The Bull's Hour
Encyclopedia
The Bull's Hour is a social science fiction
novel written by Russia
n author and paleontologist Ivan Yefremov in 1968
. It was banned
in the Soviet Union
six months after its publication and attempted to be taken out from all the libraries and bookshops throughout the country when it was realized by the authorities to contain a sharp criticism of the current state of affairs in the USSR though pretending to be critical of the "Capitalism" and the Chinese brand of political communist system of the time.
This novel is considered a sequel
to the 1957
novel Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale
, taking place in the same universe
some century or more later. Even though the cast of characters
is entirely different, an occasional reference is made to the events and characters of the previous volume. For example, the main character in The Bull's Hour is a female historian
who on one occasion remembers most of the notable Andromeda characters as historical figures.
space travel based on the experiment of Ren Boz (of The Andromeda Nebula
). Using the new technology, Earth constructs "straight-beam" starships which travel by sliding on the edge between our Universe ("Shakti") and the Anti-Universe ("Tamas"). The second ship of that kind, Dark Flame, departs from the Solar System
on a mission to a habitable planet Tormance (the name is borrowed from David Lindsay
's A Voyage to Arcturus
) in the Lynx constellation, which was reported by alien space voyagers from Cepheus to be colonized by humans, thought to be Earth escapees from the Age before World Unification.
The society of this distant planet is labelled by Efremov as "an amalgamation of a Capitalism
in its worst form and of a Chinese
pseudo-socialism
" and a part of "Inferno" (a deep philosophical concept of Efremov's relating to the Nature and the natural way of things, always as he claims infernal towards the living thinking beings), a society in which ordinary workers's lives are limited to 26 local years ("short-living", KJI, or КЖИ for ) while scientists, engineers and other selected qualified professionals live out their natural lives ("long-living", DJI, or ДЖИ for ), with artists, sportspeople and "models" given somewhat longer life-spans than that of KJI (up to about 34 years). Both KJI and DJI are under the ruthless totalitarian control of the ruling class of government bureaucracy ("snake-carriers", similar to the prototypical "inner-party members" of Orwell's
"1984
") and the police forces ("the lilac"), which in turn are under the direct command of the Council of Four and its Chairman, the actual Ruler of the planet. The most shocking aspect of its civilization for the Earthians is its total control of information, maintaining separate information systems for separate social strata, with full and true information available ultimately only to the Supreme Leader.
The plot follows the Communist crew as they establish contact and explore the planet's society, eventually sacrificing some lives including that of the expedition commander, historian Fay Rodis, for the sake of free future of the planet and its people's children. Their influence is predominantly through providing full and true information freely to all people, about Earth's past and present, and their views of the situation on the planet. They also provide a selective short memory-eraser (a modifier of social and behavioural skills) to be used against the system's spies by the nascent resistance. Also, some of the crew (esp. Rodis) have the mental capacity to do the same sort of influence without use of the device. Every member of the crew was also accompanied by a nine-legged discoid robot called "SDF" (Servant, Defender and Freighter).
The book's seemingly strong anti-Chinese sentiment was added because the novel was written in the time of the Sino–Soviet split, as a device to get it past the censors. Examples of it are found throughout the novel; for example, the gardens of the Planet's Dictator were called Zoam Gardens, an obvious backward reading for Mao Zedong
, The Council of Four represented the Chinese Gang of Four
. The name of the novel deriving from an old (1909) Chinese-Russian dictionary (quoting the phrase "Earth is born in the Bull's hour (or Daemon
's hour, 2:00 am)"). This quote also appeares in the novel's epigraph
.
Social science fiction
Social science fiction is a term used to describe a subgenre of science fiction concerned less with technology and space opera and more with sociological speculation about human society...
novel written by Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n author and paleontologist Ivan Yefremov in 1968
1968 in literature
The year 1968 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Dean R. Koontz's first novel, Star Quest is published....
. It was banned
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
six months after its publication and attempted to be taken out from all the libraries and bookshops throughout the country when it was realized by the authorities to contain a sharp criticism of the current state of affairs in the USSR though pretending to be critical of the "Capitalism" and the Chinese brand of political communist system of the time.
This novel is considered a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to the 1957
1957 in literature
The year 1957 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Lawrence Durrell publishes the first volume of The Alexandria Quartet. The final of the four volumes will be published in 1960....
novel Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale
Andromeda (novel)
Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale a.k.a. Andromeda Nebula is a science fiction novel by the Russian writer and paleontologist Ivan Efremov, written and published in 1957. The novel was made into a film in 1967, The Andromeda Nebula- Plot summary :...
, taking place in the same universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
some century or more later. Even though the cast of characters
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
is entirely different, an occasional reference is made to the events and characters of the previous volume. For example, the main character in The Bull's Hour is a female historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
who on one occasion remembers most of the notable Andromeda characters as historical figures.
Plot summary
Some 3000 years in the future, a Communist Earth has just developed faster-than-lightFaster-than-light
Faster-than-light communications and travel refer to the propagation of information or matter faster than the speed of light....
space travel based on the experiment of Ren Boz (of The Andromeda Nebula
Andromeda (novel)
Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale a.k.a. Andromeda Nebula is a science fiction novel by the Russian writer and paleontologist Ivan Efremov, written and published in 1957. The novel was made into a film in 1967, The Andromeda Nebula- Plot summary :...
). Using the new technology, Earth constructs "straight-beam" starships which travel by sliding on the edge between our Universe ("Shakti") and the Anti-Universe ("Tamas"). The second ship of that kind, Dark Flame, departs from the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
on a mission to a habitable planet Tormance (the name is borrowed from David Lindsay
David Lindsay (novelist)
David Lindsay was a Scottish author now most famous for the philosophical science fiction novel A Voyage to Arcturus .-Biography:...
's A Voyage to Arcturus
A Voyage to Arcturus
A Voyage to Arcturus is a novel by Scottish writer David Lindsay, first published in 1920. It combines fantasy, philosophy, and science fiction in an exploration of the nature of good and evil and their relationship with existence. It has been described by critic and philosopher Colin Wilson as the...
) in the Lynx constellation, which was reported by alien space voyagers from Cepheus to be colonized by humans, thought to be Earth escapees from the Age before World Unification.
The society of this distant planet is labelled by Efremov as "an amalgamation of a Capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
in its worst form and of a Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
pseudo-socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
" and a part of "Inferno" (a deep philosophical concept of Efremov's relating to the Nature and the natural way of things, always as he claims infernal towards the living thinking beings), a society in which ordinary workers's lives are limited to 26 local years ("short-living", KJI, or КЖИ for ) while scientists, engineers and other selected qualified professionals live out their natural lives ("long-living", DJI, or ДЖИ for ), with artists, sportspeople and "models" given somewhat longer life-spans than that of KJI (up to about 34 years). Both KJI and DJI are under the ruthless totalitarian control of the ruling class of government bureaucracy ("snake-carriers", similar to the prototypical "inner-party members" of Orwell's
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
"1984
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
") and the police forces ("the lilac"), which in turn are under the direct command of the Council of Four and its Chairman, the actual Ruler of the planet. The most shocking aspect of its civilization for the Earthians is its total control of information, maintaining separate information systems for separate social strata, with full and true information available ultimately only to the Supreme Leader.
The plot follows the Communist crew as they establish contact and explore the planet's society, eventually sacrificing some lives including that of the expedition commander, historian Fay Rodis, for the sake of free future of the planet and its people's children. Their influence is predominantly through providing full and true information freely to all people, about Earth's past and present, and their views of the situation on the planet. They also provide a selective short memory-eraser (a modifier of social and behavioural skills) to be used against the system's spies by the nascent resistance. Also, some of the crew (esp. Rodis) have the mental capacity to do the same sort of influence without use of the device. Every member of the crew was also accompanied by a nine-legged discoid robot called "SDF" (Servant, Defender and Freighter).
The book's seemingly strong anti-Chinese sentiment was added because the novel was written in the time of the Sino–Soviet split, as a device to get it past the censors. Examples of it are found throughout the novel; for example, the gardens of the Planet's Dictator were called Zoam Gardens, an obvious backward reading for Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
, The Council of Four represented the Chinese Gang of Four
Gang of Four
The Gang of Four was the name given to a political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution and were subsequently charged with a series of treasonous crimes...
. The name of the novel deriving from an old (1909) Chinese-Russian dictionary (quoting the phrase "Earth is born in the Bull's hour (or Daemon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
's hour, 2:00 am)"). This quote also appeares in the novel's epigraph
Epigraph (literature)
In literature, an epigraph is a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component. The epigraph may serve as a preface, as a summary, as a counter-example, or to link the work to a wider literary canon, either to invite comparison or to enlist a conventional...
.
Main concepts
- Inferno, the Nature and Nature's way of death, suffering and – in infernal societies – increasing social enthropy (cf The Lucifer PrincipleThe Lucifer PrincipleThe Lucifer Principle is a book by Howard Bloom. It sees a social group, not an individual, as a main subject of human evolution. It "explores the intricate relationships among genetics, human behavior, and culture" and argues that "evil is a by-product of nature's strategies for creation and that...
by Howard BloomHoward BloomHoward Bloom is an American author. He was a publicist in the 1970s and 1980s for singers and bands such as Prince, Billy Joel, and Styx. In 1988 he became disabled with chronic fatigue syndrome...
). - Ariman's arrow, the apparent selection and forces in the infernal societies directed against their best and brightest and most good-willing.
- The Great Ring of Civilizations, communicating with each other through space.
- Utopian moneyless Earth society, self-organizing through interactions of highly morally developed responsible individuals, with direct planet-wide voting and discussions on every issue and High Councils coordinating people's efforts each in its area of expertise.
- The cardinal law of the Great Ring whereas any interference in a civilization's internal affairs is forbidden unless that civilization is impeding free access to the full, unaltered, non-filtered and non-distorted information for all and any of its subjects – in which case such a civilization is said to have no right to exist and the interference by the Great Ring is demanded to free its people and ensure their Right to Know and to Think.
Starship "Dark Flame" Crew
- Fay Rodis, expedition commander, historian
- Grif Rift, annihilation drive engineer, starship commander
- Vir Norin, astronavigator-I
- Menta Cor, astronavigator-II
- Div Simbel, pilot-engineer
- Gan Atal, armour belt defence engineer
- Nei Holly, biological defence engineer
- Sol Sain, computational devices engineer
- Olla Dez, communication and photography officer
- Evisa Tanet, medical officer, StarFlot Doctor
- Tivisa Henako, biologist
- Chedi Daan, sociologist, linguist
- Tor Lik, astrophysicist, planetologist
Planet Tormance characters
- Choyo Chagas, Chairman of the Big Four, the ruler of the Planet
- Gen Shi, Zet Ug, Ka Loof, his deputies, other members of the Big Four
- Yantreh Yahhahh, his wife
- Er Vo-Bia, his girlfriend
- Honte'ello Tollo Fraelle (or Taele), his communications officer
- Yan Gao-Yuar (Yangar), commander of "the lilac"
- Su An-Te (Su-Te), Tormance girl
- Kzer Boo-Yam, "leader of the KJI" ("the short-living")