© 1970 by Ted Thomas and Kate Wilhelm
[minor spoilers]
Perhaps the most simple yet utterly terrifying doomsday scenario I’ve ever read. That being said, overall the book was a rare disappointment for me.
That’s a towering high and a piteous low for a simple two-sentence paragraph. Let me explain with a bit of background first.
Over the years, the only thing I remembered about this book was its premise: all the water on the Earth slowly thickens into a gel-like substance incompatible with life. That and a bunch of scientists on a boat in the Caribbean doing science stuff.
I even forgot the title of the book for the longest time. Only recently it came back to me, and I wondered why I couldn’t recall the rest of the tale. So I went to an online used book store and purchased it.
Almost immediately I noted a few problems with the novel. Character motivations and the specific vignettes of conflict the authors chose to highlight come to mind. But after some thought, I realized the story focuses more on the symptoms of the premise than the reasons behind the premise, which would be far, far more interesting.
So what’s it about?
A near-translucent cloud five days out from Earth is discovered by the Palomar Observatory. Approximately three Earths wide, it appears to be composed of simple polymers and hydrocarbons. * Though the governments of the world declare little to be worried about – “enjoy the vivid sunsets!” – within a few weeks there are noticeable changes in the water.
The polymer from the cloud adheres to water molecules, thickening the liquid. Viscosity readings in the sea rise through the roof. Fish cannot swim, hunt, or breed in this new water rapidly spreading over the globe. Not only that, but rain falling on crops takes the form of a rubbery slush. Even more dreadful, it’s determined that the polymer can pass through membranes, such as those found within the human body. Our blood will thicken, too, over time, leading to sluggishness and cardiac problems for mankind and animals who have higher heart rates.
The standard apocalyptic end-times scenario plays out. Panic, rationing, martial law, every-man-for-himself-itis, the astonishingly quick breakdown of society. I’ve never enjoyed stories of this type, since my nervous personality fearfully realizes how fragile our society really is, how every little thing influences every other little thing, and how hard-wired the domino effect is in our world.
Anyway, that’s the backdrop while our intrepid playboy scientist, our standard-issue-egghead oceanographer, the woman they both love, a New York Times reporter, and a tough-as-nails failed actress struggle to find a way to survive and, possible, overcome this global threat.
The characters felt one-dimensional to me, with the possible exception of Carl Loudermilch (love that name!), the Times reporter. I envisioned him as the rumpled seeker of truth, a la Carl Kolchak from The Night Stalker teevee series. But then he’s hooking up with the butch actress, who’s fallen madly in love with him after a dangerous cross-country drive. Then, out of the blue, the oceanographer declares – with no clues whatsoever telegraphed to the reader – undying love for the playboy’s girlfriend, jeopardizing the search for a way to defeat the polymer. All this left me scratching my head.
Defeat the polymer! I’ve never read a story that had a chemical compound as its main antagonist. Admittedly it’s an ingenious mechanism for planetary annihilation, but throughout the novel I felt adrift, not having a specific sentient foe to root against. Reminds me of The Magnetic Monster, one of those cheapo 50s sci-fi flicks where the threat is a newly-discovered radioactive element. Remember the first Superman flick with Christopher Reeve? It’s like Superman spends the whole movie tracking down and disarming those two stolen nuclear missiles and doesn’t even bat an eyebrow at Lex Luthor. But I guess the best vibe Cloud produces would be that of one of those Irwin Allen disaster flicks of the 70s: Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, Meteor, et al.
So what I’m saying is that, as a reader, I wanted to know more about the Cloud, not the polymer. Who put it there? Surely its placement, its size, and its effects on the planet lead one to believe it was not a coincidence. Such a question is alluded to but never followed up on in the novel. Is it an act of war, or a long-view nudge to evolve? Maybe if a sequel were to come, had the book been more successful, we’d discover the answer to that question. Maybe we’d encounter another Cloud with a different effect. Maybe there would be vengeance war of Heinleinian magnitude (think Puppet Masters meets Starship Troopers). But that would be quite a different novel from Year of the Cloud.
Ted Thomas and Kate Wilhelm (both alive and in their 80s at the time of this review) are legends in the SF community. Though I was disappointed with this one, I might seek out their other collaboration, The Clone, an expansion of a Thomas short story. And I may seek out another Wilhelm SF work after a bit of research and get back to you.
* I am not a chemist by profession or passion and am recalling most of this from memory.
[minor spoilers]
Perhaps the most simple yet utterly terrifying doomsday scenario I’ve ever read. That being said, overall the book was a rare disappointment for me.
That’s a towering high and a piteous low for a simple two-sentence paragraph. Let me explain with a bit of background first.
Over the years, the only thing I remembered about this book was its premise: all the water on the Earth slowly thickens into a gel-like substance incompatible with life. That and a bunch of scientists on a boat in the Caribbean doing science stuff.
I even forgot the title of the book for the longest time. Only recently it came back to me, and I wondered why I couldn’t recall the rest of the tale. So I went to an online used book store and purchased it.
Almost immediately I noted a few problems with the novel. Character motivations and the specific vignettes of conflict the authors chose to highlight come to mind. But after some thought, I realized the story focuses more on the symptoms of the premise than the reasons behind the premise, which would be far, far more interesting.
So what’s it about?
A near-translucent cloud five days out from Earth is discovered by the Palomar Observatory. Approximately three Earths wide, it appears to be composed of simple polymers and hydrocarbons. * Though the governments of the world declare little to be worried about – “enjoy the vivid sunsets!” – within a few weeks there are noticeable changes in the water.
The polymer from the cloud adheres to water molecules, thickening the liquid. Viscosity readings in the sea rise through the roof. Fish cannot swim, hunt, or breed in this new water rapidly spreading over the globe. Not only that, but rain falling on crops takes the form of a rubbery slush. Even more dreadful, it’s determined that the polymer can pass through membranes, such as those found within the human body. Our blood will thicken, too, over time, leading to sluggishness and cardiac problems for mankind and animals who have higher heart rates.
The standard apocalyptic end-times scenario plays out. Panic, rationing, martial law, every-man-for-himself-itis, the astonishingly quick breakdown of society. I’ve never enjoyed stories of this type, since my nervous personality fearfully realizes how fragile our society really is, how every little thing influences every other little thing, and how hard-wired the domino effect is in our world.
Anyway, that’s the backdrop while our intrepid playboy scientist, our standard-issue-egghead oceanographer, the woman they both love, a New York Times reporter, and a tough-as-nails failed actress struggle to find a way to survive and, possible, overcome this global threat.
The characters felt one-dimensional to me, with the possible exception of Carl Loudermilch (love that name!), the Times reporter. I envisioned him as the rumpled seeker of truth, a la Carl Kolchak from The Night Stalker teevee series. But then he’s hooking up with the butch actress, who’s fallen madly in love with him after a dangerous cross-country drive. Then, out of the blue, the oceanographer declares – with no clues whatsoever telegraphed to the reader – undying love for the playboy’s girlfriend, jeopardizing the search for a way to defeat the polymer. All this left me scratching my head.
Defeat the polymer! I’ve never read a story that had a chemical compound as its main antagonist. Admittedly it’s an ingenious mechanism for planetary annihilation, but throughout the novel I felt adrift, not having a specific sentient foe to root against. Reminds me of The Magnetic Monster, one of those cheapo 50s sci-fi flicks where the threat is a newly-discovered radioactive element. Remember the first Superman flick with Christopher Reeve? It’s like Superman spends the whole movie tracking down and disarming those two stolen nuclear missiles and doesn’t even bat an eyebrow at Lex Luthor. But I guess the best vibe Cloud produces would be that of one of those Irwin Allen disaster flicks of the 70s: Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, Meteor, et al.
So what I’m saying is that, as a reader, I wanted to know more about the Cloud, not the polymer. Who put it there? Surely its placement, its size, and its effects on the planet lead one to believe it was not a coincidence. Such a question is alluded to but never followed up on in the novel. Is it an act of war, or a long-view nudge to evolve? Maybe if a sequel were to come, had the book been more successful, we’d discover the answer to that question. Maybe we’d encounter another Cloud with a different effect. Maybe there would be vengeance war of Heinleinian magnitude (think Puppet Masters meets Starship Troopers). But that would be quite a different novel from Year of the Cloud.
Ted Thomas and Kate Wilhelm (both alive and in their 80s at the time of this review) are legends in the SF community. Though I was disappointed with this one, I might seek out their other collaboration, The Clone, an expansion of a Thomas short story. And I may seek out another Wilhelm SF work after a bit of research and get back to you.
* I am not a chemist by profession or passion and am recalling most of this from memory.
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