goldenberg%vaxwrk.DEC@decwrl.ARPA (05/07/84)
From: goldenberg%vaxwrk.DEC@decwrl.ARPA (Ruth Goldenberg) This is in response to Craig MacFarlane's request in issue #71 for information on PLURIBUS by Michael Kurland. The back cover description of the book, which is pretty accurate, says "Somewhere on the crumbling road between the Palisades Encave in California and the remains of the Chicago Spaceport, a brightly-painted wagon rumbles along on the last rubber tires in the world. Mordecai Lehrer is moving east. His wagon is a traveling medicine show, a peddler's pack, home for part-time magicians - and a courier service for Earth's last enclaves of scientific knowledge. Ninety percent of Earth's population perished in the Death, and the remaining ten blame the perils of godless science for that terrible plague. They would destroy the science-enclaves if they could - and they grow bolder day by day. "But the enclaves know what the people cannot; scientists in the Mars colony have discovered that the plague will inevitably be followed by a mutant form virulent enough to wipe out all the survivors of the first siege. Mars has also found a vaccine, and even now a suicidal mission of mercy is racing toward the ruins of the Chicago spaceport. "Meanwhile Mordecai Lehrer bumps across the plains of the west, carrying precious instructions from the California enclave on how to grow and use the vaccine. He travels in secret, and in fear, for all around him are the people whose lives will be saved if he succeeds - and who would kill him gladly to ensure his failure." I enjoyed it the first time around and the second-time skimming I did to see if the title were explained anywhere. I missed any explanation, but would guess it's taken from "E Pluribus Unum". The US is fragmented into many different territories with different money, governments, and leaders. About the only communication not done by word of mouth or hand-carried letters is among the enclaves and between one of them and the Mars colony, using jury-rigged radio parts and hand-cranked generators. In my opinion, the dialogue and main character [Mordecai the Mensch] are definitely a cut above average, although the book would have benefited from more development of some of its subsidiary threads and characters. It's not a great book, but it's a very pleasant read. The book was published by Ace in 1980. The publisher's book number is 67145-4. Ruth Goldenberg