Nova Express by William S. Burroughs
"Nova Express" is a novel by William S. Burroughs, published in 1964 and considered the concluding work in a trilogy that includes "The Soft Machine" and "The Ticket That Exploded." The narrative revolves around a conflict between the Nova Mob, a group of criminals who aim to take control of Earth through manipulation and addiction, and the Nova Police, who strive to counteract their influence. The mob consists of characters such as the Intolerable Kid and Dr. Benway, who utilize their ability to transform into viruses, preying on human vulnerabilities like addiction to drugs, power, and sensory experiences. The police, including figures like Hassan i Sabbah and Inspector Lee, employ unique methods, such as apomorphine, to liberate individuals from these addictions while engaging in a persistent battle with the mob. The story transcends traditional narrative forms, presenting a complex exploration of addiction and control rather than a straightforward plot resolution. This approach invites readers to contemplate broader themes regarding the struggle against oppressive forces in society. "Nova Express" challenges conventional storytelling, making it a significant work within Burroughs' oeuvre and a provocative commentary on human experience.
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Nova Express
First published: 1964
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—cautionary
Time of work: Dated March 17, 1962, and July 21, 1964, in the novel, but generally the space age
Locale: Earth, with references to other planets and the Crab Nebula
The Plot
William S. Burroughs’ Nova Express (1964) initially appeared as an independent work, but Burroughs has remarked that after he assembled Naked Lunch (1959) by making selections from a pile of pages, he used leftover pages for The Soft Machine (1961), The Ticket That Exploded (1962), and Nova Express. The various sections of Nova Express embody scraps and pieces of Burroughs’ previous work; for example, a foreword indicates that the section “This Horrible Case” was written as a joint effort with Ian Sommerville, who also added some notes to the section; furthermore, a headnote to the section “Gave Proof Through the Night” reveals that this section was done collaboratively with Kells Elsin in 1938 and was included in Minutes to Go (1960), written in conjunction with Sinclair Beiles, Gregory Corso, and Brion Gysin. Nova Express stands as an independent novel but should be taken as the concluding work in a trilogy that includes The Soft Machine and The Ticket That Exploded.
The story line in Nova Express focuses on the battle between the Nova Mob and the Nova Police. The nova criminals, including the Intolerable Kid, Dr. Benway, and Uranian Willy (in various manifestations), having arrived from the Crab Nebula, which is the result of a supernova caused by the mob, aim to take control of Earth and its inhabitants. The plan to seize control depends on the mob’s ability to assume the form of viruses that can enter human forms and take advantage of their addictions to narcotics, sex, power, and visual and verbal images. Eventually, the mob intends to generate a nova on Earth like the one that created the Crab Nebula, and the criminals will escape at the time of ultimate destruction.
The Nova Police, including Hassan i Sabbah, Inspector Lee, and Agent K9, repeatedly confront members of the Nova Mob. The police identify coordinate points where viruses can invade the body. Empowered by training in associative thinking and the avoidance of addictive attractions, they make arrests. The police must apply apomorphine to free humans from addictions and enforce silence to overcome the power of the word and image. Confrontations between the criminals and the police recur and escalate, leading to a battle in Biologic Court, but the case is not resolved.
This plot exists superficially, and a reader who takes Nova Express only at this level is missing the point of the author, who intended to write a nonnarrative that confounds the reader’s expectations for conflict resolution. The conflict ultimately serves as a representation of the human struggle to escape the addictive forces in life. Because the criminal forces in the novel are never set aside, the urgent warning remains that the forces of control must be recognized and overcome.