Being a regular reader of the liberal blogs, it is probably not that surprising that my first thought on picking up Henry Kuttner’s Fury was ‘Teabaggers!’. Ridiculous of course, as Kuttner co-wrote the novel with his wife C. L. Moore in 1947. However, throughout the novel I discovered elements that could easily have been a commentary on our times, or at least certain aspects thereof. Fury is a surprisingly topical novel, despite the outdated science (a watery Venus and a total lack of computing, which turns a simple video edit into an exercise in dexterity with sculpted reproductions). And despite the copious biblical references and quotes, I did enjoy it.
The novel could have been written by a contemporary conservative ideologue, if only it was significantly less well-written. The stable and complacent society of the Keeps is prescient of the way conservatives depict the welfare system, it is decadent, stifles innovation, breeds complacency while alienating Man (sic) from his birthright (in the novel, basically pillaging the planet and destroying the indigenous Venusian ecosphere). The Immortals who rule over the economy and indirectly the politics of the Keeps are reminiscent of the industrialist and capitalist classes. Drop into the mix the angry activist, consumed by fury at his fellow man and relentless in his self-interest (could be Hitler, Reagan, Beck), and we find a complex political battle (including rousing up the masses like a true Tea Party Hero and unsavory financial practices), all resulting in the Immortals ultimately succeeding in having our angry hero complete their dirty work.
If all these murders and manipulations seem unseemly, never fret, it is all sanctified by the all-knowing Logician who, like the good old Christian God mostly cannot be bothered to act, and when he does act employs a curious notion of equivalence nowadays mostly found in the mainstream media. But Kuttner is convinced, when the time is right and the mad and furious have played their part, the Logician will intervene to retire them until needed again.
Unfortunately I do not share his confidence in the Logician, and I can’t help hoping there is a better way to change society than the use of anger.