Set against an international backdrop, the story opens with Alex Kinkade, former British army officer. It is the year 2036, and he is in charge of WE FEED Camp 114, a refugee camp deep in the jungles of war-torn Brazil. Alex Kinkade's heroic but unorthodox humanitarianism finally comes to the attention of Dr. Paul Vogel, famed American sociologist. Creator of PROJECT EDEN--his 'final solution' to the unemployment crisis--Vogel sees in the idealistic Englishman the one man who can make of it a success. Kinkade has different ideas, however. He sees Vogel as a man to be stopped--at any cost. Coming to the aid of a small Texas town whose unemployed citizens are about to be hauled away by US army troops, Alex Kinkade makes his final stand against a world gone mad.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very highly recommended,
By
This review is from: Down to a Sunless Sea (Paperback)
In 1932, Aldous Huxley wrote BRAVE NEW WORLD warning of the consequences of the world we were then creating, confronting implications of religion, science, art, politics, sex, and drugs. Subsequently, as we have made technological progress, there have been accusations cast that we are creating a "brave new world." Yet twentieth century progress has been much more insidious than Huxley predicted. Consequently, Ward Kendall's rethinking of a "brave new world" significantly differs in detail, but is no less haunting, no less chilling, and extremely plausible.Alex Kinkade, subsequently dubbed the Militant Samaritan as a result of his work, comes to the Amazon with the idealistic dreams of making a difference in a land wrecked by civil war and starvation. The director of the We Feed Camp, Alex cares for thousands of refuges streaming in to seek food and shelter. Using his military experience, Alex protects the inbound shipments of food, as well as the camp with extreme, but necessary, militancy, thus earning his nickname. Unfortunately, infiltrators destroy Alex's camp. The world press, seeking a scapegoat for the thousands of dead, blames the Militant Samaritan. Meanwhile, the United States, in the spirit of a free economy has allowed its labor class to be entirely thrown out of work by automation. Fast food, factories, and grocery stores are all run by robots that provide excellent service and stop crime. But that leaves millions of starving laborers who no longer have the ability to feed or clothe themselves: "While the middle classes continued to grow and prosper in their 'brain dominate' jobs, those who worked primarily with their hands were becoming scarce in the employment landscape." Inevitably, the United States falls into civil war, and the only hope for a future resides with Dr Paul Vogel, a man without a heart and of the most élitist mindset imaginable. If he succeeds, Vogel's proposal of Project Eden will turn the free land of America into a segregated land of those inside the "poverty complex" and of those who still have a job. But the problems of the United States don't end at her boarders. As the world increasingly falls to the morass of civil wars and invasion of foreign powers, technology proves equally dangerous to those not torn by bombs and weapons of mass destruction. Indeed, the destruction of the world as we know it seems immanent: "Such is history. It is nothing more than endless war. Only the names of the victors change." Yet the author, with every turn of the page reminds us that there is hope, as long as men like Alex Kinkade are in the world. Because men like Alex cannot heartlessly turn their backs to the masses to preserve their own comfort. Despite impossible odds and incredible danger, Alex demonstrates that true humanitarians must offer what help they can, thereby preventing the completely cold, technical vision of the future predicted by Huxley's BRAVE NEW WORLD. Yet DOWN TO THE SUNLESS SEA bows to the inevitable scientific progress we shall make, and the consequences of a technological world. DOWN TO THE SUNLESS SEA questions how long the citizens of the world can continue to support a population without hope of productivity in a technological society. Perhaps the world of simple laborers, maids, barkeepers and store clerks has passed. Even with heroes like Alex in the world, perhaps the world of the twenty-first century will only have space for the most intelligent and technologically advanced citizens. Bitingly powerful, DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA is a plausible and frightening look into our future. DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA maintains amazing philosophical depth, yet remains richly entertaining with crisp precision of characterization and plotting. If you read only one futuristic science fiction novel this year, it must be this one. Move over BRAVE NEW WORLD for a glimpse of the twenty-first century that makes Huxley's concerns appear minimal.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BRAVO!!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Down to a Sunless Sea (Paperback)
What a relief to finally read a science fiction book that deals with real world problems instead of sword and sorcery. Down To A Sunless Sea is a book that looks at the current situation in the world and applies it to the world 30 years in the future. Mr. Kendall's writing style keeps the reader wanting more and his characterizations are fulfilling. Project Eden, the compound for the unemployed and wasted, is an idea that is much more close to reality than the average American may think. Dr. Vogel is one of the best antagonists I have read in a long time. He's an exciting rogue of a man. I only hope to see this book on the screen in the near future. BRAVO!! Mr. Kendall. And, thanks for a well-written book about the future of man.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Turner Diary,
By "andy24" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Down to a Sunless Sea (Paperback)
If you like the Turner Diary you will love this this book. It is the same philosophy but wrapped in a "pretty package."
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