A GOOD YARN ABOUT A PLANET THAT HAS SOLVED
THE PROBLEMS THAT BEDEVIL US TODAY.
Stelzer, inadvertently, and Neuman, intentionally, find themselves on a spaceship bound for Luxenben, a utopian planet. Once they arrive, Stelzer, a middle-age business man, is quartered in a zoological garden where he has no duties other than to roam the grounds during the institution’s open hours, be hospitable to zoo visitors, and graciously accept little bags of mixed nuts sold at the concession stands. His living conditions, including a commodious apartment and sumptious board, are likewise amenable. Moreover he comes to enjoy the agreeable companionship of fellow inmates once he becomes accustomed to their various physiologies. On the other hand, Neuman, Stelzer’s radicalized young companion, is whisked off to Product Development on the Research Campus and is held there incommunicado.
Before long, the two men become embroiled in Luxenben’s affairs: Stelzer, in the religious conflict that overtakes the zoo’s community of semi-intelligent creatures; and Neuman, in the mysterious operations of the planet's largest intra-galactic trading company. Under seemingly unlikely circumstances, the paths of the two earthlings intersect in the book’s dramatic climax.
The storyline gives Stelzer the opportunity to observe a number of novel features of Luxenben’s truly utopian religious, economic, political, and social institutions that, he recognizes, would be of major benefit to humanity were they introduced on earth. It also allows Neuman to pursue his affection for a comely Luxan girl. And, as a matter of full disclosure, it encourages the author to indulge his compulsion to ambush the reader with, what he purports to be, periodic stabs at humor. Be that as it may, the author concludes by agreeing with the book’s characters that Luxenben is, indeed, the most agreeable planet in the galaxy and he enthusiastically joins them in paying homage to it. Read the Author's Note »
