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To The Stars: Homeworld / Wheelworld / Starworld (World Omnibus)
To The Stars Homeworld / Wheelworld / Starworld - World Omnibus Author:Harry Harrison Homeworld — In this story of post-Twentieth Century Earth, Man has recovered from the disaster wrought by the Wasters who used up the planet's reserves of fossil fuels and overpopulated the planet. The all-powerful oligarchical governments which guided the people through the bad times have retained their powerful positions. T... more »he population of Britain is divided into two classes, the executive class and the proles. Unemployment runs at 90% among the proles, while the upper-class lives comfortably.
Jan Kulozik is an engineer from the upper class. Rescued from a boating accident by an Israeli spy-sub, he learns of Israel, the only remaining democratic state, where all men are equal. He begins to question his own role as a 'slave master', and becomes involved with the Israeli underground back in England.
Homeworld is a bleak future vision, a post-microchip version of Orwell's 1984, where the all powerful security forces watch every move and plot lives as though they are pawns in a chess game.
Wheelworld
Jan Kulozik, following the events of Homeworld, has been exiled to a farming planet, Halvmork, where the peasant tribal families live and farm for four years in the twilight zone, before the sun rises and scorches the planet. Then they must pack everything and move to the new twilight zone at the opposite end of the planet's axis to begin the four year cycle over again.
The grain grown on the planet is collected by spaceship and used to feed the starving worlds of the galaxy. The people of Halvmork depend on these ships to bring them supplies of other goods - the governments of Earth have ensured that no planet is self-sufficient, so none dare rebel. But this year the ships don't come, signifying that great changes are occurring in the outside galaxy from which they are cut off.
Jan decides they should carry the grain with them to the new twilight zone, it is a valuable commodity, and will provide them with something to bargain with when the ships finally do come. He must organise the sluggish farmers into agreeing his survival plan, and stay on the right side of the all powerful family heads. The story follows the dangerous journey of the people of Hlavmork as their wagon train treks from one end of the planet to the other.
Starworld
The colony planets have rebelled, and the leaders of Earth are trying to regain their hold over them. Jan returns to Earth in a rebel ship, and is the only survivor when it is attacked by security forces. He goes to ground, becoming involved again with the underground resistance movement, but this time he seems to have an ally in the head of the security forces. But can the man be trusted? Jan needs his help to overthrow what remains of the governments of Earth, so that he can free the proles.« less