| Author: | Ed Bryant and Harlan Ellison |
| Copyright: | 1975 |
| Date Reviewed: | 9/28/86 |
| Rating: | 8.5 |
Synopsis: Devon is an outcast in the small village/world of Cypress Corners. He's been an outcast since before his parents died in a fire. His only friend has been Young Garth, who saved him from a beating once at the hands of some malicious boys. Devon has dreams about real stars and great expanses of space. The whole of the Cypress Corners world is only a 100 kilometers wide and the stars that flicker in its sky do so at a regular artificial rate. Cypress Corners is a very pious town. Its town members spend eight hours a day praying to the creator. To them, Devon's dreams are dangerous and they've expelled him to the hills in the hopes that severe conditions will make him see the error of his ways.
Devon might not have survived without the help of Rachel. Devon openly loves Rachel but she is afraid to admit her love because it has been forbidden. The creator - as manipulated by Elder Micah - has decreed that for genetic purposes, Rachel must marry Young Garth. Neither young people love each other but that makes no difference. Garth is prepared to spend a lifetime with Rachel if that is the creator's wish.
Finally the Elders agree to let Devon rejoin the community but his angers have not been quenched. During a church service, Devon demands to be allowed to marry Rachel and is in trouble again. Elder Micah declares him a non-person. No member of the community may talk with him or aid him in any way. Devon sneaks into the place of worship and overhears Elder Micah programming the creator. He steals the tape containing the marriage arrangements and brings them to Rachel's father, Old Aram, as proof of the conspiracy. But Aram is a very pious man and won't have any of Devon's ravings. Aram takes the tape and forces Devon to leave.
Soon now, all of the men of Cypress Corners are after Devon for his sacrilege but Devon is lucky. While hiding in the woods he stumbles onto a steal iris in the ground. Devon accidentally opens the iris and falls through. He is sure he will be smashed to death at the bottom of the pit but as a wall comes up to meet him, his speed slows down and he finds himself in free fall. Devon quickly learns to use handrails to get around and makes it to an access tube. Using a pressurization suit, he goes through an air lock and sees the real stars. They are even more magnificent than the ones in his dreams. He also sees the domes and realizes that Cypress Corners is but one world among many that are traveling together through the universe.
Much later, after he's had his fill of the view, Devon makes it to a control room and learns from the computer that the Ark was launched in the year A.D. 2265 when it was learned that the Vastator would destroy all life on Earth. Before the history lesson could go on, Devon must learn what Earth was. Hundreds of years ago an accident occurred which killed most or all of the crew and set the Ark's course in a different direction. It is now four hundred years later and the different biospheres have had no contact with each other for all that time. Devon also learns that within 5 years, the Ark will plunge straight into a star and be destroyed. There are missing pieces to the information Devon seeks. Most of this he learns from knowledge cube 43. Cubes 42 and 44 and beyond are missing. Devon resolves to go back to Cypress Corners and seek help from his people to find the missing crew and set the Ark on its correct course. The computer warns him that the people of his little world will not appreciate the new knowledge he brings.
As the computer predicted, things don't go well for Devon. No one will listen to his story. He is captured and sentenced to death by stoning. Devon makes his escape thanks to Old Garth who did not want to see his son participate in the killing of his friend. Devon takes Rachel from her family and the two of them go back down the iris in search of help. The Elders won't go anywhere near the iris but they send Young Garth to return Devon to Cypress Corners or kill him. Garth goes because it is his duty.
Review: I read and enjoyed "Phoenix Without Ashes" but bought the book more for the 20 page forward by Harlan Ellison. In this, Ellison details the events that led to the monumental failure of "The Starlost" as a science fiction T.V. series. This is the second book I've read connected with that effort. The first was a comedy titled "The Starcrossed" by Ben Bova, technical consultant for that show.
This is a well written book and even though I knew how the story was going to turn out, having remembered the pilot from 14 years ago, the story line kept me involved. I'm generally not fond of love stories but I was interested in this one because it was so new and forbidden to the participants. One of the plot devices I never cared for in "The Starlost" was the romantic rivalry between Devon and Garth. I was glad to see there was no such rivalry here. It's a shame that after this first episode, I shall never read any others in the series because they don't exist.