Nowhere On Earth

Barclay #1

by Michael Elder

First U.S. Printing in near fine condition. Some rubs at the edges of the wrappers.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Michael Elder was a Scottish actor who also wrote documentaries and other largely fact based programmes for BBC Scotland amongst others. He was a member of the Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow, Byre Theatre, St. Andrews, The Gateway Theatre, Edinburgh (1953 - 1960), and the Fraser Neale Players.

In film and television, he is known for his roles in The Flight of the Heron (1976), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1978) and Sam (1973). He played Dr. Wallace in the Scottish Television series Take the High Road.

Elder had a long association with the town of St. Andrews, moving there when he and his sister, Alison, travelled north for schooling after their home was bombed during the blitz in the Second World War.

During the 1950s, he was a member of the Edinburgh Gateway Company. His many television credits included the classic drama series, Dr Finlay's Casebook. A prolific writer from a very early age, Elder had many books published, from children's titles and poetry, to an impressive list of 14 science fiction novels. He also completed several scripts for television, including High Road.

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems this is actually the first in a series of books--

Barclay series
Nowhere On Earth 1972
The Perfumed Planet 1973
as Flight to Terror, U.S.A. 1973
Down to Earth 1973
The Seeds of Frenzy 1974
The Island of the Dead 1975

My Opinion

I really enjoyed this book. So much so that I am going to look for the others in this series. I guess one of the reasons that I enjoy good sci-fi is because it can be very thought provoking.

In this book we meet Roger Barclay, just one of millions of people who live in a future that is way too overpopulated. To the point where everyone's lives have to be regulated in shifts so that there is enough room for everyone. When his wife goes into labor he is thrilled about the idea of becoming a father, but when he is told that his wife has died and that his daughter is stillborn, a very rare occurrence in this future world, he is devastated. That is until he receives a videophone call from his supposedly dead wife. Barclay begins on a journey that makes him question his entire existence and that of his world. He rebels against a government that wants to control it's citizens with the use of Mediums, telepathic individuals who can detect any thoughts that are not in line with what is considered 'good' for the people. He is sent off to a work camp where he spends the next 5 years preparing for the opportunity to rescue his wife and daughter, who was born a telepath.

In his journey of rebellion Barclay comes to realize that his world is in trouble. A realization that makes everything he has known and believed seem insignificant. Where that discovery leads is the beginning of a great journey that I am looking forward to reading about in the other books of this series.

[Antonio Ippolito · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tra i numerosi Carneadi che negli anni ’70 rimpolpavano la produzione a getto continuo di Urania, ricordo volentieri Elder, di cui Mondadori pubblicò diversi romanzi in pochi anni, tra cui la piacevole ‘Ragione dei granchi’.
Anche questo Megalopolis, ambientato cent’anni dopo la sua pubblicazione in una Gran Bretagna assurdamente sovrappopolata anche per le pessimistiche stime di allora, è un romanzetto di avventura senza troppe pretese, un esempio di buon artigianato che si lascia godere come tale: proprio come volevano Fruttero&Lucentini. E questo nonostante i tagli: l’edizione Urania conta meno di 130 pagg al netto di pubblicità e fumetti, mentre le edizioni in altre lingue variano tra 185 e 194; un bel salto anche considerando l’impaginazione densa della collana mondadoriana. Forse per questo ci viene detto così poco sull’orwelliano governo di questo Regno Unito del futuro, contro cui cospira un pugno di ribelli di cui non si capiscono bene le intenzioni. Va detto comunque che una recensione su Goodreads segnala buchi nella trama anche nella versione originale.
La storia si segnala per il suo paternalismo: alla fine la dittatura è umana e illuminata: l'angelica moglie del protagonista, dopo che per anni il governo l’ha isolata dal marito costringendola al ruolo di fattrice di nuovi Medium (ma per fortuna esisteva già l’inseminazione artificiale: niente rapporti diretti!), lo ritrova fresca come una rosa e come se si fossero lasciati il giorno prima; e un insolito deus ex machina saverà capra e cavoli.

[Hector Camposano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I imagined to be a follow up to 1984 in an alternate universe, and that’s what made me eat through this one. Loved it.

[BIG_G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Più conosco Urania più mi stupisco di come si facesse a leggere questa roba. Nowhere on Earth / Megalopolis 2073 pur essendo stato pubbblicato nel '72 è assolutamente moderno, nel senso che rappresenta perfettamente il prodotto culturale di oggi, un prodotto appunto, sviluppato rapidamente e con la stessa rapidità da consumare e dimenticare. Come una serie Netflix, dopo un inizio interessante si precipita in una trama scialba, sconclusionata, con il solitto protagonista destinato e invicibile che sembra caratterizzare questo genere, mista di tropes che penso fossero vecchi già allora, che risolve il nodo della trama in un modo così assurdo da risultare divertente ("gli alieni", letteralmente, così, a caso, senza nessun preavviso, semplicemente il protagonista che "capisce tutto"). È una lettura confortante in un certo senso, perché sta a ricordare nell'epoca di chatGPT che il dilagare di prodotti culturali dozzinali e poco ispirati era un problema ben presente anche in passato (in altre parole, anche un tempo faceva tutto schifo). PS Do per scontato che la Mondadori abbia fatto dei tagli, così da aggiungere a una trama già poco interessante anche l'impossibilità di empatizzare coi personaggi; inizio a pensare che coinvolga tutta la serie Urania perché ormai questo è l'ennesimo che leggo a non avere né capo né coda. Che resti a monito del perché oggi il pubblico preferisce fruire, quando può, di opere in lingua originale...

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I will read a book and think, this book isn't over 50 years old. This is one of the examples. Often the sentences would feel very, modern.

The book follows the story of a tightly controlled future society with thought police that will arrest you for thoughts that go against the government and mediums that can read the thoughts of the common folk, as well as drones that patrol the skies. The cities are very crowded and people travel by fast sidewalk conveyor belt systems.

The story follows a husband waiting for his wife to give birth and the ensuing struggle and rebellion that happens after things don't go according to plan.

The book starts off strong with a lot of world-building and fast concepts. It does get a little bogged down toward the end so that the final punch of the story is very compressed, but I think it is worth a read today.

[Patrik Sahlstrøm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for when it was written. The plot is charmingly simple, Great Britain is horribly overpopulated leading to and orwellian kind of dystopic society. Refereshingly free from heroic heroes and manly men. Action sequences are dated, there are plenty of plotholes and Elder wastes multiple opportunities to make his story even better. All in all not to bad, and worth reading if you are into old SF