THE WRONG END OF TIME by John Brunner

Finished Sa 12/7/13

Vasily Sheklov is dropped by submarine behind US lines and picked up by Turpin. Black 'reb' (current slang for hippie, beatnik, slacker) Danty witnesses the drop-off. He has psychic powers and 'born at the wrong end of time' which is a reference to Merlin in THE SWORD IN THE STONE. Turpin is a Russian sleeper agent and has been secretly in place for 25 years and enjoys a high position at Energetics.
'Johnny Reb and Jenny Reb'-slang for young slackers

Lakonia-beautiful lakeside city   Cowville-the surrounding slum

Energetics General-the huge private corporation run and funded by Department of Defense

Russia sends Sheklov because they have received six pictures from an alien civilization that send them from a location near Pluto. They interpret it as a message that humans will be destroyed, but actually they are looking at them in the wrong order. It shows early man, the discovery of fire, and then humans traveling to other galaxies.

Sheklov's alias is Don Holtzer, a Canadian executive in the lumber industry. Danty makes him recite eastern philosophy while under some kind of hypnosis. Sheklov can't control his outburst.

Magda-lives with Danty and she's a kind of unlicensed therapist

Lora is Turpin's daughter and she is a sexually free spirit, and has sex with nearly everyone. Has an affair with Danty. She is raped by three blacks and she set it up for personal kicks.

Novel ends when security agents raid Danty and Magda's apartment while Danty, Magda, Sheklov and Lora are driving. They take off to cross into Canada using Danty's special powers to find the best crossing. Danty dies in an explosion on a train that he set so that they could make it across. Sheklov goes back to Russia to explain the alien photos to his superiors and the rest relocate to Canada. The book ends on an 'up note' when Sheklov leaves to explain his findings to First Secretary of Russia and the Chinese Ambassador that the world will not end and Humans will eventually visit the stars.

Brunner is quite critical of America. P. 149- The US, like the Romans, get too big and greedy. Then they trade freedom for security, and in this case, the true visionaries become 'rebs', and society stagnates.