Book Review: 'I, Weapon' by Charles W. Runyon

Book Review: 'I, Weapon' by Charles W. Runyon

2 / 5 Stars

 

Charles W. Runyon (1928-2015) wrote a sizeable number of short stories and novels in the mystery, private eye, and sf genres during the 60s and 70s. Some of these saw publication under the house name 'Ellery Queen'. An interview with Runyon and a bibliography of his works, featuring scans of the paperbacks and hardcover editions, is available here.

According to his entry in the online Science Fiction Encyclopedia, Runyon wrote 16 stories for the sf digest market during the 50s though the 70s. His sf novels other than 'I, Weapon' include 'Ames Holbrook, Deity' (1972), and 'Pigworld' (1971). 

 

'I, Weapon' (252 pp.) first was issued in hardcover in 1974. The mass-market paperback edition I read was published by Popular Library in December, 1977, with cover art by Carlos Ochagavia.

 

The novel is set in the far future, in the wake of an interstellar war between the Terran empire and an alien race known as the Vim. The Vim had conquered the solar system and ravaged Earth before abruptly retiring back into their own system, and five hundred years later, as the events in 'Weapon' begin, there are signs that the Vim are renewing their offensive.

 

The empire is populated by various mutant races, all derived from Homo sapiens. Preeminent among the races are the Jelks, who represent the managerial class. Su-shann, a Jelk woman, has consulted with the empire's foremost computer brain about measures to deter the Vim. According to the computer, there is one option, and one option only: breed a superman and dispatch this superman to infiltrate Vim space, find the Vim master computer, and disable it.

 

To carry out the computer's instructions Su-shann is obliged to form an uneasy alliance with Yakov Ras, a fellow bureaucrat. The two of them joust for control of the breeding program, with Su-shann - the grandmother of the 'saviour,' so to speak - adamant about her choice of the notorious space pirate Ben Abo as the father of the child. For his part, Yakov Ras colludes to have some of the more exotic mutant races of Earth serve as the other pair of grandparents.

 

After much travail, the superman is born and rapidly matures. Going by the name of Raki, the eponymous 'weapon' sets out on his solo mission to defeat the Vim. But as his journey into Vim space progresses, Raki discovers that there are dangers greater than the Vim lurking in the depths of space......

 

I found 'I, Weapon' to be inferior to Runyon's other sci-fi novel, 'Pig World.' Part of this is due to the prose style Runyon uses for 'Weapon,' a wordy, compressed style that recalls pulp sci-fi in terms of relating major plot points, often within a paragraph or two, with a frenetic pacing. For all this, Raki doesn't set out on his mission to save the empire until page 207. This means the novel's first 206 pages are complicated expositions on all of the scheming and skullduggery between Su-shann and Yakov Ras.

 

Runyon salts the narrative with episodes of inter-species sexual congress, these episodes reading as combinations of sci-fi with the Penthouse Forum. Depending on your attitude about the Forum, these episodes can be rather cringey.........

 

The novel's final chapters offer some degree of reward, as the revelations come fast, but at the same time, Raki's superhuman powers mean he's never really in much peril, and there are too many contrivances popping up at just the right time to ease his path. This is particularly true when the plot takes on a 'cosmic' aspect and Raki can deploy not only telepathy, but teleportation (at distances of up to five miles, no less).

 

In closing, 'I, Weapon' has some value as a fast-paced example of a 1970s space opera. If that genre appeals to you, then you might the novel entertaining.