Players At the Game of People

by John Brunner

Other authorsBill Schmidt (Illustrator)

Paperback, 1980

Status

Available

Call number

823.914

Genres

Science Fiction

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

SF & F

Publication

Ballantine Books (1980), Edition: 1st, Mass Market Paperback, 224 pages

Description

War hero, jet-setter, gourmet - Godwin Harpinshield was all of those and more; his life was a game played among the Beautiful People whose fame, wealth and power set them above the law, and beyond the laws of nature. Because of a simple bargain that all the Beautiful People made, Godwin's every desire was his for the asking. Seduced by luxury, Godwin never doubted his fortune, never wondered about his mysterious patrons. Then the game turned ugly. Suddenly, the ante was raised and the game was real. The stakes were his future, his sanity and, possibly, his very soul. All Godwin Harpinshield had to discover was: What were the rules of the game? And who - or what - were the other players?

User reviews

LibraryThing member hailelib

Players at the Game of People is a somewhat strange story about the life of Godwin who seems to live apart from ordinary people along with a fees odd acquaintances also mostly living apart from London's other inhabitants. As we follow Godwin we begin to see why he lives as he does with almost

magical technology others don't have and there is a sense that it will all turn out badly in the end. Some interesting ideas but not exactly enjoyable to read.

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LibraryThing member burritapal

Not one of John Brunner's best, this fiction felt undeveloped. Godwin Harpinshield is a slut with a fancy car, who rents a shoddy room in a boardinghouse in a crappy, crime-ridden part of London. Life has no meaning for him; he gets to live a life free from work, and with a flick of a switch, he

can turn his shoddy room into a swinging bachelor's pad, located in any paradise on Earth he chooses. The only thing he does in exchange is to submit to a sleepiness every so often, during which time his body gets used. This is the undeveloped part; it's never developed or explained what happens to his body during this time. All he knows is that when he comes to himself again, he is sick, grey, wrinkled, starving, hungover, and used up. He must go for a rejuvenation treatment. But things stop being so pleasant, and now he starts asking questions: who is he owned by?

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