Customer Reviews

The Wrong World

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Reading The Wrong World by Margaret Howes, you may think you have stumbled upon a forgotten classic of science fiction's golden era. Not so. This is a new book and an excellent read!

Young Tadko Derusko of Elnakt comes as a refugee to the planet Monna in search of the father he does not remember. However, his father is off world on business for the next 80 days, and Tadko, forced to enter Monna illegally with almost no money, feels his best alternative is to lay low and fend for himself somehow until his father returns. But blending into the local culture is not a real option for someone who looks so obviously "offworld," and there isn't much in the way of employment opportunity for an unskilled, undocumented foreigner. Soon Tadko finds himself in shady company and then on the run from the authorities. Dashing from one scrape to another, he must constantly improvise, make the best of bad situations, and be ready to run. On the way he meets a multitude of colorful characters and unfamiliar wildlife, and travels a good distance across this world that seems all wrong for him.

For the reader, though, it's a great world! Ms. Howes has drawn us a culture as detailed and interesting as any you'll find in science fiction. Everything about Monna comes as Tadko finds it, in context and without any helpful explanation. Yet, by the end we know a surprising amount about Monnan society-the monetary system, the slang, the food, the fashions and what must be the most awful taste in colors in the galaxy. The story moves along at a great clip with a refreshing absence of gore and almost no violence. It is a doggone good yarn for all ages. I heartily recommend it!

Felling from his home world, young Tadko Darusko arrives on the planet Monna searching for his only living relative -- his father. But his father is away on a journey, and Tadko is stranded on Monna with no friends, no means of support, and no identity papers. Evading he authorities, Tadko must find a way to survive until his father's return, hoping that his father can intervene in his case. The Wrong World documents Margaret Howes as a superb storyteller and a gifted author of science fiction adventure who is thoroughly at home in the genre.