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A "dark, restrained, and powerful" mirror of current politics from the Science Fiction Grand Master (Science Fiction Ruminations). In the barren landscape of the late Cambrian period, a penal colony sits high above the ocean on the east coast of what would become the United States. The men--political prisoners--have been sent from the twenty-first century on a one-way ticket to a lifetime of exile. Their lonely existence has taken its toll . . . Jim Barrett was once the physically imposing leader of an underground movement dedicated to toppling America's totalitarian government. Now he is nothing but a crippled old man, the camp's de facto ruler due to his seniority. His mind is still sharp, having yet to succumb to the psychosis that claims more and more men each day. So when a new prisoner is transported to the colony--a startlingly young and suspiciously apolitical man--Barrett's instincts go on high alert. As Barrett reminisces about his revolutionary past, he uncovers the new prisoner's secrets--and faces a shocking revelation that thrusts him into a future he never dreamed possible . . . "One of the finest writers ever to work in science fiction." --The Philadelphia Inquirer … (more)
User reviews
The men sent here are led by Jim Barrett, a
Mr. Silverbert alternates between what's happening at the prison (Hawksbill Station) and what happened in Barrett's life. A new man has arrived who arouses some suspicion among the prisoners.
I admit I didn't always understand the revolutionary sects and beliefs that are discussed in Barrett's reflections on his life, but I found some parallels to what actually happened during that time period.
It's an interesting read that presages the author's future writings.
The story has two timelines: the
“Who could object to syndicalist rule, after all? The country was thriving. Most people were working regularly again. Taxes were low. The interrupted flow of technological wonders was no longer interrupted, and each year produced its new marvel: weather conditioning, color telephone picture transmission, tridim video, organ transplants, instafax newspapers, and more. Why gripe? Had things ever been any better under the old system? There was even talk of the restoration of the two-party system by the year 2000. Free elections had come back into vogue in 1990, though of course the Council of Syndics exercised a right of veto over the choice of candidates.”
The activists Up Front also exhibit the sexism of 60s political activists:
“And then would come a week or two of monastic solitude, which was good for his soul, but as the laundry began to pile up and the linens started to need changing he’d realize that the monastic life has its disadvantages, and some other thrilled young revolutionary in her late teens would move into his apartment and dedicate herself to his earthly needs for a while.”
It was hard to understand or care about what motivated all the revolutionary fervor that landed them in exile. I could have done without all the backstory and would have preferred a focus on their current plight exiled in time. That in itself seemed like a gimmick (why not just lock them up, or send them to Antarctica or a desert island somewhere?), all just to lead us to the dénouement, which was for me the only really interesting part of the book. I understand this was an expansion of a short story. I suspect it would have been more successful if it had stayed that way.
I also had a problem with the mechanics of time travel in this novel.