Ghost of Chance (High Risk Books) (ISBN 1852424575)

Ecological anxiety in hallucinatory mode:
This is the first book by Burroughs I've read, and one I found quite disturbing. If this is one of his minor efforts, I just wonder what effect the most respected thomes in the Burroughs canon would have on me. "Ghost of Chance" deals with extinction, both of animal species due to human stupidity and of man by exotic plagues. And that's just a simplified description. Burroughs adds commentary on Christianity, language as an evolutionary evil and man's stuborness in trying to capture time. This was a quick read, taking me under an hour to finish. Yet, it resisted being easily grasped: Starting with the story of Captain Mission, a pirate settled in Madagascar and obsessed with preserving the native lemurs, moving then to the hipocrisy of Jesus Christ as Savior, and ending with plagues scarier (and more surreal) than ebola, the book packs into a small bottle a big punch. So big, in fact, that I wasn't able to describe my reaction to it clearly enough to write this review. (I hope I didn't babble too much here!) Burroughs shows a wicked sense of humor, specially in the Notes at the end. And with imagery as wild and scary as a bad trip, this is a good introduction to one of the most discussed authors of the last half of our century.

If you pay attention, this book could change your life.:
There is nothing more exhilirating than discovering an author who disgusts the established academic community and thrills them at the same time. Not to mention the rest of us. Granted, this is one of Burroughs' minor efforts, but that may only be said due to its length. I found the 50-odd page a book to be read in one hour, or ten years, depending on what you were looking for. With his usual genius, Burroughs lets you get out of his prose EXACTLY what you are willing to put into it. Read this one slow... it pays.

one of my favorites:
This book is excellent. It explores the nature of mankind and how it will one day wipe itsself out along with all of its fellow species. Definitly a recommended read

Nothing new here.:
I read this book and found nothing in it that Burroughs didn't already write in previous novels. The only difference is that this one advocates a charity cause: the lemur. Burroughs really has written better. If you're a hard core Burroughs fan, go ahead and get it, but otherwise, there is plenty of other (much better) Burroughs to choose from.

A Ghost of Former Greatness:
Burroughs was a great writer; in many ways he was even revolutionary. However, by the time he got around to writing this VERY short novel, there was nothing new in his bag of tricks. Every sentence and situation feels like it's been pulled from the pages of one of his other books. He's said the same things before, and said them far more effectively. I finished this book because it's Burroughs and only 58 pages long, not because it was particularly compelling.