STAND ON ZANZIBAR By John Brunner

Published : 1968
Pages : 648
Overall Mark : 7/10

In a future world where only those whose genes are deemed to be perfect are allowed to reproduce, and even then there's a limit on how many children people can have due to overpopulation, a doctor has made a genetic breakthrough by which any abnormalities in a foetus can be fixed, basically leading to the introduction of a possible perfect human. This discovery leads the American government to investigate the claims, taking them to the Australasian country of Yatakang where they set about trying to gain this breakthrough for themselves.

This is a very confusing book, which has various sections which intersperse with each other and provide both background information for the reader as well as a continuing narrative. This is a lengthy novel which could have been far shorter if much of the descriptive chapters had been removed, but this would have lost the novel it's distinctive feel. This novel is not for those who want a quick fix when reading, but the whole idea of the book ios fascinating and leaves a lot to be thought about, especially as the future in this novel is less than two years away.