In this bi-weekly series reviewing classic science fiction and fantasy books, Alan Brown looks at the front lines and frontiers of the field; books about soldiers and spacers, scientists and engineers, explorers and adventurers. Stories full of what Shakespeare used to refer to as “alarums and excursions”: battles, chases, clashes, and the stuff of excitement.
Today I’m looking at In the Country of the Blind, the first book by one of my long-time favorite science fiction authors, Michael F. Flynn. Since Flynn passed away in September of this year, I have been intending to review one of his books in this column, but had been torn deciding which one. But once I realized I am not bound to a single tale, I decided to start with his first novel. And it’s a good one, about the discovery of a secret society of mathematicians who perfected the mechanical computing devices envisioned by Charles Babbage in the early 1800s, and since then, have been using their research to dominate the world from behind the scenes. The book fits into the category that is sometimes called a techno-thriller, set in the present, but with a plot that focuses on science and technology.
Flynn’s work began appearing in Analog in the 1980s, as many of my favorite authors were writing less—publishing less frequently, and often at short lengths. Soon, his name was one of the first things I looked for in every new issue, and meeting him at science fiction conventions increased my affection for the man and his work over time. Flynn was soft-spoken, affable, and generous with fans. Small gatherings between fans and authors, often called kaffeeklatsches, were popular in those days, and a format where he excelled—especially when talking about the science and history behind his stories, he could become quite enthusiastic, and the time (generally an hour) would fly by.
One story I heard Flynn tell is how he almost became the last discovery of John Campbell before the famed Analog editor passed away. He had sent a story to Analog that was returned with a critique from Campbell almost as long as the story itself. Disappointed, he tucked the story away and went on with his life—it was only later Flynn learned that a lengthy, detailed critique meant that Campbell liked a story and wanted a rewrite, and it wasn’t until Stanley Schmidt’s time as Analog editor that Flynn began to sell to the magazine.
Buy the Book
Exordia
I had originally read parts of In the Country of the Blind in the form of shorter works in Analog, and bought and read the Baen paperback original version when it first appeared in 1990. At some point, I discovered and purchased a hardback version of the book that had been published by Tor Books in 2001, which included a copy of an essay Flynn had written about the science of studying history. It’s a little unusual for one publisher to pick up a book already printed by another house, but Tor had launched what turned out to be a long and productive partnership with Flynn, and published pretty much every novel he wrote from that point forward.
My hardback edition of In the Country of the Blind, which I had bought and shelved to replace my tattered paperback, is what I read for this review, and I was pleased to find out that it was not simply a reprinted version of the paperback, but an updated and expanded version.
About the Author
Michael F. Flynn (1947-2023) was an American industrial quality engineer and statistician who wrote science fiction in his spare time. He became a popular writer in Analog magazine during Stanley Schmidt’s time as editor. His work was popular from the start, as he won a Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Memorial Award for new authors; he also collected two Prometheus Awards, and was first author to be recognized with the Robert A. Heinlein Medal. While he never won a Hugo, his works received seven nominations over the years.
In addition to In the Country of the Blind, he co-wrote Fallen Angels with Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, which gave him name recognition among fans of hard science fiction. His popular solo novels included Eifelheim, the story of historians discovering evidence of alien visitors to Germany during the dark ages; the Firestar series, which followed the efforts of entrepreneurs developing the first single-stage-to-orbit spacecraft; and the Spiral Arm series, a fanciful romantic space opera set in the far future.
Seeing the Future
Looking for patterns in history, and projecting them out into the future, has been a part of science fiction since the earliest days. Asimov’s Foundation series was based on this idea, as was Heinlein’s Future History. Poul Anderson’s future history, which influenced many of his works, was shaped by his study of historians and their theories (and I talked about his use of historical theory when I reviewed his Trader to the Stars). Authors from Murray Leinster on down have explored alternative versions of how history might have turned out, looking “Sidewise in Time,” if you will, guessing what might have been if events had turned out differently (a subject I discussed in my review of L. Sprague de Camp’s Lest Darkness Fall).
Michael Flynn does something with In the Country of the Blind that blends both approaches. He suggests that the ideas and designs of Charles Babbage, which remained largely theoretical until much later in real-world history, were successfully engineered and implemented by a secret society who began to use what they learned to shape the course of history. Conspiracy theories have long been a favorite trope in tales of espionage, and Flynn gives his secret society a tool that feels plausible and historically grounded. As a statistician, he’s also able to imbue the idea of predicting and shaping history with a sense of plausibility and (at least a veneer of) rigor that helps his tale to stand head and shoulders above many other books with a similar premise.
I must confess, though, that stories about conspiracy theories are not as fun as they used to be. Conspiracy theories have become a central, and poisonous, part of political discourse in our country, and sometimes it can be hard to separate truth from fiction. But fictional stories about conspiracies can also help us to discern what might or might not be possible, and a better understanding of how these kinds of narratives work may be the best antidote to protect us from those who would brand fiction as fact, and use it to manipulate rather than entertain us.
In the Country of the Blind
The book opens by introducing us to a man named Brady and his friend Isaac, who are discussing the progress of the American Civil War, and how the war is not following the predictions of their statistical models. It then jumps to the present, where real estate developer Sarah Beaumont is looking over a dilapidated property with her architect, Dennis French. They find some old papers referencing a previous owner of the property, a Brady Quinn. They also list historical events and persons, some familiar and some obscure, and references to something called “cliology,” which apparently involves taking a scientific approach toward history. Dennis takes the list to investigate it. Sarah thinks it would be nice to name her refurbished building after Brady Quinn, and decides to do research on the man.
In addition to doing a search on the internet (the pre-internet versions of the book called it the “National DataNet”), Sarah decides to visit old friend Morgan Grimes, a reporter at the newspaper where she used to work. Morgan, looking into the matter, finds some connections to research he has been conducting into a decades-long series of mysterious murders. Sarah investigates another old building, and finds mysterious devices that look like analog computing devices, which calculate with spinning wheels, gears, and levers. There are also file folders containing more old documents. All of this poking around on the internet quickly attracts the attention of an ancient and murderous secret society. Soon someone attempts to assassinate Sarah and kills Morgan. Dennis, put into the hospital by a hit-and-run driver, then disappears without any record he had ever been treated.
Fortunately for Sarah, she is a woman of many talents. She grew up poor in Chicago, an extremely precocious young Black girl who spent much of her youth in libraries, soaking in knowledge on a wide range of subjects. She plays piano, and enjoys ragtime, her mother’s favorite musical genre. She is skilled at computer programming, and learned hacking in college. She became a newspaper reporter, and soon tired of Chicago, heading west to make a new life. She settled in Denver and soon left journalism to fix up and sell dilapidated properties, with the size of her projects (and her wealth) increasing steadily along the way. She developed a love of the outdoors, and can ride, live off the land, and even kill game with a throwing knife. She will need every one of these skills to survive. However, in learning to be so self-sufficient, and in embracing being different from others around her, Sarah also became closed off from other people, and her detachment could lead to her undoing. Ironically, the only way she can survive in a world of conspiracies is by learning to trust.
Sarah is contacted by “Red” Malone, an agent of a rival faction (“the Associates”) of what had started out as the Babbage Society. They have specialized analytical abilities like the original group, but are far less invasive—and far less ruthless—in how they interact with society. It turns out that organizations who attempt to control history have a propensity to splinter over time. Sarah initially rebuffs Red and, angered by the attacks on her and her friends, designs a computer program that will search out the secrets of the Babbage Society and reveal them to the world at large. At the same time, Dennis’ partner, an accountant named Jeremy Collingwood, knows his disappearance was related to the information Sarah has revealed, and sets out with a group of college professors to try to root out the Babbage Society. They will face the same threats as Sarah, but with their secrets revealed to the world, the Babbage Society has its hands full. We get to see the Society and its guiding Council in all its manipulative and amoral glory, largely by following one of its most powerful leaders, Daniel Kennison. Kennison is ruthless, power-hungry, and enjoys sexual role-playing with violent overtones. His fellow leaders are all as bad or worse, corrupted by years of treating fellow humans as dupes to be manipulated.
Sarah finds herself on the run from not only the Babbage Society, but from the press and the authorities as well. She has no choice but to accept help from Red and his faction. It turns out that the secret of manipulating history is not as secret nor unique as its practitioners thought it was, and there are many newly discovered shadowy organizations to contend with. As the book unfolds, the narrative moves swiftly between the past and the present, and between speculation on how a science of history would work and what its impact would be and stirring action set-pieces that keep the reader engaged.
The main weakness of the book lies in its characters. Flynn, as a new author, was overly ambitious with his protagonist, as Sarah is too competent in far too many fields to be believable. Many of the other characters are one-dimensional and the dialogue is sometimes stiff. The villains are largely walking clichés (if they had mustaches, they would twirl them when monologuing at their captives). But many techno-thrillers I have read are far weaker in this respect. The appeal of this genre tends to be in the science, and the adventure, and it is here that Flynn shines. His premise involving people learning to control history by getting a jump-start on early computing devices feels compelling and relatively plausible (at least, plausible enough to convince the reader to suspend their disbelief). He also puts together a good action scene, and maintains a high level of narrative tension by keeping his characters in peril throughout the book. For a first novel, In the Country of the Blind is a bravura performance, full of promise and creativity.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad I finally got around to re-reading a book by Michael Flynn. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed reading his work, which is full of fascinating scientific speculation along with rigorous attention to detail and the craft of writing. I’m interested in hearing from any of you who have read In the Country of the Blind, or any of Michal Flynn’s other works, if you’d like to share your impressions. And if you’ve read other compelling novels in a similar vein, I’d be interested in hearing your recommendations!
Alan Brown has been a science fiction fan for over five decades, especially fiction that deals with science, military matters, exploration and adventure.
