The Nova Express, published in 1964, is a part of the Nova trilogy. American author William S. Burroughs completed the novel. The other parts of the trilogy include The Soft Machine and the Ticket that Exploded. We also know the Nova series as the Cut-Up Trilogy.
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Author: William S. Burroughs
Genre: Science fiction
Pages: 192
Good reads rating: 3.68 of 5
My Ratings: 6.9 of 10
Published: November 9, 1964 (Revised Vision 2014)
Publisher: Grove Press
Language: English
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***Warning Spoilers Below This Point***
The author wrote the novel with a fold-in method, which is one version of the Cut-up approach that is the reason we know it as Cut-up trilogy. The writer of the book considers this trilogy to be a sequel to Naked Lunch. The novel got nominated for the Nebula award for the best novel in the year 1965. It also received the position in the list of 100 best novels by David Pringle’s 1985 book Science fiction.
This novel offers basically a social commentary on control of life by humans and machines. The Nova Mob in the novel includes Sammy, the Butcher, Mr and Ms D, Green Tony, Blue Dinosaur, Iron Claws, The Subliminal Kid, The Brown Artist, Paddy the Sting, Jacky Blue Note, Hamburger Mary, Limestone John, and Izzy the Push. These mob characters are viruses, and it defines them as the 3D coordinate point of the controller. These viruses can attack humans and can produce language.
These viruses took control with the use of word and image, and now they represent the government, society and culture. There are few people, including Inspector Lee and the leftover Nova Police, who fights for humanity and want to be back in power with a struggle. The police focus on criminals, addicts, dissidents, and homosexuals. If these criminals hide, the police have to make their own criminals for survival. For existence, the Nova police depend on the Nova criminals. Police will become non-existent if there are no criminals.
Part of a trilogy series, Nova Express focuses on the control aspect which is the fundamental topic of this novel. It receives my ratings of 6.9 out of 10. Would I re-read this novel? No. Am I glad I read it? Yes.
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