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Paul Bryant's Reviews > The Gas
The Gas
by
by
This novel is notoriously obscene. In 1970 copied were burned! With fire! Even in 1980 when it was reissued police raided the publishers and seized 3000 copies. Obscenity is sometimes said to be in the mind of the beholder, but I would suggest that if you don't think a lot of the sex & violence in this novel is obscene you might need to get help NOW. Therefore, those of a nervous disposition may wish to LOOK AWAY NOW as there may be some vulgar language ahead.
The blurb summarises the plot:
An accident at a secret germ-warfare laboratory allows an aphrodisiac vapor to infect all of Southern England, and within 24 hours the British countryside has exploded into an uncontrollable nightmare of lust, perversion, violence and insanity.
As Woody in Toy Story might say, "ah ha, ha ha ha, ha haaa. Nice one, Potato Head." So, let me give you a flavour of the cascading geyser of vari-coloured bodily fluids we find in here.
p70 : He was wasting time buggering an old insane priest
p84 : "FUCK!" chanted the nuns. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"
p109: The budgerigar had been silent during the last hour's fucking and sucking
p153 : Most girls in the pews were masturbating themselves and each other, caught up in a euphoria of blood lust and sex worship as they bounced up and down on the cassocks and hurled Bibles onto the stage.
p160: 'Cut the explanations,' said Vincent. 'There're a thousand sex-crazed girls in that church!'
Now maybe because they couldn't find any regular typesetters for this 166 page spurt of filth, so they had to get some stoned hippy typesetters, I dunno, but there are many delightful typos strewn throughout. Three which particularly appealed were:
p72 : he froamed in exasperation
p109 : "Oh! Oh! Ooooh! It's so food!"
p157: blood still spurted from his would
After all this insane stuffing of orifices I was left slightly reeling. But it was all done with such a kind of studentish obviousness, doggedness and gusto that it was hard to take offence, particulatly as the falt chracters and the craper-thin polt demonstrades that this was nought but a strenousu and imaginitinitive excercise in onamisn.
*****
Addendum :
I found a comment on a website, can't find it now, but anyway, Charles Platt explained that he wrote The Gas when he was about to emigrate to America & he wished to cast off his British reserve because he knew that Americans were extroverts! I mean, there's being an extrovert and there's having sex with animals, and the two should really never ever be confused.
The blurb summarises the plot:
An accident at a secret germ-warfare laboratory allows an aphrodisiac vapor to infect all of Southern England, and within 24 hours the British countryside has exploded into an uncontrollable nightmare of lust, perversion, violence and insanity.
As Woody in Toy Story might say, "ah ha, ha ha ha, ha haaa. Nice one, Potato Head." So, let me give you a flavour of the cascading geyser of vari-coloured bodily fluids we find in here.
p70 : He was wasting time buggering an old insane priest
p84 : "FUCK!" chanted the nuns. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"
p109: The budgerigar had been silent during the last hour's fucking and sucking
p153 : Most girls in the pews were masturbating themselves and each other, caught up in a euphoria of blood lust and sex worship as they bounced up and down on the cassocks and hurled Bibles onto the stage.
p160: 'Cut the explanations,' said Vincent. 'There're a thousand sex-crazed girls in that church!'
Now maybe because they couldn't find any regular typesetters for this 166 page spurt of filth, so they had to get some stoned hippy typesetters, I dunno, but there are many delightful typos strewn throughout. Three which particularly appealed were:
p72 : he froamed in exasperation
p109 : "Oh! Oh! Ooooh! It's so food!"
p157: blood still spurted from his would
After all this insane stuffing of orifices I was left slightly reeling. But it was all done with such a kind of studentish obviousness, doggedness and gusto that it was hard to take offence, particulatly as the falt chracters and the craper-thin polt demonstrades that this was nought but a strenousu and imaginitinitive excercise in onamisn.
*****
Addendum :
I found a comment on a website, can't find it now, but anyway, Charles Platt explained that he wrote The Gas when he was about to emigrate to America & he wished to cast off his British reserve because he knew that Americans were extroverts! I mean, there's being an extrovert and there's having sex with animals, and the two should really never ever be confused.
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Reading Progress
October 5, 2009
– Shelved
Started Reading
October 15, 2009
– Shelved as:
sf-novels-aaargh
October 15, 2009
–
Finished Reading
March 1, 2010
– Shelved as:
verysleazyfun
Comments Showing 1-25 of 25 (25 new)
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Yes... I already did...
Paul, I'm glad to see that there are more Charles Platt fans out there! Maybe I can swap my copy of The City Dwellers for yours of The Gas?
That would be cool, I have no plans to reread The Gas and it may fall into the hands of my daughter if I keep it in the house...
ahh daughters. One of mine just read Death by Zamboni (i'd just taken it home). I've told David David K that she thinks he's a perv.
I already really liked this review, but I feel like the authorial explanation made it the bee's knees. As an American, I have noticed the tendency of some American pundits with certain political proclivities to equate all manner of behaviors with bestiality, so I'm not sure Mr. Platt was as out there as it may seem at first glance.
I missed this review the first time round, so glad you found a reason to add to it, it is superb.
I had friends in High School who did competitive fancy dancing so I used to go to Pow-wows with them and help their parents sell white people t-shirts with pictures of dream catchers and hot "native" women clad in bits of fur and feathers, and healing crystals and sage incense. Those new age types really overpay!
Oh, I think I was probably kidding, but then I tend to think authorial explanations are either b.s. or funny or both. My American extroversion got the best of me. ;)
Just so you know, puritan literalists should not read The Gas.
I can't work out when you stopped and the Dutch typesetters took over your typographical areas.Anyway, being of a coy disposition (a la Praj or should that be "ooh la la Praj"?), I was left slightly leering.
I wonder if Charles Splatt ever read "An English Bestialist's Complaint":
"You can take the animal out of the reserve, but you can't take the reserve out of the animal."
I think this is a book I can do without.
aw no.... I would send you my copy but I gave it to Manny.
I still haven't read it. This conversation is evidently a Sign, but I can't decide whether I'm being told to read it or go on ignoring it. Why can't God be more explicit? I mean, Charles Platt is.
okay, gun at my head, I'm saying it's not absolutely essential
Hm. Maybe I'll finish The Theory of Groups and Quantum Mechanics first then. Though it can be difficult to choose between Weyl and vile.
Paul wrote: "aw no.... I would send you my copy but I gave it to Manny."Paul, I am afraid that you are trying to get us to read nasty and dirty books. Shame on you!
I am hanging my head.... far be it for me to try to entice you from the path of righteousness. You know, I read this stuff so that you don't have to!
I am hysterical. In a fit of gleeful laughter. Thank you so much for the much-needed release.
Paul wrote: "I am hanging my head.... far be it for me to try to entice you from the path of righteousness. You know, I read this stuff so that you don't have to!"This, of course, is noble and honorable, especially, when you consider the fact that I am no longer Catholic and, thus, haven't got the chance to go to confession and have my sins erased.
i mean i guess i didn't expect much with a cover with titties on it.
thanks for reminding me of this hilarious novel...
I mean, there's being an extrovert and there's having sex with animals, and the two should really never ever be confusedAlthough they're not mutually exclusive.
Actually, this sort of book does tend to make me want to give up on sex and have sandwich and beer instead.