Viewpoint

Publication(s)

• First publication
  • Redshift, 2001
• Wolfe collection(s)
  • Starwater Strains

Wolfe's comments from the Introduction to Starwater Strains

"Viewpoint was written for Al Sarrantonio, who had paid lots of money for a story called The Tree Is My Hat. Have you watched reality shows on TV? Every time I do, I'm struck by the unreality of them. The contestants have to pretend that they can't see the cameras or the director an his crew when we know perfectly well they can. But they're in it for the money, and that's what they have to do if they are to have any hope of getting it. Al wanted sf for his new book, and I tried to think of a way to do a reality show for real, with real guns and a real government clawing at the money."

Summary

Jay, a misfit with survivalist skills, enters a TV game contest for a hundred thousand dollars. He must elude others who want the money, including the government who will confiscate it all for taxes. The catch is that programmed implants will broadcast everything he sees and hears.

Analysis

• Sources of quotes
• Meanings of names
• References to other works
• Theories about what happens under the surface, what the narrator isn't telling us, who the narrator is and when and why s/he is telling the story, what the whole thing "means," etc.
  If there are multiple or competing theories, each one should be given a name with a three-bang (!!!) header; if the page begins to get out-of-hand from the size of these, as could happen in a few cases, they should be shuffled off to their own page(s).
• Etc.

Unresolved Questions

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