Brain Wave (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Poul Anderson
- First Published: 1954
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Science fiction—superbeing
- Time of Work: The present
- Setting: The United States
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction
- Subjects: United States or Americans, Twentieth century, Intellect, Evolution, Brain
- Locales: United States
The Plot
For the past one hundred million years, Earth has been passing through some sort of force field that inhibits brain functions. As the story opens, Earth has moved out of the field’s power, with the result that earthly brains now possess much more intelligence. The majority of the story explains the results of this change on science, religion, government, and other elements of society. The plot is somewhat disjointed because Poul Anderson often switches characters and locale. This approach gives the novel a realistic, journalistic-like feel.
The opening pages...
[The entire page is 1061 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
