A lot has been happening outside Rob's Gemini Capsule recently, and I haven't had much time to read. I've picked up a few titles in the last few months, but they've been serious, heavy works: the Ruby Throne series by Deborah Chester on one hand, Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" on another. In the face of all that gloom, I needed something to lighten my spirits.
It turned out "The Red Tape War" was just what I needed. Written by a team of three authors (Jack L Chalker, Mike Resnick, and George Alec Effinger) and published in 1991, the book is more a comedic exercise for the authors than a polished novel for the entertainment of the reader. Each author wrote one chapter at a time a chapter and tried to paint the next author into a corner as much as possible. I can see the enjoyment any author would get out of a challenge like that, especially if each is allowed to bend the rules a little bit along the way.
The story is set 67 centuries in the future, a time when humanity has explored the Milky Way and come to live peacefully with alien races from other worlds. The galaxy now drowns in bureaucracy, to the point that peace is maintained simply because starting a conflict or trade war simply requires too much paperwork. Auditor Millard Fillmore Pierce is sent on assignment to moderate a disagreement, but on the way he encounters a hostile force from another dimension bent on conquering the universe. An unlikely confluence of characters soon gather at the scene, including a computer in love, a buxom cowgirl, and a pair of energy-beings the size of atoms. Wacky adventures ensue as the stakes ramp up exponentially with each paradigm, only to crash back down again in the next chapter.
I want to state this clearly. "The Red Tape War" is not well written. Stakes don't mean much. The characters, though consistent, have almost no depth. The point of view shifts constantly and is often difficult to follow. The prose contains all sorts of irrelevant asides, ill-timed breaks from the action, messages directly to the reader, and in general lots of confusing information. The ending is abrupt and unsatisfying. And all of that is exactly the point.
"The Red Tape War" is not meant to be taken seriously at any level--and if you approach any part of it with that expectation, you will be disappointed. This book is a 240-page distraction, a fantastical yarn that doesn't mean anything and isn't trying to create anything of substance. The authors are fully aware of that, and they take full advantage of it.
I bought this book because it sounded funny. I ended up getting completely mindless entertainment out of it. And with everything that's been happening recently, a little mindless entertainment has been therapeutic. If you want a quality read to engage your mind with, you will not like this book at all. If you're willing to turn your mind off and just let some hilarious insanity spill off the page, I recommend it.
Information on my copy of the book is listed below.
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[Last updated: 2024-11-12]
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