''Victim Prime'' is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

novel by American writer

Robert Sheckley Robert Sheckley (July 16, 1928 – December 9, 2005) was an American writer. First published in the science-fiction magazines of the 1950s, his many quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, Absurdist fiction, absurdist, and ...

, published in 1987. It is the sequel to 1953's " Seventh Victim", and is followed by 1988's ''Hunter/Victim''.

Plot summary

The novel is set in a dystopian 2092. It describes an iteration of the Big Hunt, the government-ruled assassination program introduced in the short story "Seventh Victim", this time played in a resort.

Reception

David Langford David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and Literary criticism, critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science-fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'' and holds the all-time ...

reviewed ''Victim Prime'' for ''

White Dwarf A white dwarf is a Compact star, stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very density, dense: in an Earth sized volume, it packs a mass that is comparable to the Sun. No nuclear fusion takes place i ...

'' #87, and stated that "It moves well enough, but despite ingenious ploys and counterploys has a touch of staleness: Sheckley imitating Sheckley."

Reviews

*Review by Brian Stableford (1987) in

Fantasy Review ''Fantasy Newsletter'', later renamed ''Fantasy Review'', was a major fantasy fanzine founded by Paul C. Allen and later issued by Robert A. Collins. Frequent contributors included Fritz Leiber and Gene Wolfe. Publication history The first iss ...

, April 1987https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?14995 *Review by John Newsinger (1987) in Paperback Inferno, #68 *Review by Tom Easton (1987) in

Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William Cl ...

, November 1987 *Review by Edward Bryant (1987) in Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone Magazine, December 1987 *Review by Lee Montgomerie (1987) in Interzone, #21 Autumn 1987 *Review by Mike Christie (1987) in Foundation, #39 Spring 1987 *Review

rench The Rench is an eastern tributary of the Rhine in the Ortenau in Central Baden, Germany. It rises on the southern edge of the Northern Black Forest at Kniebis near Bad Griesbach im Schwarzwald. The source farthest from the mouth is that of ...

by Thierry Bosch (1988) in

Fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

, #401 *Review

by Jonathan Dornet (1989) in A&A, #117

References

{{reflist 1987 American novels 1987 science fiction novels Novels by Robert Sheckley