Subject: Review: Ben Elton's _Gridlock_

From: [email-masked] (Paul S. Jenkins)
Date: 19 Feb 2000 13:48:43 -0500

_Gridlock_ by Ben Elton
	Review Copyright (c) 2000 Paul S. Jenkins

Before you ask, let me say that Ben Elton's _Gridlock_ definitely comes
under the heading of speculative fiction. Although in essence it is a
politico-industrial satire set mostly in modern London, it uses a classic
science-fictional device: the new invention that's going to affect lots of
people in different ways.

There's this clever chap who's invented a new kind of engine that doesn't
run on expensive oil-derived fuel, and he's patented the design. But the
obnoxious head of the British subsidiary of an American car manufacturer
has got wind of it, and sees the invention as a threat.

_Gridlock_ is an intensely politically correct novel, as one might expect
from Elton, whose bitingly satirical stand-up routine is often a channel
for his left-wing views. The book reads as if the author is standing at
the reader's shoulder, passing comments on the actions of the characters.
It helps if you imagine him speaking the words of the novel in front of an
audience.

The characters themselves can be a mite stereotypical, but caricatures are
this author's stock-in-trade, and he does them very well.

Some of Elton's observations on British life can be a little trite, but
most are right on the button, and very funny. So one gets used to the
authorial intrusion and the swift shifts in point-of-view, and just enjoys
the fun of it all. Underneath the mayhem of the breathless action scenes,
behind the knowing jokes, and entwined with the clever eco-thriller plot,
Elton has a message for us. It's not a subtle message, and it's put over
in no uncertain terms. After the chase, the laughs, and yes, after the
tragedy, Elton is saying that unless 'something is done,' London will
succumb to a city-wide traffic-jam that could close down the country as a
whole.

_Gridlock_ isn't a challenging read. It's written with a kind of disarming
confidence that makes it a page-turner. Read it for fun, and by the end
you might just think his message is right.

%A   Elton, Ben
%T   Gridlock
%I   Warner (Little, Brown)
%C   London
%D   1993 (copyright 1991)
%G   ISBN 0 7515 1011 4
%P   435 pp.
%O   paperback GBP 5.99

Paul S. Jenkins | More reviews at: 
Portsmouth   UK | http://www.cix.co.uk/~willowsoft/revup/