And Chaos Died

Lore & Background

The story begins on a spaceship and moves to an alien planet where human development has followed a path diametrically opposite to Earth's: the natural world is respected, population is limited, and each individual is encouraged to develop unique abilities. On this other world, human beings are known to be basically 'spiritual' and immortal in nature, with telepathy and telekinesis developed as much and as rapidly as possible. Earth, as depicted, is not grossly overpopulated nor a police state; the narrative focuses on the protagonist's journey and the confrontation between different systems of thought.

Reader's Guide

And Chaos Died was nominated for the 1970 Nebula Award. James Blish praised the novel, saying 'The totality is impressive not only for its inventiveness and the brilliance of its technique, but because the fantastic central assumption has been used to tell you real things about the real human psyche.' In 2011, Lee Mandelo writing in Reactor called And Chaos Died 'a strange, psychedelic book that, in many ways, doesn’t age well' and 'my least favorite of Russ’s works; I wouldn’t likely read it again, beautiful as it is.' The novel remains notable for its thematic contrast between a dystopian Earth and a utopian other world, and for its exploration of telepathy and telekinesis as natural human potentials.

Did You Know?

• And Chaos Died was nominated for the 1971 Nebula Award.
• James Blish praised the novel for its inventiveness and technique.
• Lee Mandelo in 2011 called it 'a strange, psychedelic book' that 'doesn’t age well.'
• The novel is set on a spaceship and an alien planet, not a dystopian Earth.