This is the only novel of Brunner's that I've read, but I have to assume that he improved considerably later since he produced two very highly regarded novels, "The Sheep Look Up" and "Stand on Zanzibar." This book is a bit of fluff that displays all of the worst traits of Golden Age science fiction--a nave faith in the ability of extraordinary individuals (invariably scientists) to engineer the optimum human destiny, and a maddening tendency toward endless exposition delivered through interminable conversations. The hero, Counce, subjects people to horrendous fates, including starvation and torture, all in the name of a greater good--and they love him for it later. I don't think this novel has ever been reprinted (I came across it in a used book store), and I can understand why.
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