The Men in the Jungle by Norman Spinrad (author of Bug Jack Baron) is in my opinion one of the best Sci-fi books ever written. Though it was written in 1967, it is very advanced for it's time. Anyways, the book is about a man, Bart Fraden who was the former ruler of an asteroid belt, but is overthrown. Him, his girlfriend, and his general evacuate an begin searching for a planet that is lacking in technology and intelligence, and is ripe for revolution, so he can cause mass confusion, the rise from the rubble to become ruler. The planet they decide on, Sangre ("
blood" in spanish) is an earthlike planet, ruled by the sadisitic
cannibal elite, The Brotherhood of Pain. The Brotherhood rules the planet, and have a system set up. All people are divided and bred into special classes: their private security, a brutal militia like force, slaves who raise the "
meat animals," select women, used for pleasure,
meat animals, small obese children equivalent to livestock, and the bugs, large semi-intelligent insects that grow crops for the slaves. The main plot of the story is when the visitors land, an begin their plots for revolution. But, the morbidness of the Brotherhood starts to effect Bart. Their cruel sacrifices, and public shows of torture. Their "
feasts." This book shows the effects of mainstream
cannibalism, the powers just a small group can obtain over time, and in detail the steps of a successful revolution, but also how fragile trust between two people can be. This book has great sci-fi elements, an i highly recommend it. But be warned, it is highly graphic, very brutal, an definitely not for the faint of heart. But that doesn't make it any less of the under appreciated masterpiece it is. The reason Spinrad's books are not more well known is because at the time they were written, they were extremely graphic(not so much as shocking now, by todays standards, but still over-the-top violent) and even more controversial. There are numerous hidden meanings in this book, political statements, observations of humanity, what could lie in the future. See how many you can find. I think Sangre is supposed to represent a future earth, and honestly, events similar to this could quite possibly happen. I feel Spinrad does an excellent job of showing the darkside of humanity, and how the power hungry prey upon the weak, an in general gives some good advice on how one should live their life. This book for me, was one of the few books one happens along in their lifetime, that have the ability to change an shape who you are. Anyone in the Sci-fi lit class should read this, and anyone who is a fan of novels about war, controversy, rebellion, revolution, cannibalism, horror, or sci-fi. It is unfortunately hard to find, but well worth the search. It is not too long, and is well written and easy to understand. Check out this remarkable piece of sci-fi history.
