Reflection's Edge

Book Review: Anywhere But Here, by Jerry Oltion

Reviewer: Romie J. Stott

After the invention of a cheap and easy hyperdrive, practically anything airtight can be turned into a spaceship - septic tanks, submarines, even pickup trucks. Soon people are leaving Earth by the thousands, collapsing the world economy as they leave their jobs and default on loans. As the U.S. government becomes more panicked and restrictive, working-class Wyoming residents Trent and Donna Stinson pack some beer and a cowboy hat and head out to investigate the interstellar colonies - many of them on the U.S. interdiction list. When a series of targeted disasters turns their weekend jaunt into a fight for survival, they must reconsider their relationship to their planet and their country. A sequel to The Getaway Special.

The Getaway Special, precursor to Anywhere But Here, had the unfortunate publishing date of December 2001. It was likely written before the September 11 attacks; it was published before the war in Iraq, before the weakening of the United Nations, before the decline of the dollar and the rise of the Euro. The Bush administration had not yet made its mark; “neocon” and “red state/blue state” were not common parlance. The various “defense of marriage” acts and religious legislation had not been passed. The CIA was still respected; judges were not attacked for their rulings; lysenkoism had not overtaken government-funded science. Homeland Security did not exist. The Patriot Act did not exist. There was no plan for a manned U.S. Mission to Mars.

As a result, every prediction or social commentary in The Getaway Special is wrong, founded on a fundamentally incorrect starting point. Although it is not a book which tries to forecast the future - it just wants to take readers on a fun jaunt through space - it is horribly outdated, and was almost upon publication. Nearly every chapter is marred by an incorrect assumption about the government, from space program funding to international relations. There is no fear of terrorism or illegal immigration - only nuclear weapons (which aren’t called “weapons of mass destruction”). This naivety will amuse some readers, but much of it is downright depressing - such as when the news is censored and the characters are surprised.

Although Anywhere But Here takes place mere months after The Getaway Special, it might as well be set in another universe. Terrorists, freedom fries, and Homeland Security forces appear as though they’d never been absent; the U.S. government is more restrictive and belligerent. Although the Earth of The Getaway Special was meant to be fragmented and suspicious, Anywhere But Here’s Earth is much more frightening, colored by a strong dose of reality and bitterness.

However, despite the dominant political situation, Anywhere But Here is not a dark book. Its main characters are incredibly charming, and refreshingly unlike typical heroes. They’re smart, but they aren’t scientists or philosophers - just everyday folks. Trent wears a cowboy hat and works as a construction foreman; Donna wears pink, chews bubble gum, and works in a mall. Their idea of a good time is driving their pickup off road, doing a little fishing, and drinking American beer with friendly people - human or otherwise. Moreover, they’re happily married - which is unusual in fiction of any kind.

Most of the book is taken up with descriptions of the places Trent and Donna visit - worlds where lifeforms are plastic-based, planets where people live in hollow trees, living spaceships, constellations seen from different angles. There is very little point or purpose to these travels beyond the general “look at this neat idea of the crazy stuff we might encounter if we explore enough.” Absent is any metaphor or social commentary - unless you include the occasional barfly grumbling about politics. Conveniently, all aliens have views which agree with the author’s - no other species makes war on itself; no other species has religion - despite the clear evolutionary advantages to the contrary.

Oltion spends the remaining text inventing mechanical diasters and their solutions - playing around with thought experiments on how one might solve a space-ship leak in vaccum, or how to generate electricity with limited resources. These sections of the book are either fun or tedious, depending on the reader's mechanical bent and willingness to play along; most readers will probably skim them.

There isn’t enough material to sustain the book. The disasters aren’t suspenseful because they don’t affect the characters on a level beyond the physical. At the beginning of the book, Trent and Donna think rural Wyoming is a pretty good place to live, although there are some things wrong with it; at the end of the book, Trent and Donna think rural Wyoming is a pretty good place to live, although there are some things wrong with it.

Oltion’s blatant objective is to persuade good smart people to remain in the U.S. - an understandable goal given the U.S.’s growing brain drain. Unfortunately, Oltion’s solution of working within the system at a grassroots level is reminiscent of the failed hippie movement and will strike many readers as overly optimistic. Oltion himself lives in Oregon with what he calls "other hold-outs from happier times," which no doubt affects his beliefs.

In conclusion, although Anywhere But Here’s politics are relatively up-to-date, the characters exhibit a 1970s innocence devoid of cynicism, and the plot structure is firmly 1800s. This will no doubt give it strong sales in the nostalgia market, but will turn off most modern readers.

If you liked this book, you may also enjoy:

The Time Machine, by H. G. Wells

Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne

Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift

Logan's Run, by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson

Apollo 13, directed by Ron Howard

The Right Stuff, directed by Philip Kaufman



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