Destiny Makers

by George Turner

In the era of "the big squeeze" - when an environmentally ravaged Earth groans beneath the weight of twelve billion people - two men control the destiny of humankind. One was recently senile...the other is going insane. Author George Turner, whom Ed Bryant calls "the best-kept secret of contemporary SF," is rapidly becoming a major force in the field of speculative fiction. His previous novel, BRAIN CHILD, was greeted with overwhelming critical acclaim, and was selected by The New York Times as a Notable Book of the Year. And now he storms into science fiction's front ranks with a chilling look at an all-too-possible future. In the year 2069, with the Earth's population dangerously out of control, procreation and the medical treatment of terminal illness are the two most heinous crimes against society. But behind the doors of the top secret Biophysical Institute, an old man has been illegally cured of the ravages of Alzheimer's disease and made artificially younger - to serve the unspecified purposes of Premier Jeremy Beltane, one of the world's most powerful leaders. A member of the underprivileged "Wardie" class, Detective Sergeant Harry Ostrov has been assigned to serve as a guardian to the mysteriously rejuvenated nonagenarian - and entrusted with a devastating secret that could topple the unstable "Minder" government. But once within the confines of the Beltane family enclave, the dedicated police officer is dragged deeper and deeper into a lethal mire of scandal, corruption, political outrage, and moral dilemma - sworn to silence even as he observes his nation's ruler, a man ultimately responsible for the future of civilization, descend steadily into depression, uncertainty...and madness. George Turner's new novel is a prescient and provocative vision of tomorrow...and a gripping exploration of right and wrong in a doomed society fearfully awaiting the inevitable fall of the final fatal axe.

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia

Hardcover

First published December 31, 1992

About the author

George Turner was born and educated in Melbourne. He served in the Australian Imperial Forces during the Second World War.

Prior to writing science fiction, he had a well established reputation as mainstream literary fiction writer, his most productive period being from 1959 to 1967, during which he published five novels. Over a decade after his previous publication of a full length work of fiction, he published his first science fiction novel, 'Beloved Son' (1978).

George Turner was named as a Guest of Honor for Aussiecon Three, the 1999 World Science Fiction Convention held in Melbourne, but died before the event.

Reviews

[Cathi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, I couldn't finish it.

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read anything written or published after 1985 but for George Turner I break that little rule. As I say in about every "review" I write of his novels, how he is not better known is far beyond me. It can't totally be because he is (was?) Australian, can it? His science fiction novels, nearly every single one, have struck me as exceptional and brilliant in every way, vastly intelligent and remarkably psychological, not qualities you'd expect to find in books with shitty covers such as this one. It seems to me, now that I've read about all of them, that most are somewhat interconnected, and I have coincidentally read them in the order they were published. Outside of his trilogy beginning with "Beloved Son," though, it is probably not necessary to read them in such a way. It's just a subtle quality that makes each novel richer. Beyond a doubt, Turner is one of the greatest science fiction writers there ever was (his mainstream fiction, like that of Philip K. Dick, is less impressive).

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book by this Australian author that I've read. He set both stories in the near future in his homeland- that by way of telling giving you the frame. The picture is a bit grim- and soon to be a lot grimmer.

This is one of the only science fiction books that I've ever thought could actually become a reality...not literally, but it deals with the problems engendered by an exploding world population in a world of limited resources. It views this problem through the eyes of the general populace and then by the political forces that are forced to actually do something about it.

Mr. Turner writes in a very interesting fashion and is quite psychologically insightful. The politics of scarcity wouldn't normally interest me, but his account of this does. After I read it, I checked the world population trends on the Internet to see if anything had curtailed our ever-growing populations, and the answer, briefly, is no. Various world clocks that watch its growth were informative also.

Good for Mr. Turner to take on such an important, and frightening, topic.

[Philip Wyeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the most interesting aspect of Turner's writing style is the sort of "rolling commentary" the first-person narrator provides within the dialogue. It sounds like a risky endeavor and would be in the wrong hands, but the author utilizes it effectively to provide deeper character insights while also allowing the scenes to breathe with a nice flow. This technique reminded me of how the British spymaster Len Deighton peppers in more than the average number of "he said" and "I said" attributions to give his own dialogue a pleasant cadence.

I won't repeat the plot points which other reviewers have mentioned, but will just say that "The Destiny Makers" is an engrossing piece of speculative fiction that's complex, well paced, and features a variety of unique and believable characters.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so pleased to have discovered Mr Turner. His is a unique voice and his vision is conveyed with stark clarity. I would not casually recommend his books to people but if you've gotten as far as reading this review, it's likely The Universe wants you to read it!
He is a genius at creating a tone, a mood in the world he writes about that does more than explains things...he makes the reader feel it. And what I feel is the sharp despair at the consideration of the State of Hunankind on the Planet. This book in particular, forced the reader to admit things that are generally stored in the back of ones mind. The massive class divide. The exponential population growth.

[Catana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a particularly good time in history to be reading The Destiny Makers. The relationship between government and the masses hasn't changed at all since it was written. It's the fourth of Turner's books that I've read, and I continue to be impressed

[Juan Sanmiguel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A police officer is assigned to guard a man who is important to the government. Like in The Drowning Towers Earth faces a bleak future. The dystopia is well constructed. This time we look at the policy makers.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Minders are the elite, the administrative and governmental class. Wardies are workers, though some are thinkers too. It's the precursor to Turner's other works, the time when the earth is overwhelmed, maggots breeding and consuming all until there's scarce to survive. It's the time before the collapse, and the decisions, actions and attitudes that precipitated the end.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

On an overburdened Earth an old man is cured of Alzheimer's and is being guarded by Detective Sergeant Harry Ostrov who is a member of the under-priveleged class. As he guards the man he learns of scandal and corruption.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author's middle name is not "Page."

[Jacqueline Beal]

Dystopian future of melbourne. A classic. An old man is frozen and bought back to life.