APPLE%MIT-MC@sri-unix.UUCP (05/25/84)
From: James A. Cox <APPLE @ MIT-MC> After seeing "The Probability Broach" by L. Neil Smith recommended as an example of libertarian SF, I ran right out to my favorite bookstore and bought a copy. Of course I've read a number of books with libertarian angles, including some by Heinlein, H. Beam Piper, Lee Correy, and even James P. Hogan but I don't think I've ever read anything which carried laudatory blurbs from "Libertarian Review" and "Reason" as this book does. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the book, for two reasons. First, the book makes a good many errors about the history of the American Revolution, and to someone who knows anything about that event, those errors are every bit as glaring as the errors of science in "V." Second, the book is preachy about libertarianism. Of course I expected that, but what I didn't expect was that its preaching would be unconvincing! Maybe I'm spoiled having read persuasive libertarian arguments in Poli-Sci for the past few years.... The premise of the book is the existence of an alternative universe in which the United States has developed into a libertarian "North American Confederacy." The history of the two universes was the same up until 1794, when in the alternative universe George Washington was killed by Albert Gallatin during the Whisky Rebellion. Gallatin (who in "our" universe was an unspectacular Secretary of the Treasury in the Jefferson administration) led the attack against the Federalists and "their" Constitution, which was declared "null and void." The Articles of Confederation were reinstated and Gallatin was proclaimed President. Shortly thereafter he was confirmed by Congress, which proceeded to abolish all taxes and restore seized property to the Loyalists and Federalists. In 1797, the Articles of Confederation were revised, binding the United States and the states to respect the civil and political rights of all citizens. From that point on, the government proceeded to gradually wither away, leaving Americans to enjoy their blissful anarcho-capitalist paradise. The most obvious historical error is that Gallatin could not have been "proclaimed" President after the Articles of Confederation were reinstated, because THERE WAS NO SUCH OFFICE UNDER THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION! It got worse from that point on. Smith's made-up history has all sorts of unlikely people being elected president through history, including Albert Jay Nock, H.L. Mencken, and Ayn Rand (imagine the oh-so-dignified Ms. Rand out "stumping," eating ethnic dishes and making speeches!). The libertarianism is, as I said, not very convincing. The basic plot has a few concerned individuals trying to stop a "Federalist" conspiracy to restore the Constitution and do other evil things to the free people of the Confederation. (It's not very difficult to spot the Federalists because they all wear insignia of an eye-in-a-pyramid [you know, like on the back of a one dollar bill]). In one scene, the main character has just captured an assasin, sent to kill him by the number one baddie. It turns out that Confederacy "custom" prohibits the guy from threatening the assasin in order to make him reveal the name of his boss. Come on! That sounds like they let Earl Warren write the criminal rules in both universes. In MY libertarian paradise, that man just forfeited ALL rights by attempting murder. Once force is used against me, I ought to have the right to respond with whatever degree of force I deem necessary in order to insure that those who violated my rights once cannot do so again. The characterizations are little better. "The Probability Broach" reads as though L. Neil Smith neglected to make up new characters of his own, and just appropriated ones from the "Lensman" series of another Smith: E.E. "Doc". Only the plot is of any rudimentary interest; I was interested in whether Smith let the Federalists win in the end--but the book's faults almost had me turning to the last chapter directly, skipping the rest. All in all, I do not recommend the book. - James Cox