The Status Civilization

The Status Civilization concerns Will Barrent, a man who finds himself, without memory of any crime or, indeed, of his previous life, being shipped across space to the planet Omega.

Barrent avoids killing and several other Omegan customs, and is soon arrested for the crimes of non-drug addiction and impiety, and sent for a trial by ordeal.

Among the spectators he sees the woman who gave him the gun on his first day, and she tells him through gestures how to find the robot's hidden weakness.

He wins the Games and is engulfed by a manifestation of the Black One, which turns out to be an elaborate light-show controlled by the secret organisation.

They believe that society on Omega is on the verge of collapse, and hope to avert or survive this by re-directing people's energy into an uprising against Earth.

Its striking social stability is maintained by robots brainwashing children in "closed classes," which they are required to attend but cannot consciously remember.

As Barrent comes closer to the truth about the reasons for his exile, his conscious mind conflicts with the subconscious programming he received as a child.

Dave Langford reviewed The Status Civilization for White Dwarf #80, and stated that "unsubtle, action-packed fun with satirical touches, set on a world where crime is the law and the hero soon gets into trouble for non-drug addiction.