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Rating: 
Summary: the ultimate shockudrama
Review: A literary professor declared it the most shocking book of the 20th century. Another amazon reviewer claims it blew American Psycho clean out of the water. Those high praises persuaded me to include it on the recommended list, and after reading the book, i must say that Samuel Delany is a great writer, for his meticulous attention to detail firmly establishes a powerful, stylish narrative that is also very flat and cold, almost dispassionate and quite amoral. While the book is truly moral, for it does consistently test the conditions of morality, it does not demand a moral judgment from the reader, because the true testament of a writer's skill is the ability to present a story without prejudging it for the reader.
The book itself is, in a word, relentless: it spares nothing in its brutal portrayal of a nameless, silent, 11 year old protagonist whose experiences with the scum of the earth (pedophiles, rapists-for-hire, crooked cops, remorseless pimps) illustrate the unsightly underbelly of our culture. The boy's silence signifies his powerlessness, yet however, it is not a symptom for those without power demonstrate their rebellion by a complete refusal to speak.
In essence, if i am permitted to espouse essentialist overtones, the book is little more than a love story, where the man meets the boy, falls in love, loses the boy, and finds him again. And this 'man' is Hogg, a disgusting sadistic misogynist whose articulate insights belie his apparent one-dimensional raison d'etre. Hogg is the "nightmarish Other" who embodies the irrational truths of the world.
Rating: 
Summary: Hogg was a piece of something.
Review: At best, this work should have been written as a 30 page short story as opposed to the lengthly total of 270 pages. Written in short form, a reader would better appreciate the apparent subtleties of the character's relationships. Characters? As far as I'm concerned there are only two or three characters in this book as almost the entire cast are typecasted into the role of complete and utter sexual deviant. The sex scenes are arduously repetitive and besides becoming a complete bore, the sex scenes at least provide a crutch for the author to somehow keep this weakly plotted story together. What we do, for example, learn about a character through a jarringly articulate dissertation turns out to be little more than hackneyed "childhood woe" devices. But again, at least there's all the sex. I can see it now..."Oh yeah, and then maybe this guy just goes crazy and starts killing everyone..." Genius at work. I am, however, willing to accept this work as a voyeuristic look into the mundane lives of your average pedophile rapist. I did like the cover.
Rating:
Summary: childlike CAMP CRAP
Review: exxcruciating ssp induced lobotony induced LULL, NEARLY NONe done WONDEFULLY dicktion as dissertion SWALLow, WOG in the CLOD OF hog snarly tied SMARLY BARBED BARREL shooters gun FIRST PERSON DONE doom style done in WAD[WHITE AMAZON DELLUGE[ GOO GOO HOOVED GIVEN THE OLE HEAVE HO, HOGG wild PIG SLAUGHTER,perpendicular,FICTION ploted for gutter quarter for, camp pulpp naive naif , or plain NUTS TO beat meat, oh [ so ]SAMMY WHAMMY smarts,,
Rating:
Summary: Seriously invigorating example of literary freedom.
Review: I read Hogg in two sittings at Perkins here in Ames, IA. During the first, a friend sat where she could see me as I read. I kept distracting her with my reactions: most often a look of disgust "as if maggots were crawling out of your book". But occasionally there were those incredibly funny parts...whether intentional or not, generally bits of extreme understatement ("really unhappy" indeed).
In Hogg, you are taken on a journey by another of Delany's silent-observer characters, through the life and times of a rapist-for-hire, Hogg. Hogg lives up to his name, rolling in literal filth whenever possible. In thinking about it now, I'm giving myself occasional heebie-jeebies, but it really isn't any worse than whan you can find on the usenet binaries hierarchy. In fact, I don't recall a single act of bestiality in the book, so Delany really has some more area to work with.
I enjoyed the gross-out factor, I admit. As well, it helps add some more flesh to the subjects that Delany works with. It also explores the regions that many people don't even want to admit exist, let alone think, read, or talk about. For that reason I'd recommend it to anyone with the note that it is not for those uncomfortable with sex at it's most perverse.
Rating:
Summary: The Standard Of Pornographic & Violent Themes
Review: Its a real writers project to narrate a story from the sick and amoral headview of a very young child. It was the oddest and most enthusiastic thing to discover that it is exaclty this story which came from a young Samuel Delany who is known and established most prominently in the Sci-Fi field. The writer who can,in simple and extremely explicit prose, accomplish the 'impossible' is the example of excellence. HOGG is one of the most brilliant books to have ever sought this goal and so completely achieved it. The impression this book has left on me since my first reading at 18 has not wavered or dulled in the slightest. The true standing of time of a modern piece of 'newness'. Someone recently wrote to me that some strong reading advice he has been given is "to not read anything written past 1950." Its very hard to argure that but a few wonderfully insightful works do DEMAND attention to their 'freshness'. (Ballard ,Burroughs,Cooper,Ligotti.) They all have pulled something without comparison into the world of words. HOGG is key in this struggle. I have never been one to read 'erotic' prose. The sexual flavorings of unenvisioned writers. Yet'Hardcore' sex is not this. And hardocre sex with natural violence and a PLOT? Thats the feat I have grown to so thouroughly feel and treasure in Delanys HOGG. This is the story of a child who willingly comes under the obsessive 'keep'of Hogg. Hogg is the epitome of total abandonment to any sexual taboos and a man living off the sexual grip of severe violence. That is a VERY difficult plot to fill with believability! If HOGG is too 'sexual' to be given credit of decent plot, I argue because it is essential and not able to be 'copped out' or thinned in the importance of the role it plays. It is THE MAIN theme being explored here. Sexual fulfillment for most is accomplished in non eventful intercourse. Us cheesier folks employ whips and silly 'bondage' play. Yet..reality must be a part in the sexual satisfaction of a rare and usually criminal few. It is this altered sexual 'lust' more so its demand which is alive in HOGG ,the young boy, and most of the characters in HOGG. I cannot recommend this book more than any other for illustrating to the reader the full delinquence of a handsome child bringing out perhaps the most 'individual' traits of those he is around. It is amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Seriously invigorating example of literary freedom.
Review: This review will remain short as I have few things to say about this book. I feel, however, that having read this book I have experienced the most free and beautiful raw emotive writing there is. I'd go as far as saying I was well read, and be it a reflection on my choice I found Hogg unbearably touching and transcending morality. It truly does outstrip any other writing I'd consider great. It bent my views and morals until they snapped and I believe I'm a freer person for it.
Rating: 
Summary: Mailer states it has merit . . .
Review: yet he seems to be giving accolades to most everything these days so we'll discard that. I view it as an endurance test that is heavily laced with black humor. Yes, it is a sign of the times and a reflection of the cutlture that produced it, yet Delany knew this would be said of the work when he was writing it. Next. We have four paid-for-hire rapists that committ any and all acts within the slim volume. By the end we have a serial killing spree that blows Ellis' AMERICAN PSYCHO clean out of the water. In between we witness a character urinating upon another's leg. When the latter inquires what the formering is doing, he replies, "Pissin' on ya' knee." Simple enough. This along with the title character going throughout the course of most of the novel with only one shoe--remember he's involved with vile killings, heavy ethical philosophizing, and sodomistic acts. To end, I must quote the librarian whom I returned the text: "It's like a car wreck, you can't help but look," as she flips through the pages while eating a candy bar.
Rating:
Summary: Mailer states it has merit . . .
Review: yet he seems to be giving accolades to most everything these days so we'll discard that. I view it as an endurance test that is heavily laced with black humor. Yes, it is a sign of the times and a reflection of the cutlture that produced it, yet Delany knew this would be said of the work when he was writing it. Next. We have four paid-for-hire rapists that committ any and all acts within the slim volume. By the end we have a serial killing spree that blows Ellis' AMERICAN PSYCHO clean out of the water. In between we witness a character urinating upon another's leg. When the latter inquires what the formering is doing, he replies, "Pissin' on ya' knee." Simple enough. This along with the title character going throughout the course of most of the novel with only one shoe--remember he's involved with vile killings, heavy ethical philosophizing, and sodomistic acts. To end, I must quote the librarian whom I returned the text: "It's like a car wreck, you can't help but look," as she flips through the pages while eating a candy bar.
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