Set in the near future, This Other Eden by Ben Elton, shows readers what the future may look like if the environment continues down its current path. His vision is not a stereotypical view of the future.
The air is deadly to breathe, the ozone is completely depleted, and most big cities have switched to operating at night to save the population from being exposed to the sun. “Eco-death” will soon be a reality and this puts the average human in quite a predicament.
Should people put their energy and money into trying to save the planet? Or should they buy a claustrosphere (a self-contained unit designed to support life after eco-death) and ride out the storm?
Mother Earth is an ecological terrorist group based in Europe. They are pitted against the Claustrosphere Corporation, and while they are busy trying to convince people to save the planet, the FBI is interested in finding out who is funding them. A world away in Los Angeles, a narcissistic actor is auditioning for Plastic Tolstoy, sole owner of the world’s largest media conglomerate. The activists versus the corporation and the earth versus humankind are running themes. The book operates on several levels: the story of the earth and how it is being crippled by humanity, the story of Mother Earth, the environmental terrorists who are trying to save the planet, mingled with the story of Plastic Tolstoy, the man behind the claustrosphere. These narrattives, which are carried by the main characters, weave through each other throughout the book.
Anti-earth-death activists, a Norse God-like figure, a male FBI agent named Judy, a male super-model who never quite gets it, a heart broken film writer, and an egomaniacal millionaire make up just a few of the main characters. Most of them are likeable, a few detestable but they are all are well rounded and vivid. Together with the narrator (who speaks of the future in a cynical and satirical way) the characters help draw you into the bizarre world that Elton has created, and in the back of your mind, you can’t help but wonder if this really is what the future holds. There are no far-fetched aliens or laser-guns, just humankind destroying the planet that gives them life, and trying to make as much money as possible before they finish the job.
The feeling of realism is part of what makes This Other Eden more than a satire of the world in which we live. One can look at this story and see it actually happen to us, whether in the distant future or right around the corner. Elton shows us a satirical view of the potential of human good and evil.
I would put this book in the same category George Orwell’s 1984, Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World and Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake.
Anyone interested in media, activism and/or who is looking for a great read should check out this book.
