What do Trotsky, Freud, and a rogue planet have in common?

This novel -- and not much else. Burgess attempts to bring these three parallel stories together at the end of this end-of-times novel. He succeeds in a satisfactory way, to be sure, but the synthesis is less than the sum of its parts. There is no resonance, as there would be with three topics whose connection inspired the book: one is left with the impression that Freud and Trotsky were chosen haphazardly, as if Burgess were reading about them anyways and decided to incorporate them into the novel.

And what a novel it is! Putting aside the sympathetic biopic of Freud and the unsympathetic musical of Trotsky, this is a fantastic end-of-the-world story. The politicians and scientists are trying to find some way to preserve human culture. But what defines human culture? What deserves to be saved? The question echoes throughout the story, and everybody has their own answer. ( )

This is probably my favorite bk that I've read by Burgess. It interweaves (I know, I know, that's an overused word in this type of context) 3 stories: one of wch is all about Freud. Learning about the genesis of psychoanalysis was esp interesting for me. I never realized what an INVENTION it was - not even necessarily by doctors. ( )

PSICANÁLISE,SOCIALISMO INTERNACIONAL EO FIM -TRES TEMAS,TRES HISTÓRIAS -ENTRELAÇADOS EM VERTIGINOSO CONTRAPONTO NUM ROMANCE CHEIO DE PIROTECNIAS VERBAIS ,INCRIVEIS VOOS DE FANTASIA E DIVERTIDAS ANEDOTAS ,TUDO COROADO POR UM BRILHANTE E INESPERADO FINALE -A OBRA-PRIMA DE UM ROMANCISTA NO ÁPICE DE SUA FORMA LITERÁRIA.