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Stand on Zanzibar: The Hugo Award-Winning Novel Paperback – August 16, 2011

4.3 out of 5 stars 875 ratings

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The brilliant 1969 Hugo Award-winning novel from John Brunner, Stand on Zanzibar, now included with a foreword by Bruce Sterling

Norman Niblock House is a rising executive at General Technics, one of a few all-powerful corporations. His work is leading General Technics to the forefront of global domination, both in the marketplace and politically---it's about to take over a country in Africa. Donald Hogan is his roommate, a seemingly sheepish bookworm. But Hogan is a spy, and he's about to discover a breakthrough in genetic engineering that will change the world...and kill him.

These two men's lives weave through one of science fiction's most praised novels. Written in a way that echoes John Dos Passos' U.S.A. Trilogy,
Stand on Zanzibar is a cross-section of a world overpopulated by the billions. Where society is squeezed into hive-living madness by god-like mega computers, mass-marketed psychedelic drugs, and mundane uses of genetic engineering. Though written in 1968, it speaks of now, and is frighteningly prescient and intensely powerful.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A wake-up call to a world slumbering in the opium dream of consumerisum; in the hazy certainty that we humans were in charge of nature. Science fiction is not about predicting the future, it's about elucidating the present and the past. Brunner's 1968 nightmare is crystallizing around us, in ways he could not have foreseen then. If the right people had read this book, and acted in accordance with its precepts and spirit, our world would not be in such precarious shape today. Maybe it's time for a new generation to read it.” ―Joe Haldeman

“A quite marvelous projection in which John Brunner landscapes a future that seems the natural foster child of the present.” ―
Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

John Brunner (1934 – 1995) published his first novel pseudonymously at the age of seventeen. He went on to publish many science fiction adventure novels and stories. Stand on Zanzibar, winner of the 1969 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel and the British Science Fiction Association award the same year, is regarded as his greatest achievement.

Bruce Sterling is an American science fiction writer, born in Brownsville, Texas on April 14, 1954. His first published fiction appeared in the late 1970s, but he came to real prominence in the early 1980s as one of several writers associated with the "cyberpunk" tendency, and as that movement's chief theoretician and pamphleteer. He also edited the anthology Mirrorshades (1986), which still stands as a definitive document of that period in SF. His novel Islands in the Net (1988) won the John W. Campbell Award for best SF novel of the year; he has also won two Hugo awards, for the stories "Bicycle Repairman" (1996) and "Taklamakan" (1998). His 1990 collaboration with William Gibson, The Difference Engine, was an important work of early steampunk/neo-Victoriana. In 2009, he published The Caryatids. In 1992 he published The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier, heralding a second career as a journalist covering social, legal, and artistic matters in the digital world. The first issue of Wired magazine, in 1993, featured his face on its cover; today, their web site hosts his long-running blog, Beyond the Beyond.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orb Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 16, 2011
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 576 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0765326787
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0765326782
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.34 x 1.07 x 9.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 875 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
875 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book important and scarily prescient, with one review noting its interesting dystopian vision of the future. The writing style receives mixed reactions - while some praise its formidable technique, others criticize the page upon page of nonsensical jargon. The story quality and storyline also get mixed reviews, with some describing it as a classic while others find it unreadable. The book's era receives negative feedback, with one customer noting it shows its age in spots.

27 customers mention "Readability"24 positive3 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a wonderful and important read, with one customer noting it as one of their favorite science fiction books.

"...Overall a good read." Read more

"Great book....I just didn't like the way it was written....The second novel after this one " The Sheep Look Up"...." Read more

"...This is a fine read. Quite fun with the style utilized by the author. Not exactly linear at all times...." Read more

"This Book is best read in the same staccato , spin the roulette wheel, Forgot my ADHD meds fashion in that it was written. Please just make..." Read more

20 customers mention "Thought provoking"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, with several noting its good ideas and scarily prescient nature, while one customer describes it as a fascinating dystopian vision of the future.

"This book has good ideas, but it's all over the place. It is a story with multiple view points, but only focused on a couple of characters...." Read more

"...It was one of the most prescient books I have ever read...." Read more

"...is spectacularly and forbodingly realized...." Read more

"...I was an impressionable 21-year old college student, but it still held my interest." Read more

20 customers mention "Story quality"12 positive8 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the story quality of the book, with some finding it unreadable and describing the writing as strange, while others consider it a classic.

"A classic." Read more

"...This disjointed writing pulled me out of the story every couple of chapters it seemed and in the end, I didn't care about any of the characters or..." Read more

"Powerful and timeless..." Read more

"...i had to weed through the first 100 pages or so to get past the strange language, things that didn't make any sense at all, and no real clear..." Read more

14 customers mention "Writing style"5 positive9 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book, with some praising its formidable technique while others find it filled with nonsensical jargon that is difficult to follow.

"...Also there was a ton of jargon you had to decipher to get a understanding of what is being said..." Read more

"I was continuously amazed at the formidable writing technique of this author, and I found it to be a difficult but rewarding book...." Read more

"...with this book started on page one, and continued page upon page of nonsensical jargon. As I understand it Brunner intentionally wrote it this way...." Read more

"...I found it very disconcerting...." Read more

11 customers mention "Storyline"4 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the storyline of the book, with some finding the characters interesting while others note that the plot and characters feel dated.

"...It is a story with multiple view points, but only focused on a couple of characters...." Read more

"...The Chad Mulligan character is interesting, but to me becomes less so as the book goes on...." Read more

"...To me there are no sympathetic characters. Interesting characters, perhaps but no one I would want to identify with...." Read more

"...The plot and characters are a bit dated, but grew on me as we went along... Brunner's 2010 is not a nice place, but it's worse than we actually got..." Read more

5 customers mention "Era"0 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's era, with some finding it not dated at all, while others consider it weird for its time period.

"I have to say that I liked the story very much although it was really strange and put together in a very different way from most other stories...." Read more

"Definitely shows its age in spots, but does resonate heavily in others...." Read more

"written in 1968, it is even weird for that time period, i had to weed through the first 100 pages or so to get past the strange language, things..." Read more

"Not dated at all." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024
    Sometimes I wonder if these fiction writers of a dystopian future had a portal through time.
    While there are many predictions that have not come to fruition, there’s enough accuracy about our present to determine our decline was always clear. The masses just couldn’t see it and the globalists exploited it.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book has good ideas, but it's all over the place. It is a story with multiple view points, but only focused on a couple of characters. Most of the characters introduced only got one chapter and were only mentioned again just to end their story. These characters to me could've had interesting stories, but we're under utilized, and I felt the author did a better job with this similar style in "Sheep look up"; but it was incredible how much world building he did for this book. Also there was a ton of jargon you had to decipher to get a understanding of what is being said (I guess this cryptic language comes with every sci-fi novel), and the stream of consciousness sections of this story were maddening.
    I would recommend this book to people who like stories with multiple perspectives, and don't mind a nihilistic plotlines. The novel has a very interesting dystopian vision of the future.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    What can you say about one of the most important books ever written in the science fiction genre.

    I felt like I had gotten on a runaway train with William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Isaac Azimov, Jack Kerouac, Kurt Vonnegut, and the Merry Pranksters fighting to be the conductors.

    It was one of the most prescient books I have ever read. While Brunner didn't get everything right, (this was written in 1967, I believe), and some things aren't even remotely true, what he DID get right was chillingly right.

    There is nothing like this book. It has to be read to be believed. And, I urge everyone who has ever had an interest in this field to read it. It really is that important.
    14 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2023
    I read this book when it was new 30-40 years ago. At that time it hinted at some weird future that was interesting and exotic but ...just impossible. NOW it reads like a checklist . This guy is a visionary! What a book!! Buy iit! You'll be blown away
    9 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The writing style was a shock to most SF readers when the book was published. That is unless they had previously readJon Dos Pasos’s “Manhattan Transfer” first, in which case Brunner’s “avant-garde” stylistics were simply a rip-off. But if you didn’t know better it was impressive.

    To me there are no sympathetic characters. Interesting characters, perhaps but no one I would want to identify with. Basically the idea is that the world is going to hell in a hand basket and there is nothing you can do about it. By half way through you don’t expect anyone to have a happy or even comfortable ending. I guess that pretty much mirrored how a lot of us who read back in the day felt about the real world which made the book seem profound.

    The book also illustrates the hazards of writing SF set in the near future. That “future” has mostly come and gone by the early 21st century so reading it now make suspension of disbelief a considerable chore.
    22 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2014
    If the word prescient means anything to you fellow reader this is the book. Published in 1968 it was part of my teenage sci fi reading binge. The author magically [predicts almost all the major technological devices that are so ubiquitous in our daily lives. Computer processing cell phone tech video chat and the list goes on. This is a fine read. Quite fun with the style utilized by the author. Not exactly linear at all times. I guess even the style is akin to the way we get stories on television. This book will appeal to fans of the genre as well as readers that enjoy literature. Yes literature. This is an important book that grows in stature and greatness as the years continue. Buy this read this enjoy this and then live right.
    22 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2014
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This Book is best read in the same staccato , spin the roulette wheel, Forgot my ADHD meds fashion in that it was written.
    Please just make sure you have your AM radio on to a talk-news station for the white noise, your tv set with the sound off
    Watching the history channel and some documentary and finally your favorite drink and maybe an e cig. Yeah that should
    rip your senses apart enough to set the scene for its choppy blasts of info and background that are full of incredibly insightful
    looks into todays dystopian leaning trendiness. Must read for students of Real history as well as Political sciences. Reading
    a few full reveiws online will help you meld yourself into this world although it is worth the work.Of note is the missing of the
    politcal correctness issue which could NEVER have been predicted in '68
    8 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    John Brunner's pacing is impeccable. In such a medium where it is so hard to get the reader to really *feel* the physical space of what is happening in the book, Brunner achieves it effortlessly. Some of the language is definitely a product of the time it was written in, but I think the language is generally easy enough to gain by context and further helps to wrap you in the reality of the book. The plot is wonderful and remarkably spaced out and staged just right to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. Really a wonderful book.
    8 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • V. Wanner
    5.0 out of 5 stars Keine leichte Kost, aber die Mühe wert
    Reviewed in Germany on September 16, 2007
    Durch die ersten 20-30 Seiten von "Stand on Zanzibar" muss man sich wirklich durchkämpfen. Kurze Abrisse, wie aus einem Bewusstseinsstrom der Weltnachrichten - nur aus einer fiktiven Welt, mit merklich verändertem Englisch und anderen kulturellen Bezugspunkten. Man soll an diesem Punkt aber auch nicht alles verstehen. Tatsächlich erinnert man sich beim Lesen hin und wieder an Teile dieser immer wieder im Buch verstreuten Nachrichtenschnipsel, die zu dem Zeitpunkt noch keinen Sinn machten, aber am entsprechenden Punkt zu wertvollem Hintergrundwissen werden.

    John Brunner arbeitet, ähnlich wie z.B. Babel-17 (Auch aus der Millenium SF Masterworks Reihe) sehr viel mit Sprache. Der Zukunftsjargon den er für dieses Buch kreiert schafft eine glaubwürdige Atmosphäre.

    Das Geburtsjahr 1968 merkt man dem Buch anhand der etwas sexistischen Untertöne und einer recht naiven Einstellung zu Homosexualität/Rassismus an. Auch die Darstellung der Themen Nationalismus/Patriotismus wirkt nach dem Fall des eisernen Vorhangs leicht angestaubt.
    Dennoch bleibt "Stand on Zanzibar" beeindruckend prophetisch im Bezug auf viele Entwicklungen und auch 2007 noch relevant.

    Ein klassischer Ableger von Ideen-ScieneFiction, aber sprachlich meisterhaft und gealtert wie guter Wein.
    Report
  • Don't Panic it's only 42
    5.0 out of 5 stars Standing with titans
    Reviewed in Australia on April 2, 2025
    Listed as a classic, and it is that at least .
  • Bruce S.
    5.0 out of 5 stars A masterwork for its time but particularly relevant today.
    Reviewed in Canada on July 20, 2023
    It's a bit dated so you'll have to work past the mysogomy (women are calked shiggies and objectified) and racism (actually the whole point of the book) but it raises interesting issues and has some fun characters.

    The novel revolves around a giant corporation's attempt to take over an African country with the assistance of a massive AI computer called Shalmaneser. Its involvement in everybody's life is particularly scary.
  • Charles Richens
    5.0 out of 5 stars Still a relevant story after over fifty years.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2025
    Still a relevant story after over fifty years.
  • PADH
    5.0 out of 5 stars Probalement le plus grand roman de spéculative fiction (sociologique) du XXe siècle
    Reviewed in France on July 28, 2018
    Si j'aime et je conseille et j'offre autour de moi ce roman aujourd'hui oublié, c'est parce que je suis raisonnablement bilingue Anglais/Français et que je suis extrêmement amateur de SF spéculative. C'est aussi que ce livre lu pour la première fois il y a 40 ans, et relu plusieurs fois depuis, m'a plus préoccupé et instruit que distrait. Et ce livre m'a également énormément éclairé sur ce que peut-être une approche possible de la sociologie systémique et la valeur prédictive de certains de ses essais bien documenté. C'est même un des rares romans de SF à ma connaissance à mettre en scène, parmi la foule de personnages principaux, un savant qui n'est ni physicien ni chimiste ni ingénieur, mais sociologue.
    Si cela peut faire penser à la série "Fondation" d'Asimov, attention cependant, rien du livre ne ressort de la SF classique rien ici ne ressemble à Asimov !
    Inspiré pour la technique d'écriture de John Dos Passos pour sa trilogie U.S.A. (The 42nd Parallel (1930), 1919 (1932) and The Big Money (1936)), Stand on Zanzibar (en Français: Tous à Zanzibar) a été publié il y a 50 ans (1968) et est supposé se passer à peu près à notre époque. Le texte est complexe à lire en Anglais (ou en Français) vu la quantité de néologismes qui en composent le texte. Mais une connaissance élémentaire des théories de la communication et des médias développées dans les années 1950- 1970 aide beaucoup ! Il me semble que John Brunner était particulièrement bien documenté en matières des théories "dernier cri" qui avaient cours durant ces décennies .
    La trame correspond au schéma classique de la spéculative fiction: "que se serait-il passé et que se passerait-il si à tel moment de l'histoire de la terre on constaterait que...." Mais dans ce cas, on est frappé comme les prévisions sont relativement proches de notre réalité.
    Le roman explore le sujet principalement des impacts (négatifs) de la surpopulation, la confiance totale (positive) dans un monde connecté à une intelligence artificielle et quelques évolutions écologiques (négatives) sur l'évolution du monde.
    La technique d’écriture mélange collage de slogans publicitaires, flash radio ou télé qui par un effet quasi hypnotique fournissent au lecteur un sentiment de réalité (virtuelle) extrêmement vivace. En un sens le livre anticipe également anticipe notre goût actuel et notre facilité contemporaine à nous informer, par court segments vidéos, par courts messages sur les réseaux sociaux, ou flash infos, et diaporama PowerPoint à liste à puces, plus que par de longs articles de journaux. Je pense qu’aujourd’hui les plus jeunes lecteurs ne seront absolument pas dépaysés par le rythme du livre comme ont pu l'être leurs aînés.
    Ni dystopie, ni utopie, avec une histoire dépourvue de "grand méchant", le livre une fois terminé laisse le lecteur un peu plus intelligent et avec une invitation à s'instruire davantage sur la partie mécanique et objective du fonctionnement de la société et du monde et des effets de nos mythes idéologiques et politiques, de nos choix et de décisions.
    (écrit en français car livre commandé sur Amazon France)