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Patterns of Chaos by Colin Kapp
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Patterns of Chaos (original 1972; edition 1978)

by Colin Kapp

Series: Chaos (Kapp) (book 1)

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1764153,489 (3.22)3
Bron is a chaos catalyst. He wreaks havoc and destruction as surely as a hurricane wherever he goes. Commando Central has planted an electrode transmitter-receiver deep inside his brain and infiltrated him into the Destroyer Spacefleet to prevent it from gaining absolute mastery of the galaxy. But Bron's own brand of chaos is lethally unpredictable. And when whole planets are annihilated by monster hellburner bombs set on course seven hundred million years ago from distant Andromeda, aimed directly at Bron himself, both sides realise something more colossal, more threatening and infinitely more powerful is taking a hand in Bron's weird destiny . . .… (more)
Member:mrko
Title:Patterns of Chaos
Authors:Colin Kapp
Info:Ace, (1978), Mass Market Paperback
Collections:Your library
Rating:***1/2
Tags:None

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Patterns of Chaos by Colin Kapp (1972)

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I didn't finish this book, nor come close, as I was really put off by Colin Papp's overt misogynistic writing style. One of the primary characters in the book is consistently referred to as "Honey-Bitch" and the back cover describes her as "a sadistic bitch-goddess," which I guess should have been a dead give away. I guess I didn't realize it was going to permeate the entire book so sordidly. It's rather nauseating. Why not call the male lead "ball sac?" That might even things out a little bit? And while this is an old book, published in 1972, it's still "new" enough to have been published well after women's lib got its start, so it should have been more sensitive to this fact, unless the author was, as I've suggested, simply a misogynistic asshole. Which I assume is the case. So I read two chapters and quit. It didn't seem like I would be missing much anyway. Not the most enticing sci fi I've read. If you want dated, sexist, bad sci fi, this is for you. Otherwise, trash it. One star. ( )
  scottcholstad | Apr 28, 2016 |
Another of the books that I greatly enjoyed as a teenager but haven't read for some years. Fortunately it turns out that this is one I still enjoy. A man wakes in the middle of a vicious attack upon a city by a starship, dragged from unconsciousness by a voice inside his head. He has no memory of who he is and what he's doing there, but the voice in his head is no hallucination. The first priority is to get him up and moving to where he's supposed to be -- because Bron is a deepcover agent with a telepathic link back to his base, and being amnesiac doesn't excuse him from the job he was sent to do. Within a few hours, the planet he's on will be destroyed by hellburners, deadly missiles that can tear a planet apart. And in those hours, the Destroyer fleet will raid, taking slaves and goods, and most particularly anyone with expertise in chaos theory -- the concept that the patterns of chaos can be read to predict the future. One of the first things Bron learns about himself is that he has a synthetic personality embedded to allow him to pass as one of those experts, making him a target for the raiders - and a Trojan horse.

Which would be an interesting story in its own right, and the initial phase of the book is a very good story of a deepcover agent rediscovering who he is a bit at a time, while in the middle of the most dangerous job he's ever done. But Kapp takes it to a new level, as Bron comes to understand that the hellburner was aimed at him. Specifically him, personally. And that it's been on its way for 700 million years...

This is a solid piece of 1970s space opera, with a plot on the grand scale combined with some fascinating details to flesh out the universe, and some well-realised characters. It's short by modern standards, but that's all to the good, as it's a tightly written story. An entertaining way to pass a few hours. ( )
1 vote JulesJones | Sep 3, 2011 |
ZB5
  mcolpitts | Aug 1, 2009 |
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La notte era spezzata da cento candele di rame: i raggi pressori si tendevano verso il basso, trasportando il grande carico di morte della nave sul centro della città, distruggendo il terreno con tremendo fragore.
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Bron is a chaos catalyst. He wreaks havoc and destruction as surely as a hurricane wherever he goes. Commando Central has planted an electrode transmitter-receiver deep inside his brain and infiltrated him into the Destroyer Spacefleet to prevent it from gaining absolute mastery of the galaxy. But Bron's own brand of chaos is lethally unpredictable. And when whole planets are annihilated by monster hellburner bombs set on course seven hundred million years ago from distant Andromeda, aimed directly at Bron himself, both sides realise something more colossal, more threatening and infinitely more powerful is taking a hand in Bron's weird destiny . . .

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