The Committed Men

The Committed Men

First edition
Author	M. John Harrison
Cover artist	John Holmes
Country	Britain
Language	English
Genre	Science fiction
Published	1971 (Doubleday)
ISBN	978-0575042209

The Committed Men is a science fiction novel by M. John Harrison. It is Harrison's debut novel and was originally published in 1971. The book is dedicated to Michael Moorcock and Moorcock's loving wife Hilary Bailey.

Synopsis

In this speculative fiction narrative, the setting is a dystopian Britain where societal collapse has occurred. The survivors face numerous challenges, including widespread skin cancer and the struggle for survival in the ruins of what was once known as the Great Society. The narrative describes a landscape marked by chromium wastelands and decaying infrastructure, where small communities attempt to maintain some level of organization despite the pervasive desolation.

Amid this setting, the story introduces a subgroup of humans who have undergone mutations resulting in reptile-like appearances. These mutated individuals, free from the cancer affecting the rest of the population, are nonetheless subjected to persecution by the non-mutated humans, referred to derogatorily as 'smooth-skins.' The plot follows a specific event where a child, born with mutations to a human mother in a location known as Tin-house, becomes the focus of a mission by a group of humans. This group aims to find and reconnect the child with the mutant communities, highlighting themes of belonging, identity, and the breakdown of traditional societal norms in the face of apocalyptic conditions.

The narrative explores the concept of societal breakdown, the search for identity and community in a post-apocalyptic world, and the tension between different groups of survivors. It also delves into the philosophical questioning of past societal norms through the lens of a radically altered world.

Reception

Writing in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, science fiction specialist John Clute wrote, "[The Committed Men] is an impressive Post-Holocaust story set in a fractured England, centering physically on the ruins of the motorways, and generating a powerful sense of entropic dismantlement."

A Kirkus reviewer wrote, "It erupts into the kind of savagery and grotesquerie that John Christopher used to specialize in, as Wendover, a doctor, finally finds himself trying to save a mutant baby from his kind."

David Pringle called the novel "brief, bleak, derivative - but stylishly written."

Possible film adaptation

In a 2018 interview, Harrison revealed that he had been approached about a film adaption, which he declined. Explaining his decision, he said, "I was less interested in shuffling and dealing than in saying something. I got an offer for the film rights of The Committed Men, but when I saw the treatment, I found they had reversed their conclusions. Books are about meanings, not tropes, so I said no."