Badge Of Infamy
Presenting a classic from the Golden Age of science fiction… “Badge of Infamy” by Lester Del Rey, read by Steven Wilson of Prometheus Radio Theatre.
Daniel Feldman was a doctor once. He made the mistake of saving a friend’s life in violation of Medical Lobby rules. Now, he’s a pariah, shunned by all, forbidden to touch another patient. But things are more loose on Mars. There, Doc Feldman is welcomed by the colonists, even as he’s hunted by the authorities.
But, when he discovers a Martian plague may soon wipe out humanity on two planets, the authorities begin hunting him for a different reason altogether.
January 15th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
A very well written, accessable book with a pretty disturbing but all too believable vision of the future.
January 22nd, 2007 at 7:46 am
Really excellent Sci Fi book. It’s obvious that Lester Del Rey is a classic Sci Fi writer in the same vein as Isaac Asimov.
February 2nd, 2007 at 3:09 pm
One of the few stories I’ve given 5 stars too all around. Great story telling. Like Chris said, reminds me of old Asimov or Philip K Dick type of story. Well written and well read. I’m hooked and can’t wait to find out what happens next.
February 4th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
This story dates itself. It has the “golden age” kinda hero, who somehow outsmarts everyone else.
The depiction of women was sexist, and the political musings that were the thin excuse for the dystopian society were just annoying.
Other than that, it was good entertainment.
March 10th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
A little juvinile. But well written, reminds me of Heinlin.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:55 am
I have to say, I wasn’t in love with this story. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t dreadful to listen to and it also wasn’t horribly written, it just didn’t captivate me. With some work, I’m sure it could be better. With everything that was occurring in the story, there should have been more emotion to it. I felt that there should have been a sense of fear or urgency.
Furthermore, I didn’t find the characters memorable. For me, it’s always a good sign that a story is good when you have characters that you either love or hate. This story didn’t have any such character in my opinion; it wasn’t due to a lack of effort. The characters just weren’t that interesting to me. The chapters were extremely short, perhaps if the author took the time to develop the characters it may have helped.
Since it’s an audio book, I also have to take into account the way things sounded. It didn’t sound bad, but it may have helped to use some subtle sound effects, music, unique voice for each character to add depth to the story.
February 18th, 2010 at 6:54 am
it was excellent
Steven Wilson is a perfect narrator
i am looking forward to his new releases
July 15th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I actually enjoyed it. My rating would be an 8 out of 10. The story moved along although there was a lack of character development.
The part that annoyed me the most was the very strong union of doctors who do not protect their own kind. Frankly, this was not plausible. Since when would a doctor allow their own kind be made into a pariah because he saved someone who was too far from the hospital to live otherwise. Doctors cover their own, like police form their blue shield, soldiers cover their brothers and the union protects their rank and file. The author should have made some alternative provision for this very flimsy charge against the hero. The underlying premise for such a vitriolic attack against the hero was simply not plausible.
I also agree that the characterization of the former wife was a bit strong. Did someone go through a messy divorce??
March 26th, 2011 at 2:50 pm
This tale from the early 1970s takes a satirical view of medicine,, couched in a “SF Golden Age” style that del Rey helped to create. He started publishing SF stories in 1935 and established the del Rey science fiction imprint from Ballantine with his wife Judy Lynn. The social/political satire in this story may not be recognized by people who post-date the period when the AMA still struggled to control the U.S. medical profession in the face of assaults by the insurance industry. At that time, it was far from unbelievable the profession might blackball anyone who broke its often high-handed rules. As for the sexist outlook, or the resemblance to Heinlein, del Rey was a contemporary and, like Heinlein, his attitudes were pretty advanced for the time. Those who criticize this story from a post-2000 cultural or political perspective probably haven’t looked into the context. The Wiki has a pretty good article on Lester del Rey, who by the 1970s had a pretty good grasp of the genre, even if his views seem like those of someone born a hundred years ago. Which he will have been in 2015. As a Grand Master Award recipient, he hardly needed a better education on how to write SF.
Steve Wilson’s narration does this story full justice. It’s a 1970s story from a Golden Age writer, and I found the narrator’s skill helped me appreciate the tale in the spirit del Rey no doubt intended. If you listen for a proper 2000′s sensibility, you won’t find it here. Or in Gulliver’s Travels, or in early John Varley, either for that matter. But it’s a fine example of a pure SF yarn of its time.