Angry Young Spaceman

In his second novel, former Adbusters editor Munroe skillfully employs a veneer of science-fiction to cloak his pointed criticisms of contemporary American cultural and economic imperialism. This classic device (most famously used on the original Star Trek series) allows him to transform what might have been a very tired whinefest into a funny and engaging story. Ostensibly set about 1000 years in the future, the story's protagonist is Sam, an aimless young man who rejects his privileged background and the prospect of a cushy family job to go teach English to a squidlike race at the farthest ends of the galaxy. The impetus for this flight is his embarrassment over having been a "pug"-a kind of underground street-fighter very much akin those in Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club. However, in a future where even the most unlikely subculture is a creation of marketing teams, those searching for authenticity are bound to be disappointed.Sam's fish-out-of-water (or rather human-in-water, his new home planet is all underwater) story is charming enough in its own right, as he leaves behind a girl, tries to learn local ways by hanging out with other teachers, gains a love interest, and muddles his way through an exotic alien culture. However, the parallels to our world are obvious and meant to be so. Earth is the galaxy's hegemon, and uses its imposed system of intellectual property rights to stay on top, with the result that English is the passport to success throughout the galaxy. The story highlights the uncomfortable paradox of English being embraced by other cultures around the world for good economic reasons, and this embrace ultimately leading to a weakening of those cultures. Sam's journey to a backwater planet to teach English is extremely suggestive of similar jobs that exist in many parts of Asia and Eastern Europe today. Indeed, there are more than a few echoes of Japan in his new home of Octavia, and his get-togethers with other English teachers strike familiar notes of expatriate life. Lest one think it's all polemic, it should be noted that the book is written in a very chatty, witty style and never gets too dark or brooding. There are plenty of subplots, such as his friendships with a young man who grew up on the moon, a robotman, and another Earthling, not to mention his local love interest and the will-they-or-won't-they tension there. More ominous is a subplot revolving around his becoming the first human fluent in Octavian and the ramifications of that development. Certainly, hard science fiction buffs could tug the science of the book apart, but there's plenty of wild inventiveness to divert the casual fan of the genre. All in all, a highly entertaining read with a solid progressive message behind it.

ANGRY YOUNG SPACEMAN is a fast, fun, touching, tragic book about a disenfranchised young man who departs a future Earth -- treeless, oceanless, completely commercialized and culturally regulated -- to teach English on a backwater, underwater world. On the surface, this book is an interesting, vividly imagined fish-out-of-water story, but it is also so much more. Munroe packs this book chock-full of biting social/cultural/political commentary/criticism -- pretty much you can just substitute America for Earth, and just about any third-world country for Octavia, and you'll get the picture. Despite the serious and relevant undertones, the book is written in a funny, witty, straightforward conversational tone, making it very readable and almost impossible to put down. The characters, while not people I'd particularly want to spend time with, are interesting and likeable, the settings are interesting, well fleshed-out, and believable. The customs and conventions of the people ring true, as do the attempts by the locals of "modernization" to meet the Earth standards. This book is well worth the read.

The young protagonist of this book leaves Earth to teach English (the only official language for dealing with Earth itself, which is portrayed as an high-handed superpower) on a remote planet inhabithed by a weird human/squid race.I believe that the author choose a SF setting to (thinly) disguise his criticism of current political and cultural issues. In a sense the novel is very similar to novels (or non fiction books) about americans (or western men in general) who spend some time in Japan, teaching English and trying to adjust to a very different culture (like "Ransom" or "Angry White Pyjamas").Just don't read it for the Science in "Science Fiction"; it would probably disappoint you. Apart from this, I found it funny and touching, and the author surely has a vivid imagination.

Munroe continues the keen-eyed, witty social analysis of FLYBOY ACTION FIGURE COMES WITH GASMASK and increases his range of targets, from the media conquest of spontaneous, grass-roots "subcultures" such as punk (in the book's case, "pug," a loosely structured system of street fighting that brings Chuck Palahniuk to mind)--a process that seems not to have changed a great deal by 2959, only becoming more formalized--to the larger phenomenon of cultural imperialism, here substituting "Earth" for "America." Sam Breen, a twentysomething similar in many ways to FLYBOY's Ryan Slint, heads for the underwater world of Octavia to teach English and faces many of the perils and irritants of being a member of the galaxy's ruling entity while in a colonized region. While learning the language and getting to know the locals, he falls for Jinya, a young female who seems as interested in Earth as he is in Octavia. Mixed in with the narrative are compelling observations of life on Earth and Sam's former "pug" subculture that have urgent and relevant parallels for the present day. ANGRY YOUNG SPACEMAN certainly merits 5 stars, even though I still prefer FLYBOY (although that could certainly change after repeat readings). Through intriguing plot twists and tender portrayals of romantic longing, Munroe manages to transcend genre and create a well-crafted scifi novel that certainly shouldn't keep away those who "don't get" scifi.

Jim Munroe's science often falls apart (how did a liquid-covered planet ever develop metallurgy) but his science fiction, which is little more than using a set of narrative tropes to explore the human condition, is top notch. Sam Breen is a twentysomething 'pug' who gets into meaningless, angry fights because he knows that medical technology can fix him up simply. When he decides to go teach English on another planet though, he learns the dark side of modernity; simply learning another native language would be enough to hand the intellectual property of an entire planet over to wealthy earthlings. AYS is a "marvelous journey" story, a tour of our world dressed up like another. Munroe explores punk, intellectual property rights, the "exoticism" of the Third World and the discontents of the modern world in a clever, often funny and sometimes very tragic book.