Everyone's gone to the moon. (Stark - Ben Elton)

Member Name: Boonoiy

Product:	Stark - Ben Elton
Date:	24/07/02 (153 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very Funny, A great read, Interlectually and morally challenging

Disadvantages: None

For those of you who know my opinions and tastes, you will not be surprised to find me writing on yet another Ben Elton novel. I've found his stories engaging, funny, often morally and intellectually challenging and always a great read. Stark is no different and, after finishing it again (must be 4 times I've read it now) this week I thought it was time to spread the good word. A slight warning - I tend to go a bit spoiley in the "Plot" section.

Plot:
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In Western Australia there's a conspiracy afoot. The world's top financial dealers have got together to plan for their survival once the world which they've had the biggest hand in destroying finally gives up the ghost and keels over.

The Stark conspiracy is planning to get out while they still can, they've got the cash and the hardware to leave the rest of the world to rot and they fully intend to do so.

Well, there's obviously got to be some kind of opposition to the whole thing or the book would be about ten pages long and that wouldn't even get me one tube journey's worth of reading.

The overall plot of the book is that there are the fat-cats and the, well, for convenience sake let's call them the little people. A group of the little people catch on to the fat-cats' scheme and mount an opposition to it, after a whole hullabaloo the rich leg it to the moon.

With a full supporting cast of aboriginals, hippies, rich-types, nazis and irritating wives the scheme all comes clear and the whole thing, quite literally, takes off.

Characters:
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As with all of Elton's books, the characters are colourful and very well developed. We feel a lot of sympathy for the eco warriors and a lot of hatred for the "bread heads".

The book is very much weighted towards the sympathy side - Elton obviously has little time for the mega-rich and he brings this over t
o the reader very clearly with his development of them as a bunch of total and utter gits.

The rich:
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Sylvester "Sly" Moorcock: Head of a global asset-stripping organisation, mega-rich and key to the whole Stark project. Indoctrinated into the conspiracy late on and charged with getting the land for the project deep within WA.

Ocker Tyrone: Head of a global network, also from Australia and the fly in Sly's ointment. A rich bully, not too keen on anything happening other than his way. He constantly interferes and gets on everyone's nerves throughout the entire book.

Tex Slampacker: Unofficial spokesman of the Stark consortium, runs a burger chain and is responsible for a great deal of deforestation for grazing purposes.

Mr Nagasyu: Rich Japanese electronics mogul. Rich enough to own his own battleship and one of the key players in getting the hardware for the project together.

Other rich types are included but the above are the major players and the others make little impression on the story.

The little people:
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CD (Or Colin): A drop-out, hell bent on getting in the shorts of the girl of his dreams. A dedicated follower of fashion and the type of bloke who is incredibly easily lead. He's the one with the lack of style, the small time charisma and the little irritating, yet endearing character flaws that make him a very interesting character throughout. He's not thick but seems as though he should be....

Rachel: The object of CD's desire. A committed, fiery woman with a lot of get up and go and strong principles.

Walter and Zimmerman: You can't really mention one without the other. A couple of totally committed peace freaks, intent on saving the planet from oblivion and involved directly in action against any and all planetary violations - whaling, nuclear power, mining uranium and what not.


Walter is huge but placid, Zimmerman is tall and scrawney but with a lethal streak a mile wide from his training and action in 'Nam (where, incedentally, he lost his wedding tackle through an explosion - he's not bitter.....)

The Culboons - Mr and Mrs: Two aboriginals who used to live on the land that Sly has bought up for the Stark project - friends of Walter's and united in their opposition.

Overall:
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Ben Elton is famous for his making a stand against stuff - first the Tories, then all the rest of the political parties worldwide. He is pointing out, in this book, what he thinks of both global business men and global decline. He gets over the idea that we are all to blame for wanting to consume the consumables but also gets over the idea that the mega-rich, those who control the means of production, are more to blame than any as they put the consumables in front of us in the first place.
The whole book is an environmental story. Based on the world's inevitable destruction and the way in which the Human race has done nothing to stop it.

I love this book, I really feel for the characters on both sides, the mega-rich are being themselves and the mega-poor are doing likewise. We've got great characters in both camps and a very well put together story.

If you're something of a thinker or love a good story without all the analysis that goes with it, you'd do well to get a hold of Stark. Great plot that will appeal to both the most and the least sophisticated members of the audience.

Great stuff, morally intelligent but funny too. Well worth a read.

Summary: