The World Inside by Robert Silverberg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a somewhat fascinating, excellently written porn set in an extremely overpopulated, but relatively comfortable utopian paradise with buildings a thousand stories high.

Odd? Nah, it's the second Hugo nom of Silverberg in '72, being one prolific and focused writer, with too many ideas to cram into any single book, instead just exploring a few here and a few there, but doing it so excellently that the rest of the New Wave crowd just stares and stares at the grotesque sexual display.

Society has gotten very permissive now that all the problems of scarcity whether in food or space or power has been solved. And why not? Genetically, culturally, and, apparently, realistically, no one has an issue with staying inside these damn huge apartment complexes. :) J. G. Ballard has a great number of short stories that explore this whole idea, too, but we're not talking about him. We're talking about Silverberg, who takes it all the way down the sexual rabbithole.

Oh my, that sounds weird, doesn't it? No no rabbits were harmed in the writing of this book.

But where's the conflict, you ask? Oh, it's all in the 20th century deviancy, of course. Jealousy, desire to set foot outside, and the meeting of the throwback farmers that actually provide for all these permissive non-proletariats. :) What could go wrong? Oh, don't worry, no spoilers!

But like most of Silverberg's works, he's talking about us. Often harshly.

At least he always makes sure that the story is solid and interesting, too! :)


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