| Recently republished by Millennium, The Dosadi Experiment
continues the adventures of Jorj X. McKie of the Bureau of Sabotage (BuSab),
an organisation empowered to reducing the powers of corrupt governments by
means of sabotage. In the far future, humans and aliens have joined
together in a galaxy-wide federation of intelligent species: The
ConSentiency. Its existence is threatened by the discovery of a secret,
deadly experiment on the planet Dosadi. There the frog-like Gowachin have
created a brutal society of 850 million beings, humans and Gowachin
confined in an area of 40 square kilometres. However, the experiment in
overcrowding is getting out of control. The beings that have bred on
Dosadi are so tough and resourceful that they are capable of breaking out
of their monstrous prison and overrunning the galaxy.
This reprint was a welcome excuse to re-read a memorable story. I found
it to be just as credible, although not in the same league as Dune. It has
also strangely dated - basically, I think that due to the length of modern
novels we have come to expect 'fuller' novels. The book does stand on its
own, but if you are a Frank Herbert 'completist', then I recommend that
you track down a copy of Whipping Star before reading this. |