Stark

by Ben Elton

Stark has more money than God and the social conscience of a dog on a croquet lawn. What's more, they know the Earth is dying, so deep in Western Australia a planet-sized plot takes shape. Unfortunately all that stands in the way of the conspiracy are four inept green freaks.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Comedy, Science Fiction, Contemporary, Satire, Modern

458 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Ben Elton was born on 3 May 1959, in Catford, South London. The youngest of four, he went to Godalming Grammar school, joined amateur dramatic societies and wrote his first play at 15. He wanted to be a stagehand at the local theatre, but instead did A-Level Theatre Studies and studied drama at Manchester University in 1977.

His career as both performer and writer encompasses some of the most memorable and incisive comedy of the past twenty years. His ground breaking work as a TV stand-up comedian set the (high) standard of what was to follow. He has received accolades for his hit TV sit-coms, The Young Ones, Blackadder and The Thin Blue Line.

More recently he has had successes with three hit West End musicals, including the global phenomenon We Will Rock You. He has written three plays for the London stage, including the multi-award-winning Popcorn. Ben's international bestselling novels include Stark, Inconceivable, Dead Famous and High Society. He won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award for the novel Popcorn.

Elton lives in Perth with his Aussie wife Sophie and three children.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serious topic written in Ben Elton's usual humorous way.

I did enjoy this book and thought Walter and Zimmerman were fantastic although it wasn't one of his better books in my opinion.

Four stars.

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

A climate change conspiracy thriller comedy... I kid you not. As ever Elton creates very linear characters almost all speaking with the same voice. An eclectic group of ecowarriors combating some of the world's most powerful men is quite enjoyable overall, and by the end, you care for each and everyone of them... especially the camel... yes I said the camel (and it's not a nickname)

Ben has an unerring ability to, despite often weak characterisations and even worse dialogue.. he has an ability to make a point and tell a story. A weak 5 out of 12.

[zed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read on release. I recall thinking it was very humorous. I never read Ben Elton again.

[Chris Leib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though it took me twenty years to discover that Ben Elton wrote books (I knew of him through TV's The Young Ones, Blackadder, and The Thin Blue Line), I've always loved his acerbic wit aimed at the stupidity and indifference of people. His stand-up and television sitcom scripts have always been on my desert island favourites, so imagine my joy at discovering that he's had an equally successful career in writing narratives for the last two decades.

It's scary knowing that when this book came out in 1989 the very things Elton was talking about have come closer to fruition. In an odd way - and only Elton could accomplish this convincingly - it's also amusing to see that we haven't really done all that much to change things.

Not wanting to give anything away, I HIGHLY receommend this book. Elton's characteristic humour and anger co-exist wonderfully well in the narrative form (anyone who's heard Elton's stand-up will instantly recognise his voice here), and while he successfully entertains, Elton also manages to inform and hopefully inspire people to do the right thing.

[NHC Gonzo Division · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even more relevant today than it was in ‘89. Ben Elton is a fantastic raconteur and a brilliantly humorous writer

[Mark Speed · Rating 1 out of 5]

So dreadfully badly written that it's almost funny in that respect. It's written in this bizarre hyper-tabloid speak, complete with paragraph headers.

Perhaps wrong of me to mention it in this context, but if you look at old episodes of Saturday Night Live you'll see that the laughter for Elton's rants was canned, and that the studio audience are unamused. I was given a copy of this by a friend when it first came out and had that same "WTF?" experience. Proof that the sharp-elbowed and talentless producing trash for the masses will - sadly - almost always get ahead of the genuinely talented. Not that I'm bitter...

[John Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't believe that was written in 1989, by a then 30 year old Ben Elton. One of my favorite lines...'they had a sign saying 'Smart Dress' which would have allowed Hitler in but barred Jesus for having a beard and wearing a dress'. Dystopian, line by line funny, and at the same time, quite sobering.

[Ellen McMahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A climate crisis satire, originally published in 1989, that still feels eerily (and depressingly) prescient. I first read this when I was in high school, but felt drawn to it again in light of recent events surrounding the overwhelming fears associated with climate change. I'll probably always love Ben Elton's writing. It's sharp and funny and never heavy, despite the morbid themes. His characterisation is also wonderful; my favourites in this book being Zimmerman and Mrs Culboon. Given the date of publication it's understandable at times the language can feel a little prickly, and there were many moments this made me feel uncomfortable (I won't dredge them up, but you'll understand if you read it). It's both remarkable and fascinating to note how language has evolved for the better in the last 30 years. However on the whole, it has aged fairly well, with his astute observations on subjects such as rampant and destructive capitalism, the climate emergency, native land title and toxic masculinity.

[bigmuzz · Rating 4 out of 5]

the themes of climate change and a dying planet seem very relevant for our modern times, which is surprising because this was written long before the true effects of greenhouse and 'An Inconvenient Truth' and other scary facts became well known. the book is full of the usual and expected ben elton wit and style, but at almost 500 pages is a bit long in places. i enjoy his short punchy chapters and sub-chapters style, it makes his books a quicker and easier read and, more often then not, pageturners. maybe not his best work, but very good for a first novel. also, the australian themes and issues added to the relevence and enjoyment for me, being an australian myself.

[Jackie McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written some time ago when Global Warming was still the term for Climate Change, this is a hilarious and sometimes prophetic tale of the amoral men conspiring to bring the world to its knees (all in the name of lining their pockets with more cash than they could poke into a spaceship rapidly leaving our de-forested planet). I first read this in the latter years of highschool, and enjoyed it immensely; I re-read it last year but then left my copy at a bus stop with one chapter to go. So I can't remember how it ends! But as per all of Ben Elton's work (that I've read so far), this is a funny, easy read, with an in-your-face moral message. Ben Elton is a master at reading the sentiment of society at any given moment in time, and reflecting back to us all the issues we face, some we haven't even recognised yet. As always, a reluctant hero is at the helm of the story, weaving together the larger than life environmentalists, hippies, powerful company men and everything in between. Quite impressive for a first-time novelist, and a sign of things to come for the hilarious Englishman.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It is strange but no matter how many millions of times in human history hindsight has revealed the most terminally appalling human errors , we still refuse to even attempt to develop foresight “
Brilliant book, enjoyed the warnings of what we are doing to our planet and consequences in Elton style.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Funny in parts, but overall I just didn't get the point of this book. It was quick to read though.

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This being my second Elton novel, I can thus far conclude that he certainly likes his depressing endings - these being rendered even more so due to the comical strain that runs through his books. The other book I read - High Society, about a British Labor MP's crusade to legalise drugs - marketed itself, at least to a certain degree, as a comedy. But I remember it being downright dark at times, about as amusing as Dante's alleged comedy in which he travails the depths of Hell. Stark, Elton's debut novel from 1989, is a much less serious work than High Society. Its comedic aspirations are much more on the nose. Its overarching premise is a depressing and very real one - that is, the impending destruction of the world through climate change and pollution - but the actual narrative often becomes so facetious, and the characters so zany, that it tends to jar with the book's higher potential as a decent political thriller (that just happens to have a sense of humour).

While the book certainly got a chuckle out of me here and there, I ultimately felt it would have worked better without so much of the silliness Elton seemed impelled to inject into the story. Too often when it was trying to be funny, it took me out of the story, and it often felt confusing, leaving you wondering whose side Elton was really on - the crazy and often inept "eco-terrorist" heroes, or the selfish one-percenters who have pooled together all their wealth and intend on flying to the moon. I enjoyed it most whenever the stakes were raised, and the perils the heroes found themselves in truly became apparent. Then the novel did become genuinely suspenseful.

All in all, I guess I still have to call it a mixed bag. This time, contrary to what I usually do, I have written the review before rating the book, hoping to find whether I want to give it a three or a four. I lean towards four when I remember the times (and there were a fair number of them) when I was honestly absorbed by the story, but then I lean back towards three when I remember that it did take me a while to get into it in the first place, and when I think about the many times the inconsistent comedy hindered my taking the story seriously.

I suppose it has to be three stars, but (and the case is very similar with High Society), I will have to do that with a degree of guilt. Because at times the story really is quite great, and it in no way turns me off reading more Elton in the future.

It is a messy, and at times surprisingly poorly written novel, but one cannot deny its ambitiousness, and it does hint at Elton's true potential as a great storyteller.

[K.A. Ashcomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Think economical and ecological conspiracy theories combined into a funny (ironic) book, only to end up understanding that okay this is not so conspiracy-like maybe a bit exaggerated account of reality, but we are getting there. That is the book, in a nutshell, have fun. Okay, you deserve more. This is a personal story of those who are trying to piece together what the heck is going on and then try to survive when shit hits the fan. It is full of economic and ecological jokes about the collapse in both senses. Those jokes, or more like little stories taking a detour from the main plotline, were the best part of the book. They explained why we are in this mess. (Why dolphins are dying. Why Koalas and other animals are at the moment dying in Australia, where this story happens to take place.) This is the kind of book that while you are laughing, you are dying inside one joke at the time. You feel your innards yell that "Holy space cows, we need to do something, but what? I'm just one person."

I'm not sure if I loved this book or if I find it just okay, the story is fun, the setting is good, the plot is okayish, but the characters are unlovable. And I don't mind that if it was only so, but some of them are bland and boring to follow around. I kept wanting to skip what was happening to them and read only the detour mini-stories as they had substance, something I could chew, enjoy, and slowly digest. (No, not thinking about the cows again, more like cupcakes or banana pancakes. Bananananana is a great word. Pancakes too, with honey.) CD, the main protagonist, was a pathetic and love-struck puppy, and I get it, why there was this regular guy drawn into the mess, it is fun storytelling. Still, I would love him to have other personality trades than just following Rachel around, who is a dick, and pine over her. Then Sly,  "the evil protagonist," had at least personality, but one-sided and then he goes and breaks it for the story's sake. The only one I loved was Zimmerman, even when he was an exaggerated caricature of a Vietnam veteran turned into a drug loving "hippy." He was the only one I would love to have a conversation with.

What to say, should you read this book or not? Despite the unlovable characters, I would say go ahead. This book has a lot of good and enjoyable parts. It has a slow start, so stick with it, but the ending and those detours will make up everything. I might say that this book is bittersweet in all aspects. You will get what I mean when you finish it. So, shoo, go and read it.

Thank you for reading! Have a lovely bananananana day!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Elton’s television and stage work all my life, but I didn’t love this. It felt very dated and was brimming with Australian stereotypes. The core themes of corporate world-domination and the ruination of the Earth through greed and unbridled consumerism were rendered comical (intentionally I assume) through the two dimensional characters that felt more like caricatures. Thankfully the last third of the book held my interest far more than the first two. This is when the ‘Stark’ plan was revealed and all the characters were forced together in the hopes of saving the world. What I can say is that I liked the ending. I think any other resolution would have felt contrived and naïve. Apparently there is a movie/series. Maybe Elton’s writing will translate better on the screen.

[Abraham Lewik · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was constant activity, not in the sense of no brakes, rather, laugh per minute. No fun came from the endless exaggeration of the character or by the character. No tension wound by the Grand Scheme of the elitest fiends, nor unwound by the Joe Blough of oh-such low woe. I felt in need of a laughing parrot, that each effort towards inducement of percussive breathing be answered. I prefer that cringe thriller of his, Past Mortem. Mister T. Holt is the recent Absurdist delight. So I quit.

[Lachlan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brilliant first novel for well-known comedian Ben Elton, that deals with a topic as relevant now as it was then, in 1989. It deals heavily with the issue of pollution and the environment, however the theme cannot be said to be subtle or underlying. It is the main focus of the book, and everything revolves around the subject. But Elton is also capable of making intelligent, funny, acute comments on everyday things that I had not thought of before.
Despite the enthralling story, the only drawback I could see was the fact that Elton should have decided on exactly what he wanted his story to be first. As it is, it is torn between being a thriller, action, ecologically-driven narrative, humour or romance. Certainly, these things can work in one book, but I felt that in the case of "Stark" Ben Elton tried too many approaches.
Also, he often took a long time to explain things that were quite simple - often by using specific examples of things that did not need specific examples. For instance, when he explained that many dolphins were being caught up in new nylon nets (I just explained the whole concept in that sentence, whereas Elton took up ten paragraphs) he told us exactly who made the nets - Bill - , and even gave us the name of the first dolphin to be caught in the nets - Dave - neither characters returned after that, making the whole passage seem a little pointless. It seemed as though Elton added these odd little sequences in just to say something funny or witty, which I think he could have done more subtly. But this is not a real drawback, because it does give you a deeper understanding of the scale of the ecological destruction.
The first half is by far the hardest to read, as the plot at fist moves relatively slowly. But in the second half, the plot gains speed and you will not be able to put the book down.
Ben Elton's novel about a group "EcoAction Commandos" rising up against the world's richest people who have decided to leave the "lesser people" to their doom is at times funny, bleak, ironic and towards the end of the novel, heartbreaking. Also, the casual racism displayed by the West-Australian yobbos is very confronting (the novel is mainly set in Perth and the outback of WA, where the rich people are building their rather contradictory "Outback Leisure Complex").
The end of the novel also challenged the "happy ending" motif of most books, as it had an ending far, far, far from being happy. Although this was an interesting change of pace, I believe it left many many questions unanswered.
Despite its minor flaws, "Stark" is a thought-provoking, relevant, humorous and articulate first novel by Ben Elton, who has since written another 13 novels. I would recommend this to anybody who is concerned about the environment, but you need a strong stomach - some of the detail and coarse language isn't for the light-hearted.

[Kit Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the ideas-- most have which actually come true-- and the premise, which is in no way unimaginable, especially at the current juncture.

I do find Elton's style irritating and overly clever. For a book to really grab me, the author has to love her/his characters (they don't have to be lovable, but their creator has to love them). Elton's voice comes across as so cynical, there's no real love or empathy.

That can work for a bit, but there has to be some underlying affection.

Otherwise, though, as a prediction for the world we live in, Stark is SPOT ON (and very scary)!.

[David Sarkies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earth’s Endgame
16 September 2022

I started reading this book when I had just arrived in London only to discover that it was set in Western Australia. Sure, Ben Elton is a British author, but I really wasn’t interested in reading a book that was set in Australia, even if it was written by a British author. Actually, it had taken me a while to get around to actually reading something by Ben Elton namely because they turned this book into a mini-series and it was terrible. Mind you, that was rather surprising considering that Ben Elton is responsible for shows such as The Young Ones and Black Adder.

Anyway, this is his first book, and you can pretty much see his politics coming through heavily. Basically it is about pollution, and how our rampant consumerism is destroying the world. While Climate Change is mentioned, the focus is much more on the fact that we are clear-cutting forests and poisoning our waterways. The book focuses on two groups, the members of the Stark Conspiracy, who happen to be the world’s wealthiest people (and as Elton points out, most of them are men), and a group of Eco-terrorists who have stumbled upon something going on in the middle of the desert.

I do have to comment about his style, and that is that it reminded me a lot of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, or at least Adams in regards to his Hitch Hikers series. So, it is basically a story, but there are quite a few side comments and jokes thrown in for good measure, yet as I mentioned, the thing was that the style actually wasn’t all that new. Mind you, it isn’t as if this is his only book – I have since discovered that he has written quite a few. The question really comes down to whether I would actually read any more of them.

Well, I guess it depends on whether I happen to see another of his books on the bookshelf of a second-hand bookshop. I’m certainly not going to go out of my way to try and find anymore of his books. I guess the reason for it is because, well, it was just a little bit too long. Don’t get me wrong, I do quite like the side comments that appear throughout the book, as well as Elton’s writing style (despite it being quite similar to the styles of other writers), but it did seem to make the book much longer than it really needed to be.

I did like how he kept what was going on a secret, and I made a few guesses as to what was actually going on. It sort of did play into the mystery (and I won’t be giving it away here) and the fact that all of the other major characters were trying to find out what was going on as well. Mind you, you eventually find out, but the fact that Elton does keep it hidden works well (apparently this is something he regularly does in his books). As for the end though, I’m sort of not all that sure about it. Okay, Elton does explain some things, and it certainly isn’t all sunshine and lollipops, but I have to admit that I have seen shows that run along a similar line where the ending does work a lot better, and plays up the fact that the powers that be are actually nothing without their staff and their employees.

Actually, that is an interesting rabbit hole to explore because it’s actually true – the billionaires of the world today are actually nothing without their employees and their servants. I actually suspect that a lot of them wouldn’t be able to survive if it simply came down to them. I still remember a Michael Moore episode where he challenged the CEOs of a number of companies to actually come down and do the work that their front-line staff do, and as it turns out they can’t. In fact, one of the things that I have hated is when senior management comes and starts offering “advice”, and you pretty quickly realise they basically have no idea what is going on.

Simple economics says that where demand outstrips supply then prices go up, and where supply outstrips demand, then prices go down. It turns out that it doesn’t quite work like that because despite there being a demand for teachers and nurses, they are still paid rather poorly (though the monopoly on jobs does have something to do with that). However, the supply of middle managers far outstrips the demand, yet they are paid reasonably well (though one could argue that if they were paid based on supply, nobody would want to be a manager – I certainly wouldn’t). Of course, the argument isn’t about the supply of managers, but the supply of good managers.

This is one of the things that Elton points out, and that is about demand. Sure, one of the issues is that big business has their hands firmly on the levers of power, but the other problem is that they are simply working to meet the demand. The problem is that it is human nature to go for the cheapest products, and the problem is that the cheapest products are produced by cutting corners, and by doing absolutely nothing about your polluting outputs (externalities). Sure, government could easily change that, but sadly the will simply isn’t there, and sadly the human race, despite being confronted with ethical dilemmas about our purchasing habits, simply take the easy way out.

The problem is though that I wouldn’t necessarily consider this book all that confronting. As I mentioned, I have seen movies with similar themes and ideas, but by attempting to add a humourous element does have a way of dampening the impact of what the author is trying to say. However, on the flip side, if it is too depressing, then sadly that will end up putting people off it, so I guess the humour does help to get the message out there.

I’ll finish off by mentioning the miniseries that was based on this book. The problem that it has is that the way the book has been written makes it rather difficult to convert it into film format. It worked well with Hitch-hikers Guide, namely because of the presence of the narrator, and the Guide itself, however while I have seen some movies based on Discworld, like this book, they don’t really capture the essence of Pratchett’s comedy (though The Young Ones do show how it can be done – but then again The Young Ones is farcical). Personally, I would recommend sticking to the book, especially since the series is actually really, really bad. However, it does help us picture the characters, but personally, that is probably not a good reason to watch the shows.

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only bad thing I can say about this book is that it reads like a script, is a little annoying.

Other than that, it's pure Elton. It's good ^^

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote the following review a decade ago, for my blog at the time. The novel was written two decades before that. Having just re-read the review to post here, I can't believe that we have arrived where we have in terms of climate change. And on a day when Sydney is experiencing what is becoming known as 'an extreme weather event'. How can we not have moved forward in 30 years? I despair for the human race. Although I wrote the last six words in the review below, and I did nothing but try to recycle, stop using spray cans and cut down on plastics. Well THAT did a lot of good, didn't it.

----------

This book is great – 452 pages and I’ve read it three times over the last decade or so. Don’t get me wrong – there’s no deep literary value, no stirring language, no flights of poetic ascendency. It’s just really funny, with boldly recognisable caricatured characters and an important message that is smashed over your head like a bottle in a celluloid bar.

As you read, you can hear every word in your head as if Ben Elton has set up a stage there and is gigging away to a full house. Lucky if you like Elton’s style, not so lucky if it grates until your nerves are shredded. This effect is particularly pronounced during the ‘filler’ sections. This is what I call the short chapterettes that are squeezed between the narrative scenes. They’re just basically hilarious diatribes by Elton about everything from the ozone layer:

The problem with the ozone layer is it is such a tiny, thin, gossamer layer, like a sheet of very soft loo paper. The difference being that with loo paper, one notices its absence immediately, because you’re staggering about with your trousers around your ankles looking for an old magazine to use instead. With the ozone layer you don’t even notice it’s gone. Not, that is, until they’re hacking the malignant melanomas off you.

through to Aussie advertising:

It tends to be abrupt and to the point. For instance, if a manufacturer has produced a sausage that he (or she) considers to be long and meaty, he will call the produce ‘Long ‘N’ Meaty Saussies’ and advertise it thus: “‘Long ‘N’ Meaty Saussies”, they’re long and meaty (and they’re saussies).’ Half-way to the printers with the advertising copy, the manufacturer will realise that he has not pointed out that the saussies are Australian. He will immediately rename them ‘Long ‘N’ Meaty Aussie Saussies’ …

Like I said, not a lot for the grey matter to process, but on-the-button observational humour.

But these snippets are only additions. There is a substantial story here about the end of the world and an amoral consipiracy by the capitalist bastards that helped to hasten it, and their attempted escape from it. The plot involves a motley crew of hugely amusing characters …

CD (Colin) who has to be based on Ben Elton himself – a geeky yet semi-cool British codger living in Perth.

Rachel was played by the wonderful Jaqueline McKenzie in the mini-series.

Zimmerman, a veteran-turned-hippy who had his brains drug-frazzled and his balls blown off in Vietnam, but when the shit comes down he’s the ultimate hero and, yes, a little bit sexy despite the hair.

Walter, Zimmerman’s compadre and hippy who is built like a brick shithouse.

The Culboons, representative of the Aboriginal aspect of the story.

Chrissy, the standard Noo Yoick journalist who is on the run from murderers because she’s worked out what’s going on and the moral crime that is about to the committed on humanity.

Ocker Tyron, the typical Aussie bastard multi-billionaire tycoon, who’s rough-as-guts and counts that as a plus in business.

Silvester (Sly) Moorcock, another Aussie bastard multi-billionaire tycoon but, unlike Tyron, his heart is still beating … enough to fall in love with the irreverant Rachel, at least.

I won’t reveal the main plot line because I recommend this book to everyone I meet and don’t want to spoil it. It’s definitely dated now (written 1989), but my god the themes and subject matter is even more relevant today than it was then. The planet is dying, and we can’t run away from that.

We have to do something.

Now.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the strangest yet most interesting novels I have ever read.
I bought this book from my local library because a family member recognised Ben Elton and said he was a great writer and fascinating comedian so from the get-go I had no idea what to expect. The first impressions I got from the first few chapters of the book were not amazing; while I found Ben Elton's writing style certainly interesting and pleasant and also relatively easy to read, I could not get invested with the characters at first finding them quite irritating all in their own ways. I also had no clue what direction the story would take and while this is interesting the book is evidently about Climate Change and human impacts on the environment so I was worried which stance it would take and what the message was.
However, as the book continues you become involved with the characters, I do enjoy flawed characters as they seem more real and I feel that Elton succeeded magnificently with the real element of the character's personality. Their emotions and opinions are very real and it's refreshing to read a book about a group of characters where none of them are without many irritations.
I greatly enjoyed the morally grey elements of the book as well and found the ending and message very clever and positive while easy to deduct and thus more effective to a larger group of people.
I will warn anyone considering reading it that Elton's humour and method of satire can be jarring at times, yet by the end for me I was invested and understood his methods enough to enjoy it.

[Peter Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been enjoying reading Ben Elton. I think it is the unfussy style, and the amusing characterisation mainly.

This book is very much of its time, 1989. Since it is so much so, it is an acute reminder of how much was going to change, so quickly.

The Soviet Union is still assumed to be a monolith that will last forever. Most people don’t have portable telephones, hardly anybody has access to the Internet, and the World Wide Web is still far in the future. Climate change has yet to become a politically charged bore, and political correctness was still a minority, crank, affliction. To paraphrase the Virginia Slims advertisements, ‘we’ve come a long way, Baby’.

It is difficult to be critical of such an excellent first novel, but if I were to be, it would be that he builds up the main idea of the novel too much. He made it out to be such a shocker that I was getting prepared for something quite radical, which made the actual conceit a bit of a let down.

Having characters so driven by their characteristics is amusing, and he does it well, and he also does well to counterbalance it with some individuality. Often, though, characters act too predictably, within character. I think he gets better at this in his later books.

I very much liked his attempt to show us what it is like to be a camel.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scary read this one. It starts funny but then becomes quite serious.
If I'd read it back in 1989, I would have thought 'what a wonderful story of what could happen in the future'.
Well, now we're in the future, and my how scarily close to actuality this story has become. OK, so there are no space craft taking billionaires away from the Earth, oh, hang on, there are... And we don't know Earth's dying date (or do we? Someone probably does), but 'The Government of Money' ruling the Earth over National Governments? Oh, I think we're there don't you???? I'm glad to have read this book at last, it has been sitting in my bookshelf forever, but it wasn't a fun light, entertaining read, not by a long-shot, and after the week I've just had (we found out we're being evicted and need to find somewhere else to live, during a Goddamn pandemic no less, just because our Landlady wants to live back in her house again (even though she has somewhere lovely to live already). There are people living in cars here in New Zealand at present. If we had to, I know my wife and I could, but not with our animals as well...and believe me, this is another example of how people with money forget those who don't.
Thanks for this Mr Elton, great writing as usual...

[Jonathan Jasinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny yet very dark and scary. Basically the world is ending and a ragtag bunch of comedic individuals stumble upon a plot by the world's "elite" to pool their resources to do.. something. *spoiler*

They're pooling their resources to escape Earth. They wish to do so secretly to keep the masses from panicking.

It's simple enough, it makes sense, and it actually sounds scary accurate. Elton maybe oversells his characters at times, but the idea of the ultra-rich just being kinda conceited selfish idiots looking out for themselves.. it doesn't seem a great stretch. Ditto the overall plot. Like, the book is pretty funny at times, none of it is overly serious, but underneath it all the plot seems more and more poignant as we stumble towards global catastrophe via capitalism and unchecked climate change.

A really solid read. It's not a perfect novel, Elton's characters are almost caricatures of themselves at times, but the plot secret keeps you going and the end reveal is both refreshing and realistic. Solid stuff.

[Simon Millman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first fiction book written by Ben Elton, first published in 1989. As a socialist, now in his mid forties, I loved Elton as a stand up comedian, especially his rants/comedy about the Thatcher government.

This is a story relevant more now than it was in the eighties, a consortium of the super rich, with more money than god, and the social conscience of a dog on a croquet lawn, come up with a solution to the greenhouse effect (now, obviously know as climate change). It has the wit and sarcasm you would expect from Elton and the characters and story line will keep you entertained from start to finish, my favourite personally was the back story and development of Zimmerman within the story.

The most relevant quote from the book, I my opinion is -'they had a sign saying smart dress which would have allowed Hitler in but barred Jesus for having a beard and wearing a dress'

If you're facing the richest and most disgusting scheme in history, you have to do more than stick up two fingers and say 'peace'

[Ellie Happé · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

This book was absolutely amazing, but I am tentatively giving it four stars because it was so truly depressing. It was brilliantly written, in a style that I haven’t come across before. Ben Elton balances humour with a serious tone in this novel and it is obvious throughout how intelligent he is.

*spoiler* This book is all about the damage we are doing to the planet and throughout there are little anecdotes about the terrible things we do to the planet everyday that really hurt my heart. As a person who genuinely cares about the planet and often gets anxiety thinking about it anyway, this book was a gripping, but difficult read for me. The worst part was that there was no redeeming ending. The world was fucked and the fat cats flew up into space, hated it there and ended up killing themselves.

Another recommendation from my Ma, who said it has effected her ever since, as it feels like something that could genuinely happen. I am writing this minutes after finishing it and I feel a bit sick. Well done Ben Elton.

[Tabitha Elkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of British comedy, sci-fi comedy in the vein of Douglas Adams, or just have a crazy sense of humor, and need a good laugh on the train ride to the next Green Party meeting, then I recommend this book. Sarcastic, full of dark humor and spot-on observations, the book revolves around a world conspiracy of super rich eco-sinners and their plot against the planet. Meanwhile, a small group of hippies, eco-activists and journalists attempt to uncover the truth.... and try to save the world!
It's hilarious, gripping, and full of action! Perfect reading for corona-lockdown 2.0, and it will enlighten and depress you about the environment, give you a good laugh, and get you off your ass for activism. Recommended for Eco-freaks, hippies, Aussies, Kangaroos, recovering conspiracy theorists, commuters, sci-fi fanatics, or 80's kids. Uptight pricks beware! This is not safe reading for Randites and capitalist pigs!

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ben Elton never fails to take a contemporary topic, this time, climate change, pollution, corporate greed and manages to create a superb novel.

Stark is a secret consortium with more money than God, and the social conscience of a dog on a croquet lawn. What's more, it knows the Earth is dying.

Deep in Western Australia where the Aboriginals used to milk the trees, a planet-sized plot is taking shape. Some green freaks pick up the scent: a pommie poseur; a brain-fried Vietnam vet; Aboriginals who have lost their land...not much against a conspiracy that controls society. But EcoAction isn't in society: it just lives in the same place, along with the cockroaches.


If you're facing the richest and most disgusting scheme in history, you have to do more than stick up two fingers and say 'peace'.

[D.A. Fellows · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars. As with many humorous novels, the jokes dry up towards the business end, but the first three quarters are steady. I felt the book was maybe 50-100 too drawn out, and the ending is about as bleak as they come, but it was an interesting and entertaining read, even if it wasn't what I expected when I decided my next read would be a Ben Elton - "Inconceivable" and "Dead Famous" were more flippant and trivial. This plot revolves revolves around the deeply disturbing and sombre notion that the world is already too far gone to save, after the decades of uncaring abuse heaped upon it by mankind. It speaks for Elton's comic talents that he's able to even get a single joke out of such dark material!