If there is a
literary side to science fiction, Thomas Disch is standing on the horizon holding
Camp Concentration, his 1968 creation, in the air. Paralleling classic literature, utilizing the
tropes of sci-fi to full effect, and written in a sublimely deft hand, the
novel has a gravitas the majority of writers in the genre simply never
approach, let alone utilize. Cover copy
provided by Ursula Le Guin, Brian Aldiss, and Samuel R. Delany, the company is
more than apt.
Camp Concentration is the story of Louis Sanchetti, conscientious objector, and his
resulting imprisonment in an experimental American prison. A strain of syphilis having been isolated and
enhanced, when injected in humans the result is a slow but drastic improvement
in memory, insight, and all things intelligence. It also puts a cap on life at nine additional
months.
