Description:

An enduring classic, this book offers a dramatic and prophetic look at the potential consequences of the escalating destruction of Earth. In this nightmare society, air pollution is so bad that gas masks are commonplace. Infant mortality is up, and everyone seems to suffer from some form of ailment. The water is polluted, and only the poor drink from the tap. The government is ineffectual, and corporate interests scramble to make a profit from water purifiers, gas masks, and organic foods. Environmentalist Austin Train is on the run. The Trainites, environmental activists and sometime terrorists, want him to lead their movement. The government wants him in jail, or preferably, executed. The media wants a circus. Everyone has a plan for Train, but Train has a plan of his own. This suspenseful science fiction drama is now available to a new generation of enthusiasts. This replaces 0345347862. ** ### Review "A complex tragic masterpiece. John Brunner is the Rachel Carson of science fiction." -- *Ian Watson* "Gripping on both an emotional and intellectual level" -- **Booklist** "The best Brunner novel I've yet read . . . staggeringly controlled and dramatic.a work of art!" -- *James Blish* "[This book] is, in my opinion and for all kinds of reasons, unquestionably the best SF novel ever written." -- *John Grant, Joint Editor, *The Encyclopedia of Fantasy** ### About the Author **John Brunner** was the author of dozens of science fiction novels, including *Shockwave Rider* and *Stand on Zanzibar*, winner of the Hugo Award.