Ring Around the Sun by Clifford D. Simak

First published in 1953

First published in 1953 after being serialized in a science fiction magazine, Ring Around the Sun continues to hold profound meaning for the modern reader. Simak's early take on the multiverse theory (which he describes as a series of worlds, each traveling a second behind the last) anticipates a theme that would later become commonplace in science fiction. The novel also addresses evolution in the guise of mutants who have abilities that are unavailable to most people. They aren't super-powered, but they have a strong intuitive sense that helps them understand people and situations, causing them to gravitate to positions of leadership.

None of these themes are known to Jay Vickers as the novel begins. He knows only that new products are appearing -- razor blades that never grow dull, affordable cars that will last forever, houses that are freely available to people with low incomes, artificial carbohydrates that promise to end famine. The value of these remarkable achievements is disputed by those who view them as a challenge to an economy that depends on new product sales for continuing employment of factory workers. Simak doesn't use the phrase "planned obsolescence" (the phrase was not popularized until 1954) but, always a cutting edge thinker, Simak's novel illustrates both the benefit and harms of deliberately manufacturing products that will require replacement.

As Vickers becomes aware of rumblings about a conspiracy to destroy the American economy (given the time frame, communists are the natural suspects), he is approached by a man who blames mutants for the products. Vickers eventually learns the truth, and learns some surprising things about his true nature -- surprising to the reader, not just to Vickers.

The novel's themes -- the tension between business and consumers, suspicion of and discrimination against those who are labeled as "different," enslavement to technology and commerce, the advantages of a simple lifestyle rooted in self-sufficiency, the desire to escape mundane reality by living an invented "second life," the nature of evolution and the purpose of life -- are enduring. Although decades have passed since its publication, nothing about Ring Around the Sun feels dated. It is a classic work of sf from one of the genre's strongest thinkers.

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