Plague of Pythons · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Plague of Pythons by Frederik Pohl.
Chapter 1
I
Chandler's trial for rape and assault is held in a high school auditorium. The prosecution presents evidence of his brutal attack on Peggy Flershem and attempted assault on Mrs. Porter. Chandler, who claims temporary pandemic insanity, observes the proceedings with detachment, remembering his own actions as if he were a spectator. The judge, Ellithorp, is eager for a swift conviction and execution.
Chapter 2
II
Chandler, on trial for rape committed during a possession, reflects on his innocence and the hypocrisy of a society where many guilty individuals walk free. His lawyer advises him that a possession defense is futile because the crime occurred at a pharmaceutical plant, an area believed immune to demons. Chandler recalls the murder of his wife Margot by his friend Jack Souther. During a chaotic moment in court when a woman is possessed, Chandler's lawyer exploits a technicality to secure his release, but Chandler must plead guilty and is branded with an 'H' for 'hoaxer' on his forehead.
Chapter 3
III
Chandler awakens in a freight car with a burned hand and a branded 'H' on his forehead, having escaped after being attacked by Ellen Braisted and others. The train stops unexpectedly, and Chandler suspects the engineer is possessed. He leaves the train and seeks help at a house, where he is welcomed by a man named Guy and a girl named Meggie. He is led into a meeting of the Orphalese cult, where he is held at gunpoint.
Chapter 4
IV
Chandler, having survived the destruction of the Orphalese compound, is captured by the cult and bound on stage. Walter leads a meeting using Kahlil Gibran's 'The Prophet' to explain possession and guilt. Meg recounts how Guy founded Orphalese after being possessed. After the attack by hunters, Chandler decides to join the Orphalese, seeing hope in their plan to fight the possessors.
Chapter 5
V
Chandler, possessed by an Exec, is forced to travel from Los Angeles to Hawaii. Along the way, he experiences moments of freedom when his possessor is distracted by a copy of Gibran's The Prophet. He is ultimately delivered to Hawaii, where the Execs' control is evident.
Chapter 6
VI
Chandler is transported to Oahu and interrogated by the execs Koitska and a mysterious girl about the Orphalese cult. After proving his engineering skills, he is tasked with building a square-wave generator. He then experiences a possession by an unknown exec, drives through a desolate landscape, and arrives at a heavily fortified barricade where he is handed off to another possessor.
Chapter 7
VII
Chandler arrives in Honolulu and visits a radio parts store called Parts 'n Plenty, where he meets John Hsi. He learns about the Exec's oppressive rule, including a public square where maimed and dying people are displayed as a warning. Hsi explains that the Exec controls all radio equipment and punishes disobedience harshly, using possessed individuals to enforce compliance. Chandler is given equipment to build a square-wave generator for Koitska, but is warned to follow orders blindly to avoid a similar fate.
Chapter 8
VIII
Chandler begins building a mysterious submillimeter radio device for Koitska, learning from John Hsi that the Execs originated from a Soviet mind-control project. He also meets Rosalie Pan, a former actress turned Exec, who drives him to deliver the device.
Chapter 9
IX
Chandler flies with Rosalie Pan to Hawaii, grappling with the paradox of her charm and the execs' monstrous cruelty. He experiences the execs' casual use of human bodies as telephonic relays, learns about the origins and loyalty tests of the execs, and confronts the terrifying power they hold over humanity. After a passionate moment, Rosalie rejects him physically and uses her mental power to force him away, leaving Chandler enraged and disgusted by her self-righteous divinity.
Chapter 10
Chapter X
Chandler witnesses the brutal massacre of the Society of Slaves by exec-controlled police, realizing Rosalie Pan saved him. Later, Koitska forces Chandler to fly a helicopter to Hilo, where they set up a standby transmitter. Chandler attends a Society of Slaves meeting where Hanrahan warns against attacking execs individually and against believing in good or bad execs. After the meeting, Chandler is possessed by an exec, leading to chaos and the massacre of the group.
Chapter 11
XI
Chandler is forced into brutal labor constructing a control installation on Hilo, possessed repeatedly by execs. He discovers a deserted town filled with skeletons, evidence of the execs' genocide. A fellow worker, Bradley, reveals that used-up laborers are murdered and dumped. The girl (Rosie) saves Chandler by possessing him and flying him away in a plane.
Chapter 12
XII
Chandler struggles with his role as Rosalie Pan's companion, feeling like a pampered pet rather than a man. Rosalie tries to justify the Execs' genocidal actions as necessary work, and eventually offers Chandler a coronet that allows him to experience the Execs' power of possessing others, giving him a taste of their god-like abilities.
Chapter 13
XIII
Chandler spends nine days in limbo while his exec membership is voted on. Rosalie explains the one-blackball rule and recounts her own induction. During a romantic moment, Koitska possesses Chandler, revealing himself as Rosalie's former lover, and attempts to force Chandler to drink battery acid. Chandler is repeatedly seized and released, ultimately finding himself free and near Koitska's vulnerable body.
Chapter 14
XIV
Chandler, in a desperate bid to end the execs' rule, possesses a leper's body to destroy the Hilo installation, then returns to his own body to modify his coronet. He confronts Koitska, rips off his coronet, and is briefly possessed by Rosalie. After a tense exchange, he dons Koitska's helmet, enters the mind-world, locates the main transmitter, and plans to destroy the execs' power, ultimately finding and using the leper's body to complete his mission.
Chapter 15
XV
Chandler, exhausted after a night of killing nearly all the execs and many slaves, holds the only working coronet. He briefly considers destroying all installations to prevent reconstruction, but then decides to keep the coronet temporarily to clean up loose ends, knowing he is lying to himself.
Chapter 16
Endnotes
The endnotes section of the book, with a transcriber's note indicating a probable printer error of missing words.
