Earthworks

By: Brian W. Aldiss

Narrated by: Dan Calley

War is humanity's only hope.

In a future where the Earth has been savaged by overpopulation and over-farming, robots are considered more valuable than humans, and sand must be altered to create artificially fertile soil. Ex-convict Knowle Noland, the hallucinating sea captain of the Trieste Star, finds himself wrapped up in a plot to incite a global war that will wipe out millions. War, it seems, is the only way to drastically reduce the population and create a better world for those who survive.

©2024 Brian W. Aldiss (P)2024 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Aldiss' dark vision of collapsing society and withering earth is poignant and brutal . . . [a] richly detailed world" (Science Fiction Ruminations).

Not great

I wasn’t that enthralled with Earthworks. There were some good ideas: overpopulation, pollution, earth not able to provide enough food. But overall I didn’t find the story to be that engaging, nor did I find the main character to be interesting. Maybe it was the writing style, but ultimately I didn’t think much really happened—sure there were episodes of “action” but by the end I thought, well, what really happened; & at least it was short. Aldiss is batting about 500 with me; there are several “classics” of his I want to try but so far of 3-4 I really only liked 1, Non-Stop, though he has some very good short stories. Maybe I missed something but it didn’t grab me.