The premise of this novel is that because of severe overcrowding, life on the planet has become miserable and unsustainable in the long run. The ridiculous solution is that all future children are going to be injected with something during pregnancy that will make them small, on average three feet in height. This causes all sorts of problems, among them a war between the naturalists, who are of normal height, and the yardsticks, those born small. The yardsticks win out but face other issues incl...

2.5. Robert Bloch is best known for his horror work, but he did some SF, such as this one. It opens in the late 20th century, a Jetsons-style high tech future which is collapsing under the massive population boom. Harry, our protagonist, snaps from the mental strain of an overcrowded life (he's not alone) and wakes to discover he's part of a special program to transform humanity and save the world. But what is it? And will it work?This comes off less a polemic about overpopulation than a kind of...

I like to read old SF. This was published in 1958. Part of the fun is seeing what predictions about the future the writer got right and which ones he got wrong. The title makes it clear that this book is about overpopulation and vanishing resources. Much of it takes place in our current era and a few decades from now. Overpopulation and vanishing resources are a problem today, of course, just not to the extreme predicted in this book. And the method that the secret masters of this imagined futur...

A very unique look into the "future" of mankind in the view of someone living in 1958. Not a very energizing piece, this definitely isn't something for adrenaline junkies. Nevertheless, it is a well written piece of SF and is worthy of reflection. Personally I would have gone in a different direction near the conclusion (think evolving smaller and smaller) but I was satisfied with the author's conclusion.

Listened to an audio version of this work by Bloch. Its a rather interesting 'what if' read, causing one to ponder the current state of population increase and its eventualities..... The books focus? well exactly whats its title states 'This Crowded Earth'.....

Wow Robert Bloch is very close to got right of predicted. Few right predicted in our present are GMO food and some animal went extinctio. He wrote in 1958. GMO food was invented in 1970-80s! One is wrong predicted is overpopulation. Possibleyear in 2065 for overpopulation

It is my intent to review this book without spoiling any of the important plot devices. I dove into this story without a clue as to what I was in for, other than that it was about an Earth that had become overcrowded--and that much can be gleaned from the title. I recommend you do the same: get a hold of this title, whether in print or on Kindle, and consume it.Go.Since you’re reading my words--and not yet the author of the story’s--I suppose you want a little bit more. Robert Bloch (best-known

I listened to this 1950s science-fiction novella as an audiobook. It starts with Harry Collins describing his unbearable life in the hellishly overcrowded Chicago of 1997, following which he has a breakdown and is sent to a mental hospital. While he is there he stumbles upon a mystery, but it is years before he fully understands what is going on. The solution to the overcrowding is novel but to say more would be a big spoiler, and I enjoyed Harry's investigations in the early parts of the book m...

Bloch, trying to describe right-wing paranoia of too much peace and prosperity resulting in an overcrowded, socialist world (and its fantasies of justifiable murder of weaker people and cuckoldry, among many), ironically enough succeed in predicting all-too-familiar Millenial reality after market crash of '08.

Beware of spoilers! Wish I hadn't encountered any, but I still really enjoyed this! It's a humorous, thought-provoking, and entertaining read, and a great length - long enough to explore the idea, short enough to not drag on. Each chapter is a different time period so the plot moves swiftly along, and the writing is succinct. Interesting blend of genres (satire, sci-fi, utopia, dystopia, and even a hint of post-apocalypse). You don't get as much world-building or character development as, say, s...

This book started out strong with an really interesting premise with solid writing style from Bloch (the only thing that got me through this), then turned disturbing and ridiculous the moment the midgets were introduced. Women in this book had no other role than “pushing out babies” and there is nothing at all about commentary on how screwed up that is, and no uprising or signs of protest by said women on that they're human beings too with thoughts and dreams and hopes (only the males somehow ha...

I would normally eat this three stars for the flatness of the plot and flow, but the forth star is for the amount of thought and analysis it instigated, as well as the entertaining review of science fiction themes two of the characters discuss. It’s worth reading for those two features.

I don’t usually give one-star ratings, for the simple reason that I rarely finish a book that I dislike enough to rate that low. I stuck with this one, because I was interested in the premise and because this is the fellow who wrote Psycho. (I never read Psycho but, of course, it was a brilliant film.) For reasons I cannot explain even to myself, I kept expecting this book to get better. The premise of this book is interesting. In each chapter of This Crowded Earth, Bloch illustrates a list of s...

This Crowded Earth is one of the early entries in the overpopulation subgenre. It begins with Harry Collins in that far-future year of 1997, and follows him through various adventures to 2065.Harry is one of the growing number of people who can't stand the over-crowded cities. He lives in a cramped bachelor's apartment -- he could upgrade to a larger one if he'd get married, but he'd also have to add an hour to his commute each way, bringing the total to six hours. One day he suffers a mental br...

This Crowded Earth starts off as an interesting concept, with an overpopulated world and the unusual action taken by the authorities to solve it. Much of the story is told by Harry Collins, who unwittingly gets caught up events as they unfold. Like many Science Fiction novels of the era, politics works its way into the story, often becoming the central theme. In parts fascinating, This Crowded Earth suffers from long passages of exposition, often in the form of a one-sided conversation, that hal...

yep, a good one...wonder why I didn't inventory it when I read it? Oh well, now will do...

Robert Bloch (also the author of Psycho), tells the story of an overpopulated world. Harry Collins lives in New Chicagi, formerly known as Chicago, Il. The population of the city is 68 million. He is single and only entitled to one room to live in. The only way he could be granted more space is to marry and have children but that would only increase the population and in Harry's mind make things worse. Life expectancy is normally 90 years so with people living longer it's just getting more crowd...

Excellent read From.the mind of Robert Bloch,the author of the book Psycho tells the story of a planet Earth extremely overpopulated with people. Beautifully wand and most compelling. A must read!An excellent written by the author of the book Pzycho , dealing with a future planet Earth which is vastly overpopulated. Beautifully written and executed!

A bizarre and excellent piece of late '50s sci fi from Robert Block, This Crowded Earth does not disappoint. Although this piece is simply a roughly one hundred page futuristic story tackling the problem of overpopulation, it has wild and fascinating story elements garnishing the writing as a signature Bloch work. One simply has to go to classic Star Trek episodes written by Bloch to get a taste for his slightly bizarre and mildly horror-seasoned writing. But this story holds more of a radical P...

Horror writer Bloch takes on the perils of overpopulation. The book is badly dated, but it can be read as a prescient analysis of the appeal, and inevitable tragedy, of globalism.