Subject: Review: _Cyborg_, by Martin Caidin

From: [email-masked] (Aahz Maruch)
Date: 28 Aug 2000 14:59:28 -0400

_Cyborg_, by Martin Caidin
                      Review Copyright 2000 Aahz 

Mention the 1970s TV show _The Six Million Dollar Man_, and the reaction
is likely to be some combination of risibility and contempt.  What many
people don't know is that the TV show was based on the novel _Cyborg_, by
Martin Caidin -- and _Cyborg_ is *not* a fit subject for humor.

Technically, _Cyborg_ is quite possibly more properly labeled a "techno
thriller," like many of Tom Clancy's works, rather than a work of science
fiction.  This is particularly evident in the use of a political
background that hews closely to what existed in the early 1970s.  This
makes _Cyborg_ seem rather dated in many ways.

At the same time, Caidin was very, very careful to follow in the footsteps
of the hard science fiction masters.  Unlike _The Andromeda Strain_,
_Cyborg_ contains nothing to raise any eyebrows over its theoretical
feasibility.  However, almost thirty years later, much of the technology
described still is not available.  The disjunct between the political and
technological background does lead to some whiplash of the brain.

A good example contrasting the book with the TV show is the treatment of
the eye: in the TV show, it's a Super Eye with telescopic lens that sends
images directly to Austin's brain.  In the book, it's a mechanical eye
with no neural linkage -- it's hooked to the muscles so it looks like a
real eye, but it only contains a tiny camera with a film cartridge.

Overall, _Cyborg_ is not a particularly outstanding piece of writing.  But
if you like thrillers, you're almost certain to enjoy it, and you'll be
amazed at just how good the science is.

NOTE: _Cyborg_ is out of print, but there were at least two print runs,
probably due to the TV series.  It seems to be reasonably easy to find on
used book web sites.  There are also mentions of two follow-on books that
I have not read, _Cyborg #2: Operation Nuke_ and _Cyborg IV_.  The third
book does not seem to exist.

%A Caidin, Martin
%T Cyborg
%I Warner Paperback Library
%D 1972
%G Library of Congress Catalog Number 73-183758
%P 318pp
%O Paperback, out of print

                      --- Aahz (Copyright 2000 by [email-masked])
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