The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner
"The Shockwave Rider" is a science fiction novel that explores themes of technology, societal control, and personal freedom in a dystopian future. The story follows Nick Haflinger, who is captured by a government agency and subjected to interrogation that leads him to recall significant memories from his life. Set in a United States grappling with high technology, racial tensions, and the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, the narrative delves into Haflinger's early experiences at a secret academy designed for the exceptionally gifted. Disillusioned by the academy's treatment of individuals, he escapes and adopts various identities to evade governmental pursuit.
As the plot progresses, Haflinger and a companion, Kate Lilleberg, seek refuge in a utopian colony. Their journey highlights the struggle against an elite ruling class and the search for a better society. The novel culminates in a dramatic confrontation with the government, where Haflinger orchestrates a significant disruption to provoke change. Unlike many dystopian tales, "The Shockwave Rider" concludes on a hopeful note, suggesting possibilities for reform and collective action through citizen engagement. The story invites readers to reflect on their own choices and the future of their society.
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The Shockwave Rider
First published: 1975
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—dystopia
Time of work: The early twenty-first century
Locale: The United States
The Plot
The Shockwave Rider opens with Nick Haflinger having been captured by some government agency and being held at Tarnover. Machines force him to recall and explain his memories to an interrogator, Paul Freeman. The majority of the book alternates between past memories and present interrogation.
As Haflinger’s memories unfold, the reader discovers that the United States of the early twenty-first century is a swirl of high technology, racial tension, difficult recovery from a powerful San Francisco earthquake, and a race to discover the genetic elements of genius. This brain race has replaced the arms race among nations. Haflinger reveals his unhappy childhood; his selection, based on his genius, to attend a special secret academy designed to understand extraordinary mental capacities; and his eventual disgust at the way the academy treated people as things.
Haflinger runs away from the academy in an unfocused attempt to change the society and its small clique of elite rulers. He is able to use the nationwide computer system to switch personalities every time he believes that the government is closing in on him. At one point, he is a pastor and sees sophisticated brainwashing techniques applied to young people. At another time, he is an executive at a space technology company, where he meets Kate Lilleberg. He trusts her enough to tell her of his background. When the government once again pursues him, the two flee to a utopian colony in California created by people who, years earlier, fled the terrible devastation of the Bay Quake, the country’s worst natural disaster. With the help of Kate and the town’s leading citizens, Haflinger attempts to disrupt the power of the nation’s elite, but he and Kate are captured by the government.
At this point in the story, the flashbacks end. Paul Freeman is disgusted by his own participation in the secret agency and its manipulative designs, so he helps Kate and Haflinger to escape. The last portion of the novel discusses ways to cope with the future. Haflinger decides that the best way to call people to action is to trigger a crisis big enough to disrupt everyone’s settled lives. He causes a massive upheaval in the country’s computer data net.
Unlike other dystopias by John Brunner, this book ends on a positive note, as government secrets are exposed and crime is attacked vigorously. The final page includes the text of two propositions that the nation will vote on via computer: an attempt to abolish poverty and hunger, and a declaration of intent to cooperate more fully as citizens and neighbors. The last line is a clever way to involve the reader: “Well—how did you vote?”