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Terrarium
With round-the-clock drugs, games, and eros parlors to entertain them and virtual weather to sustain them, humans live inside a global network of domed cities known collectively as "the Enclosure." Having poisoned the biosphere, we've had to close ourselves off from the Earth. The cities of the Enclosure are scattered around the globe on the land and sea, and are connected by a web of travel tubes, so no one needs to risk exposure. Health Patrollers police the boundaries of the Enclosure to keep the mutants and pollution out.
Phoenix Marshall decodes satellite images for a living. He has spent all 30 years of his life in Oregon City, afloat on the Pacific Ocean. He busies himself with work and various forms of recreation to keep boredom at bay. One morning he opens his door to find Teeg Passio. Teeg is the same age as Phoenix, but she's different; she's menacingly and enticingly wild. She grew up on the outside. Her mother oversaw the recycling of the old cities, and her father helped design the Enclosure. Teeg works maintenance, which allows her to travel outside the walls. When she introduces Phoenix to her crew, he is drawn into a high-tech conspiracy that may threaten everything he understands. Are humans really better off within the Enclosure? Is the Earth? Are Health Patrollers keeping us safe or just keeping us in?
Teeg seduces Phoenix out of his orderly life, enlisting him in a secret, political and sexual rebellion. Teeg and her co-conspirators, part mystics, part tech-wizards, dream of a life embedded in nature. Then one day, during a closely monitored repair mission on the outside, a typhoon offers the rebels a chance to escape the Enclosure and test their utopian dreams in the wilds.
Phoenix Marshall decodes satellite images for a living. He has spent all 30 years of his life in Oregon City, afloat on the Pacific Ocean. He busies himself with work and various forms of recreation to keep boredom at bay. One morning he opens his door to find Teeg Passio. Teeg is the same age as Phoenix, but she's different; she's menacingly and enticingly wild. She grew up on the outside. Her mother oversaw the recycling of the old cities, and her father helped design the Enclosure. Teeg works maintenance, which allows her to travel outside the walls. When she introduces Phoenix to her crew, he is drawn into a high-tech conspiracy that may threaten everything he understands. Are humans really better off within the Enclosure? Is the Earth? Are Health Patrollers keeping us safe or just keeping us in?
Teeg seduces Phoenix out of his orderly life, enlisting him in a secret, political and sexual rebellion. Teeg and her co-conspirators, part mystics, part tech-wizards, dream of a life embedded in nature. Then one day, during a closely monitored repair mission on the outside, a typhoon offers the rebels a chance to escape the Enclosure and test their utopian dreams in the wilds.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
6 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Scott Russell Sanders
72 books128 followersScott Russell Sanders is the award-winning author of A Private History of Awe, Hunting for Hope, A Conservationist Manifesto, Dancing in Dreamtime, and two dozen other books of fiction, personal narrative, and essays. His father came from a family of cotton farmers in Mississippi, his mother from an immigrant doctor’s family in Chicago. He spent his early childhood in Tennessee and his school years in Ohio, Rhode Island, and Cambridge, England.
In his writing he is concerned with our place in nature, the practice of community, and the search for a spiritual path. He and his wife, Ruth, a biochemist, have reared two children in their hometown of Bloomington, in the hardwood hill country of southern Indiana. You can visit Scott at www.scottrussellsanders.com.
In August 2020, Counterpoint Press will publish his new collection of essays, The Way of Imagination, a reflection on healing and renewal in a time of climate disruption. He is currently at work on a collection of short stories inspired by photographs.
In his writing he is concerned with our place in nature, the practice of community, and the search for a spiritual path. He and his wife, Ruth, a biochemist, have reared two children in their hometown of Bloomington, in the hardwood hill country of southern Indiana. You can visit Scott at www.scottrussellsanders.com.
In August 2020, Counterpoint Press will publish his new collection of essays, The Way of Imagination, a reflection on healing and renewal in a time of climate disruption. He is currently at work on a collection of short stories inspired by photographs.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 29, 2021
This is one of the worst books I've ever read. The dystopian society was awful, the story had misogynistic undertones, and the characters were underdeveloped. I wish I could give this 0 stars. Do not recommend.
February 27, 2023
This is an interesting, thought-provoking essay on “Pollution and What We Can Do About It” – but it’s not a novel; or, at least, not a good one. I do hope that Sanders is not really aware of some rather sinister aspects of his story; aspects which he does not explore, and in the end there is more than just one Unanswered Question.
There is the rather fundamental issue of political power. We are told that this whole feat of planning, constructing, and populating those self-sustaining Enclosures – WORLDWIDE! – is carried out by a group of brilliant, visionary architects and engineers. This reminds me of some kind of War Economy, where production and resources are controlled and directed by the Government. Sanders offers no explanation; he just informs us that there is – again: worldwide? – some agency licensed to direct and control, and, if necessary, to coerce, to destroy, and to kill. To create such an agency in such a very short time is not just implausible but impossible; and when Sanders lets one of his characters say that the isolation of humanity may just be Earths way to deal with an infection, it just shows that he cannot or doesn’t want to elaborate; and we are left with the uneasy feeling that Sanders might, indeed, be in favor of some authoritarian institution as the only way out of our self-inflicted predicament.
But Sanders offers an alternative, a much better solution than quarantine, doesn’t he? This is a solution for the very few – those gifted individuals who are strong enough to break free of the Enclosures and are able to live in harmony with Nature and still use all the resources of modern science and technology. Yet again, there’s a flaw: These individuals are not really independent; they are chosen, manipulated, secretly directed by a mastermind who selects suitable candidates (and sheds a tear or two for those poor suicides who were not strong enough). And to make matters worse: That same person who, for the salvation of the Earth, helps to confine humanity within the Enclosures, without giving them any choice in this matter – this very special individual is, of course, entitled to spend the rest of her life OUTSIDE, in harmony with nature, in the wilds. (Please excuse the sarcasm…)
By the way: Those colonists in the wilderness (they are not the only ones; we are informed that there are quite a few of those tiny communities all over the world) can’t really hide from the Authorities, not with modern satellite mapping. But they are tolerated because they are just a minor nuisance. So here’s another flaw: Sanders offers a rather convincing solution to our environmental problems – and then tells us that all depends on the benevolence of the Powers That Be who, when irritated in any way – and I mean in ANY way – can change their mind, can coerce, destroy, kill (see above).
One last item: Sanders seems to imply that our problems can only be solved if people learn to achieve some kind of spiritual union with each other, with Nature, with Earth, with the Universe. As this is more a matter of Faith than Analysis I’ll just say that, as I see it, this idea might exclude, even antagonize potential allies in our struggle for survival on our planet.
There is the rather fundamental issue of political power. We are told that this whole feat of planning, constructing, and populating those self-sustaining Enclosures – WORLDWIDE! – is carried out by a group of brilliant, visionary architects and engineers. This reminds me of some kind of War Economy, where production and resources are controlled and directed by the Government. Sanders offers no explanation; he just informs us that there is – again: worldwide? – some agency licensed to direct and control, and, if necessary, to coerce, to destroy, and to kill. To create such an agency in such a very short time is not just implausible but impossible; and when Sanders lets one of his characters say that the isolation of humanity may just be Earths way to deal with an infection, it just shows that he cannot or doesn’t want to elaborate; and we are left with the uneasy feeling that Sanders might, indeed, be in favor of some authoritarian institution as the only way out of our self-inflicted predicament.
But Sanders offers an alternative, a much better solution than quarantine, doesn’t he? This is a solution for the very few – those gifted individuals who are strong enough to break free of the Enclosures and are able to live in harmony with Nature and still use all the resources of modern science and technology. Yet again, there’s a flaw: These individuals are not really independent; they are chosen, manipulated, secretly directed by a mastermind who selects suitable candidates (and sheds a tear or two for those poor suicides who were not strong enough). And to make matters worse: That same person who, for the salvation of the Earth, helps to confine humanity within the Enclosures, without giving them any choice in this matter – this very special individual is, of course, entitled to spend the rest of her life OUTSIDE, in harmony with nature, in the wilds. (Please excuse the sarcasm…)
By the way: Those colonists in the wilderness (they are not the only ones; we are informed that there are quite a few of those tiny communities all over the world) can’t really hide from the Authorities, not with modern satellite mapping. But they are tolerated because they are just a minor nuisance. So here’s another flaw: Sanders offers a rather convincing solution to our environmental problems – and then tells us that all depends on the benevolence of the Powers That Be who, when irritated in any way – and I mean in ANY way – can change their mind, can coerce, destroy, kill (see above).
One last item: Sanders seems to imply that our problems can only be solved if people learn to achieve some kind of spiritual union with each other, with Nature, with Earth, with the Universe. As this is more a matter of Faith than Analysis I’ll just say that, as I see it, this idea might exclude, even antagonize potential allies in our struggle for survival on our planet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2022
I like this book; it was an interesting read for me. I don't regret reading it at all. I don't typically write reviews, but I feel this book needs a positive one.
I usually read reviews to get a feel for a book and how it was received. I bought this book last minute and after I started reading the reviews, I wasn't sure how to feel about it. Was it worth the read? This led to me reading the first page that same day, and that was it, it was my "Currently Reading".
I just finished the last 100 pages or so this morning. I can honestly say that there was nothing off-putting about this book. I liked the main characters, the progression of the story, etc. I wouldn't say it blew my socks off, but the world that Sanders imagined in the future, The Enclosure, was interesting to read about.
At the start, the world reminded me of "The Office of Mercy", with a distinct separation of inside and outside, with people inside living one day to the next oblivious to what's really outside, and a few souls wanting to get out.
The way of life in The Enclosure isn't that far off what other futuristic books have included (egg harvesting, daily drug use, mating rituals, etc). It reminds me a little bit of elements from the movie "Logan's Run" (controlled births, color coded clothing, orgy zones, etc).
I will admit that the face-painting, masks, oversized clothes, and overall costume-like wear that the people in The Enclosure donned did read as odd. But who ever knows what the future might hold? I think it highlighted the transformation the MC went through, how two people met and suddenly one's world is opened up.
"Even in dark times, we may keep telling stories, witnessing to a wild beauty that we do not invent, a power we do not own." I read the Afterword section by the author, and I think it shows a glimpse into his life, and what inspired parts of this book. Reading about his explorations with his children made me think of my dad, who passed away five years ago.
Overall, I think this book is worth a read. It's obviously not for everyone. But if you're interested in reading about a futuristic world that's a little odd and a main character that goes through changes including challenging what he thinks about the system he grew up in, then maybe give it a go.
I usually read reviews to get a feel for a book and how it was received. I bought this book last minute and after I started reading the reviews, I wasn't sure how to feel about it. Was it worth the read? This led to me reading the first page that same day, and that was it, it was my "Currently Reading".
I just finished the last 100 pages or so this morning. I can honestly say that there was nothing off-putting about this book. I liked the main characters, the progression of the story, etc. I wouldn't say it blew my socks off, but the world that Sanders imagined in the future, The Enclosure, was interesting to read about.
At the start, the world reminded me of "The Office of Mercy", with a distinct separation of inside and outside, with people inside living one day to the next oblivious to what's really outside, and a few souls wanting to get out.
The way of life in The Enclosure isn't that far off what other futuristic books have included (egg harvesting, daily drug use, mating rituals, etc). It reminds me a little bit of elements from the movie "Logan's Run" (controlled births, color coded clothing, orgy zones, etc).
I will admit that the face-painting, masks, oversized clothes, and overall costume-like wear that the people in The Enclosure donned did read as odd. But who ever knows what the future might hold? I think it highlighted the transformation the MC went through, how two people met and suddenly one's world is opened up.
"Even in dark times, we may keep telling stories, witnessing to a wild beauty that we do not invent, a power we do not own." I read the Afterword section by the author, and I think it shows a glimpse into his life, and what inspired parts of this book. Reading about his explorations with his children made me think of my dad, who passed away five years ago.
Overall, I think this book is worth a read. It's obviously not for everyone. But if you're interested in reading about a futuristic world that's a little odd and a main character that goes through changes including challenging what he thinks about the system he grew up in, then maybe give it a go.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 23, 2025With round-the-clock drugs, games, and eros parlors to entertain them and virtual weather to sustain them, humans live inside a global network of domed cities known collectively as "the Enclosure." Having poisoned the biosphere, we’ve had to close ourselves off from the Earth. The cities of the Enclosure are scattered around the globe on the land and sea, and are connected by a web of travel tubes, so no one needs to risk exposure. Health Patrollers police the boundaries of the Enclosure to keep the mutants and pollution out. Phoenix Marshall decodes satellite images for a living. He has spent all 30 years of his life in Oregon City, afloat on the Pacific Ocean. He busies himself with work and various forms of recreation to keep boredom at bay. One morning he opens his door to find Teeg Passio. Teeg is the same age as Phoenix, but she’s different; she’s menacingly and enticingly wild. She grew up on the outside. Her mother oversaw the recycling of the old cities, and her father helped design the Enclosure. Teeg works maintenance, which allows her to travel outside the walls. When she introduces Phoenix to her crew, he is drawn into a high-tech conspiracy that may threaten everything he understands. Are humans really better off within the Enclosure? Is the Earth? Are Health Patrollers keeping us safe or just keeping us in? Teeg seduces Phoenix out of his orderly life, enlisting him in a secret, political and sexual rebellion. Teeg and her co-conspirators, part mystics, part tech-wizards, dream of a life embedded in nature. Then one day, during a closely monitored repair mission on the outside, a typhoon offers the rebels a chance to escape the Enclosure and test their utopian dreams in the wilds.
October 23, 2025
I feel the book touches on some really interesting ideas, and raises some worthwhile questions, but overall it did not feel they were explored in sufficient depth to warrant a higher star rating.
There are flavours of other futuristic/utopian societies in the descriptions of Oregon City, with the 'chemmies' bringing to mind the soma in Brave New World, and the whole concept of a sealed dome biosphere echoing the real-life Biosphere 2 experiments. (which in all fairness to the author, came about after he published this work, so kudos on his prescience!) Actually what I was most reminded of was the novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, with its glass world and costumes and our city man being pulled to the outside by a beautiful woman.
Everything felt a bit under-developed and skimmed over though. The characters aren't tremendously deep. Its not really clear how everything works. It seems odd for our gang to seek escape from a domed existence, only to immediately start building their own domes outside! But there's an earnestness to it all that is charming. And I didn't really know what to expect from the story so was keen to read on, and found the late twist in Portland to be an interesting angle. So I enjoyed the book, but would perhaps find it difficult to recommend except to a very narrow stratum of sci-fi fans.
There are flavours of other futuristic/utopian societies in the descriptions of Oregon City, with the 'chemmies' bringing to mind the soma in Brave New World, and the whole concept of a sealed dome biosphere echoing the real-life Biosphere 2 experiments. (which in all fairness to the author, came about after he published this work, so kudos on his prescience!) Actually what I was most reminded of was the novel We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, with its glass world and costumes and our city man being pulled to the outside by a beautiful woman.
Everything felt a bit under-developed and skimmed over though. The characters aren't tremendously deep. Its not really clear how everything works. It seems odd for our gang to seek escape from a domed existence, only to immediately start building their own domes outside! But there's an earnestness to it all that is charming. And I didn't really know what to expect from the story so was keen to read on, and found the late twist in Portland to be an interesting angle. So I enjoyed the book, but would perhaps find it difficult to recommend except to a very narrow stratum of sci-fi fans.
June 9, 2024
This book had a very strong environmental message to it which I appreciated. It’s set in a future where mankind has destroyed and discarded the earth, but in the absence of humans, nature rebounded. I like the thought that nature is much more resilient than we might give it credit for. This book encourages a mindset that I feel myself agreeing with. It doesn’t preach the destruction of technology, just that we lighter our touch on the environment as much as we should, that nature is precious and we don’t need to throw away all technological advancements to exist with it. I felt that the plot and characters were a bit weaker than I would’ve liked, but they kept my interest well enough and I enjoyed the book
May 16, 2017
I read this when it first came out in the 80s and some images stuck with me, but I had forgotten (or perhaps didn't notice as a teenager) how powerful it really is.
When humans had damaged the environment so much that we could no longer survive in it, we moved into a globe-spanning series on artificial biospheres ostensibly designed to protect us from the hostile Earth. In practice removing all the people offers Earth a chance to begin recovering.
When humans had damaged the environment so much that we could no longer survive in it, we moved into a globe-spanning series on artificial biospheres ostensibly designed to protect us from the hostile Earth. In practice removing all the people offers Earth a chance to begin recovering.
January 5, 2019
Especially as someone who usually hates sci-fi, this was wonderful.
February 28, 2019
A unique little novel well worth the time spent on it. I didn't want to finish it because the glimpse into this world would be over.
April 20, 2018
It's a terrible book. Not only does it sexually objectify the main character (even as a child. Ew.), it's own imaginary details don't hold up to water. (The 12 Step Mating Ritual, for instance. Never really talked about in whole, but in parts and those parts are seemingly contradictory. I mean, who would enter into a 'mating ritual' with someone whose name you don't even get to ask until step 7.
The whole thing is awful and ridiculous.
The whole thing is awful and ridiculous.
July 26, 2010
In the genre of escaping-the-future-distopia, this is so so weak. In the field of novels, it's just atrocious. I don't know why I read all the way to the end. For the cheap payoff, I guess. No surprises, not worth reading.
July 25, 2007
Great discussion book.
May 23, 2009
Interesting. Very forward thinking, so much so, that it was a little hard to get through. Nice love story worked in.
August 9, 2008
It was pretty good. I expected it to knock my on my ass....but it didn't.
September 12, 2014
I did not care for this book one bit.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews