Book Review: Time Gladiator

Book Review: Time Gladiator by Mack Reynolds (aka “Sweet Dreams, Sweet Princes”)

In the early 21st Century, the United American State has become a caste society. The Upper 1% have most of the wealth and power, while the Lower 90% have been automated out of jobs and must subsist on the People’s Capitalism, a welfare state that keeps them drugged and entertained. The most popular form of entertainment is gladitorial combat on the telly. Corporate disputes, regional quarrels, and even international kerfuffels that would previously lead to war are now settled by fracas in the arena.

Dennis “Denny” Land is somewhat atypical for a gladiator. He’s actually a Mid-Middle class college history professor, specializing in Etruscanology. As part of his studies, he became interested in ancient weapons, and researched them by participating in an amateur gladiatorial club. When the National Games started, the Upper who was the official head of the club decided he wanted the glory of club participation, so voluntold Denny for the qualifiers. And you don’t go against the Uppers. A combination of skill (Denny’s also a black belt in karate), luck, and people taking dives before he could has gotten Denny to the National finals.

An impromptu team-up with fellow finalist Jesus “Zero” Gonzales allows Denny to survive the finals and become a champion. Hello, fame! Unfortunately, the Upper who’s the head of his department at the university is displeased by Denny taking the spotlight, cuts his research stipend, and puts the professor on indefinite suspension.

Meanwhile, in the Soviet Complex, Colonel Yuri Malyshev is summoned to the headquarters of his security organization in Budapest. He briefly meets the head of his organization, who is stone drunk before noon, before being directed to the underling who does all the practical work. It seems that a Belgian scientist currently living in Common Europe, Auguste Balzin, has developed an anti-anti-missile system that could change the balance of power. To keep it out of the wrong hands, Yuri must get this scientist into Sov-World control.

Denny, at somewhat loose ends, is surprised when he’s summoned to the Octagon in what used to be Washington, D.C. It turns out that Zero’s day job is secret agent, and Denny’s particular set of skills and circumstances make him an ideal candidate for the mission of recruiting Balzin. Balzin, it seems, is a big Etruscan history buff. He also has a weakness for pretty women, so the team is rounded out with Bette Yardborough, a capable agent as well as eye candy.

The plan falls apart almost immediately after Denny meets Balzin. In the excitement, Balzin disappears, and the West, the Sovs, and Common Europe all accuse each other of having him. The Neut-World countries are also interested. Only one thing for it! A three-way gladiatorial combat with three teams of three men entering, and one team leaving.

One of the Sov-World team is Yuri, and when he and Denny meet, there’s a surprise in store….

Despite the title, there’s no time travel or other time wackiness going on in this novel, which was originally serialized in Analog in 1964. There are gladiators, though.

One of the big themes of the book is that West-world and Sov-world are mirror images. While the West has its rigid castes, the Soviets have Party membership, which is now hereditary rather than optional or earned. Both societies have become stagnant with little in the way of scientific progress. (They do have tap-to-pay credit card screens, however.) Common Europe seems a little more vital, but it is led by hereditary strongman The Gaulle.

Bette is all for change, and secretly belongs to The Sons of Liberty, one of those armchair rebellion groups. The difficulty of pulling off a revolution in a society where the majority of people don’t read anything “hard” or want to rock the boat is emphasized. The Lowers might not have good lives, but they’re not suffering, exactly.

There are a number of twists and reveals, so the story does not end anywhere near where you might have thought it would from the opening chapters. This is both a good point and a weakness, the latter because it makes a lot of what our protagonists have done seem like wasted effort and sacrifice.

The politics have dated this book severely, despite some of the underlying points still being relevant. This may make the story less appealing to younger readers who aren’t familiar with the world situation in the 1960s. People with a good grasp of the relevant history should be okay.

There’s just a bit of future slang in the story, which is mostly applied to sneaking dirty words past the puritanical editorial standards of the day.

Content note: Several people die in gladiatorial combat. It’s not over-described. Drug and alcohol abuse. Outdated ethnic terms. Classism. Bette is mostly judged on her appearance, while the men tend to be judged according to accomplishments.

This is a middling science fiction book, competently written, but of its time. Most recommended to gladiator fans.