STARK: 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. Deep in Western Australia a planet-sized plot takes shape. Some green freaks pick up the scent. A Pommie Poseur, a brain-fried Vietnam Vet, Aboriginals who 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 conspiracy in history, you have to do more than stick up two fingers and say 'peace'. GRIDLOCK: Deborah is a woman with personal transportation problems which she and her friend Geoffrey intend to solve. If they manage it, the knock-on effect could just save the cities of the world from driving themselves to their own funerals in man's greatest invention. But there are of course those who would be sorry to see that happen, those who are delighted with the traffic jams because they mean more new roads, those who want to see ever more cars sold because they will drink ever more oil, those who applaud only one type of public transport - the gravy train.

ベン・エルトンの筆致は、鋭利な刃物のように社会の欺瞞を切り裂きます。本作に収められた物語群は、単なる風刺小説の枠を超え、強欲な資本主義と環境破壊という現代の病理を、冷徹な洞察と爆発的なユーモアで描き出しています。絶望的な状況下で足掻く寄る辺なき個人たちの姿には、著者の冷笑の裏にある深い人間愛と、未来への切実な警鐘が刻まれているのです。 特筆すべきは、緻密に構成された陰謀劇と、愛すべきはみ出し者たちが織りなす圧倒的な熱量です。巨万の富を持つ権力者への痛烈な皮肉は、読者にカタルシスを与えるだけでなく、私たちが無意識に加担している社会構造の歪みを鮮やかに浮き彫りにします。知的な興奮と笑い、そして読後に突きつけられる重厚な問い。エルトンの文学的真髄が、ここには凝縮されています。