The Other Planet

by Sheila Ascher, Dennis Straus

Is it possible to live in the future? -- to embrace the transformations created by every new thing, and at the same time to escape the depressing discrepancy between events that only happen and those which actually might? For Valeria Florescu, the desirable pathway would lead through 'a subtly coherent twining of adventures' in a personal quest for the 'extraordinary.' But when Valeria quits her job as research chemist at a large industrial laboratory, she discovers first that uncertainty is more than a law of particle physics. Almost immediately she encounters the contradictory allures of two attractive men: Liam Lenehan, whose mad passion for order takes the curious form of repairing obsolescence; and Humberto Vilanescu, alchemical entrepreneur and impressario of futurism. Against the claustrophobic inertia of well-meaning family members, Valeria is propelled by the magnetic promise of self-realization (and bizarre encounters with the inexplicable) into adventures that send her through supercharged Manhattan parties, orgies in postmodern condos, and the decrepit wilderness of exurban slums. And then, as the ruins of reality slip behind, she journeys toward the fulfillment of the ambitious yearnings of the electronic generation. The Other Planet is a brilliant decoding of the agenda for the future, as well as an acutely penetrating observation of the present. With its compelling sensation of deja vu -- and delirious soliloquies on scientific imperialism, enforced stupidity, movies and movie stars, the nature of magic, and millennial lust -- this breakthrough novel presents an uncommon and challenging experience.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1988

Reviews

[LOUISE · Rating 5 out of 5]

The question I ask myself about The Other Planet but can't answer is whether it's "science fiction" or something else. Having read other Ascher/Straus books my guess is that there's no obvious category. The common thread is that there are always questions and ideas that stay with me. Another question: is there a category of fiction that's "philosophical"? Whatever it is I love it.

[Elizabeth Pirog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I look for writing that challenges what I'm used to and takes me in surprising directions. For that reason I've been reading Ascher/Straus' fiction since what I think is their first novel, THE MENACED ASSASSIN. THE OTHER PLANET doesn't disappoint. It's fresh and completely original and doesn't resemble anything else I know.