The Big Time ~Fritz Leiber
–published 1958
–130 pages
–Awards: Hugo (1958),
–3.5/5 stars
If the name Fritz Leiber looks familiar to you it may be because of the posts I have done in the past year reviewing a few of the collections of his most famous creations: Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. In addition to creating multiple short story adventures for this sword and sorcery duo, Fritz Leiber was a prolific and award-winning writer of numerous novels and short stories.
One of my Christmas gifts from Jeff was this Hugo award winning novel/novella, the first in a series centered around The Change War. The basic backdrop of The Big Time and other Change War novels is an ongoing war involving two factions, cryptically named the Spiders and the Snakes, whose armies are engaged in a time travel war. In The Big Time, that war is an event going on off-stage, outside of the view of the reader. The story itself involves a brief period of time in a recuperation station outside of the time flow called, The Place. Here we find our narrator, Greta Forzane, an entertainer whose job it is to assist soldiers on leave to reorient to reality, recuperate, and get back into the battle.
The Big Time was a fascinating read in so many ways. First is the time factor. This book is exactly 50 years old. To read a 50 year old novel that won the coveted Hugo award was very interesting simply from an historical perspective. Secondly, this novel has a very unique voice, quite different from Fritz Leiber’s Fafrhd and the Gray Mouser tales. Greta Forzane’s ‘voice’ is very interesting, she speaks in a way quite unlike any other story I have ever read. In Leiber’s introduction to the tale, he reveals that he was influenced to write this story after a 4 year drought after reading a trio of novels by Joyce Cary, whose style Leiber describes as “intensified and embellished first person”. Leiber continues:
“…not only is each story told by one person, but he or she has a unique and highly colorful way of speaking, with all sorts of vivid little eccentricities of language–they even think to themselves differently.”
I liked Greta Forzane immediately. Early on in the novel I found myself picturing and hearing Kaylee from Firefly in the role which made her an even more likeable narrator. In the introduction, Leiber describes her thus:
“So Greta Forzane was born, with her punning religious ejaculations and her frank, cool, deliberately cute way of speaking–always the little girl putting on an ingratiating comedy act.”
And an act it is. In reading about his book on Wikipedia the writer mentions that The Big Time reads more like a stage play, with the major action of the war taking place in the wings, just out of view of the audience. I certainly can see it that way and the entire time I was reading this short tale I was thinking about how much more enjoyable it would be to be reading it aloud to someone. Leiber’s characters and their manner of speaking, most notable Greta Forzane, would be a delight to hear.
The story itself, beginning as if Greta Forzane was playing tour guide to the reader, introducing one to the world of the Change War, slowly develops into a locked room mystery as various characters come into The Place and are caught in an event that finds them trapped, unable to access any portal out of where they are and yet for all intents and purposes still alive and well. I found that the story really picked up once the mystery plot began to emerge. Stories like The Big Time are often hard for me to judge. It isn’t a fully formed concept novel, it is a slice of the lives of a handful of people involved in a much bigger story. It really reads like a long short story. Where Leiber succeeds and I think others sometimes fail is that in creating a story in which the characters speak differently and have a unique way of putting things Leiber actually is a skilled writer. I never found the dialogue disruptive to the story. It has a musical quality to it that, as I mentioned, would be fascinating to actually ‘hear’ spoken. I think if one goes into this book understanding what it is, the experience of reading it is much more fulfilling.
Greta Forzane, the character, deserves a full 5 out of 5 stars. She is wonderfully realized. The story itself I initially gave a 3 out of 5 to but I changed it to a 3.5 out of 5 partially due to how much I liked her character and partially due to the fact that I spent some time thinking about just what Leiber was trying to accomplish and whether or not he succeeded. Did The Big Time deserve a Hugo Award? I certainly cannot say. Awards themselves are often laden with controversy, and without being in that time period and reading the other nominees, it is hard to say. Is it as good as other Hugo winners I have read (admittedly very few)? No. I actually prefer Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories. However I did find the novel entertaining and I am glad to have read it. There are concepts that make it historically interesting: the threat of atomic weapons, the idea (only briefly touched on) of the entertainers also being sex therapists, a concept that was no doubt somewhat unique in 1958, the idea of bringing in characters from multiple time periods, the past and the future. Lieber also introduces some interesting ideas about how people are recruited, resurrected, from their timelines and hints that this is a very unpleasant experience. It is a very interesting concept and one that I believe Leiber handles very well. At no point does the story break down or lose anything. I believe Leiber tells us the exact story he set out to tell.
Fritz Leiber mentions in the introduction that in a later story he brings several of these characters back and places them in something resembling a USO traveling show, sending them to various places in the time stream to entertain troops while also conducting small clandestine acts to affect the outcome of the battle. I liked the characters enough, especially Greta Forzane, that I will be picking up that novella in the future and checking it out.
Overall I think The Big Time is a novel for those who want to experience something different in their science fiction reading. I am not sure the novelty of it has the kind of enduring appeal that, say, Robert Heinlein’s books Double Star (which won in 1956) or Starship Troopers (1960) has, but for me I am thrilled to have read something different in Fritz Leiber’s canon. Thanks for the gift, Jeff, it was fun.
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This is my second read in The Sci Fi Experience 2008.
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One of my goals for this year is to read more Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award winning fiction. It didn’t start out that way. It was only in reading Orson Scott Card’s multiple award winning Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead that I began checking awards list just out of curiousity to see how many I had read. The answer was: practically none.
I am certainly not under the illusion that good fiction is predicated on whether or not that fiction has won awards. In fact I am most firmly planted on the other end of that spectrum. However, my love of the few stories I have read that have been honored with Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards has made me wonder just what other amazing stories are out there that I have not experienced. I am also fond of the historical aspect of reading older books that affected people so much at the time that they felt the need to honor that story with an award.
And so I decided to put together a list to track my reading of these award winners. I embedded the post…a very loooong post, back in December 2007. The link can be found here and also in my sidebar under the name Awards List in the Blog Links section.
Feel free to use it if you are interested.
I look at those lists all the time and think I don’t read enough award-winning books. It’s a goal of mine to read a bit more this year.
on a fast skim of those lists I’ve read a whole 5 of them lol.. and of course they are in “fantasty”..
you really enjoy making lists huh? *smirk*
I’m not a huge list maker except for this time of the year. It always feels ‘right’ somehow to be planning, plotting, and scheming in January.
I look forward to your reviews, Kailana, be they award winners or not.
Oh dear. 35 and counting from that list and that doesn’t take into account the ones
I can’t remember for sure but sound familiar or other titles by some of the authors listed.
Ha! Maybe I should do the list too. I did better for the Hugo than the Nebula, though — although I think I might want to read more from the Locus Award Winners.
This can be a challenge, but it could also be a meme.;p
Elizabeth: 35?!?!! That is great!
It certainly is meme-worthy, Dark O.
Wow, Carl. How cool to have all those lists in one handy place! Bookmarked it…thanks!
you know, this is the first time that i’ve seriously looked at those lists too…! and while i am with you in believing that books can be very good without receiving an award, there must, of course, be something about a book that wins it an award…
also, when i decide to pick up a book or read around a book and then find out that its a hugo award winner (or something like that) then it does increase my anticipation and excitement for the book.
incidentally, one of the hugo award winning novels that i’ve read is “a case of conscience”, which one the award right after “the big time”…
An award does not make a book, but it does bring it to peoples attention.
The most important part is the story and the characters that move it forward.
Personal taste has a lot to do with reading. I find that even the authors I love can disappoint
sometimes. I think that’s all part of what makes finding and reading so much fun.
When I think about it, my list is long because I’ve been reading a good many years.
I challenge every one to try a new genre once and awhile. Lots of good sci/fi out there.
Elizabeth: Couldn’t agree more. I’ve been reading a long time too, but my science fiction reading over the years has mostly been limited to authors I discovered in my youth (with numerous re-reads of their books). That is why I am so excited about reading books that for one reason or another intimidated me as a youth when I first discovered my love of science fiction. I’m also in the spot where, as a young man, I read A TON. During college I read very little and even as an adult my reading was sporadic until the past several years. A good indication is the fact that the first year I started blogging (and the two previous years where I journaled my reading), I only averaged around 25 books finished a year. The past 2 years have been in the 50’s+.
JP: That is interesting that you read Case of Conscience. I agree with what you are saying as well. There certainly has to be something at the time that the book was written that made it award worthy…or even nomination worthy. While I wouldn’t recommend The Big Time to anyone who isn’t already a Leiber fan or is a big time (pardon the pun) science fiction fan, I did find enough about it that really interested me and makes me glad I read it.
And yes, Elizabeth, one’s favorite authors do indeed disappoint sometimes. And genre challenging is certainly one of the things this blog is about. With challenges every year (or in this case a non-challenge) that emphazise science fiction, fantasy, and gothic/horror…and all the various subgenres of each, as well as supporting other challenges, everyone who participates here certainly experiences different genres of fiction. I look forward to your thoughts on any of the Hugo and Nebula winners myself and others read during this ‘experience’ if they are ones that you’ve read. It is always to get the viewpoint of others who’ve read a book you are reviewing.
The one thing that interests me the most when reading Classic Sci-fi is definitely the time factor. It’s amazing to me to read books that are 30, 40, 50 years old and see how visionary some of the authors really are!! A friend talked me into a Classic Sci-Fi reading group about a year ago, and I’ve been really impressed. Fun is a word that comes to mind when reading Sci-Fi. I can’t wait to get started on my own experience. I think Cities in Flight by James Blish will be the first book I pick up !!
I was looking at the lists and I’ve read even less Nebulas than Hugos…only 2! I really want to do something about that this year.
I’ve read 8 Hugo’s which is actually a lot more than what I thought I had read! I’d really like to read more of them though. There’s some great books on there (at least I imagine they’d be great).
I also haven’t ever really looked at the Locus Awards list, but it’s amazing!! Those guys rock. I was thrilled to see that they’ve given so many fantasy awards to Orson Scott Card’s Alvin Maker series…like I need to start you on another series of his :p It’s another great one though. I know that they’re always kind to Neil Gaiman as he deserves it, but it’s great to see OSC and George R.R. Martin among others on their list. I’m going to have to check out some of the other books on there. Definitely bookmarking that post of yours.
My biggest problem Carl is my inability to write a decent review. I tend towards: I liked it, it was ok or not worth turning the pages. I also hestitate to overly push a book even when I love it because I use the library so much and hate the thought of someone going out and buying something on my say-so and then not enjoying it as much as me.
I admire the way you put your thoughts in words, one of the many reasons why I love this blog.
Thanks Elizabeth. I think I’ve done enough on this blog and on other people’s blogs to freely admit that I understand just how much reading is a matter or personal taste, of the frame of mind one is in when they are reading a certain book, etc. and so I know that something I absolutely love may very well be something someone else just cannot get into. That is why I at least try to communicate the fact that it is my personal opinion on a book. I understand that it is a risk recommending something but that is a risk that the other person takes as well. All I can hope is that if a person picks up 5 books that I recommend, at least 3 or 4 of them will tickle their fancy. In the end I like talking about books too much not to recommend them…or steer people away from them if it isn’t something I enjoyed. And everyone has the same option you do, which is to pick the book up from the library and try it out rather than taking a risk with their funds. I’d love to see you go ahead and push the books you love. If it is something that grabs hold of you and won’t let go, you should share that with folks who read your blog. It is no different than trusting a ‘professional’ critic. We are all responsible for the advice we take, it isn’t the advice givers fault if we ultimately disagree with them. As long as you are giving your honest opinion of something, that is all that should matter.
I appreciate you reading and enjoying my site and I say: Go for it!
Chris: Quit pimping Card!!! I’m sold, damn you! 😉 Just kidding, pimp away my friend, pimp away.
I love Awards lists. Lots of fuel for discussion. So after scrolling through all the lists I’ve totaled up what I’ve read so far from each group ( I combined all categoris together from space sake ). Hugo’s – 10, Nebula’s – 5, Clarke & Campbell – 0, Locus – 23. Overall I’ve read more than I would have guessed but I would love to grow those numbers much higher this year. Luckly many of these novels, etc. are already on the TBR pile. Plus these lists have defiently peaked my curiousity on several writers to add to the TBR pile ( Connie Willis is one for example. ). 🙂 On a sidenote I love those rocket statues. Didn’t you do a post on those different rocket statues once before, Carl? Maybe we just checked out a website of the past statues one time. These lists were also a great idea to include early in the Scifi experience.
As for The Big Time I will agree with Carl on many aspects of this novel in that it’s well written and the style is exactly as the author intended. The unique speech patterns of each character, Greta being my favorite as well, and the novel having a very stage like feel. Overall though these factors worked against my enjoyment of the novel in the long run. I became confused numerous times between the characters on who said what or what they mean’t because of the style. Also even though I grew to like several characters I didn’t enjoy the overall story enough in the end. Although I don’t want to read any more of The Change War stories I would still like to check out one of his horror stories some day plus I fully intened to keep on reading the F&GM stories.
You are indeed correct sir, I did do a Hugo statue post in the past!
If it weren’t for Gaiman’s short stories and the Fenner’s art books there I would have read even fewer award winners than I have so far! 🙂
Those definitely helped me as well in my count. I also have read all of George RR Martin’s novels so that helped on the Locus list. As for the Hugo list I have read Dune, Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Starship Troopers in addition to the one’s you’ve read in the novel category although I haven’t read Speaker of the Dead yet. If I read the George RR Martin Dreamsong Novels then that will help read several of his award winning novellas and novelette’s. I’m REALLY glad you compiled these lists. Honestly. Thanks!
I am too, it has strongly influenced what I want to read this year.