JOHN BRUNNER: THE LONG RESULT
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(Not the copy I used. Taken from the web.) John Brunner (1934-1995): The Long Result , Del Rey 1981, 190 pages. The Long Result was originally published in 1965 and thus near the end of the early stage of John Brunner's career just before his prime. It's a toned down, under-developed novel, likely suffering both from the limits set for the length of novels by genre publishers back then and Brunner's rapid production of novels. It's essentially a polished draft of what could have been an above average and somewhat ambitious novel for Brunner. Short in action, theoretically 'heavy' in subject, in a mid-brow manner, it's essentially a story of the protagonist Roald Vincent experiencing (some) personal growth, and him and the human civilization on Earth both finding a new role for themselves in the further development of interstellar humanity and the shaping humanity's role towards other intelligent species, in a mature, responsible manner. It might be said...