THE BIG WIN

by Jimmy Miller ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 17, 1969

For starters the Chinese manage to wipe out most of the United States and Russia by ping plague pills into the wild rice at flendly local chop suey parlors. Then the French retaliate with a nuclear attack that wipes out the Chinese mainland. In this setting, it's post-plague time; the French have taken over most of America which is separated into ""the Richies"" and ""the Poories"" ...and the only way a poorie can become a richie is via the big win...a new kind of numbers racket played to the death. In this grave new World three youngsters collaborate on a mission implausible...a hunt to find the greatest missing Chinese War criminal: ""Suan N.Y."" The three--Gerry, a tough poorie... Nicole, a Parisian aristocrat, and Franky, a hippie from Venus, make the rounds from Aztec sacrificial fields to Eskimo colonies to a death camp on Mercury. The author happily exploits and explores campy contumacies like incest, masturbation, racism, homosexuality, fetishism, fanaticism and all the social/political outer limits. If only the characters were as dimensional as the landscapes. Still, wildly imaginative...for a sophisticated science fiction audience.

Pub Date: Sept. 17, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1969

Categories: FICTION