Clarke County, Space by Allen Steele
Clarke County, Space is a fictional narrative set in a space colony located in high Earth orbit. The story revolves around Sheriff John Bigthorn's attempts to thwart a Mafia hitman known as the Golem, who is pursuing Macy Westmoreland, a woman with ties to organized crime. Westmoreland, fleeing with stolen cash and sensitive data, seeks refuge in Clarke County, where tensions are rising over a potential independence movement led by community leaders Jenny and Neil Schorr. The plot intertwines elements of crime, cult obsession with Elvis Presley, and political intrigue as various characters navigate the complex dynamics of this unique space colony.
As the narrative unfolds, it explores themes of survival, identity, and the consequences of technology, including the implications of a nuclear missile that could threaten the colony's existence. The story is told from multiple perspectives, with journalist Simon McCoy documenting these events while grappling with his own extraordinary background as a time traveler from the future. With a blend of suspense, humor, and cultural references, the tale raises questions about loyalty, power, and the human experience in an extraordinary setting.
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Subject Terms
Clarke County, Space
First published: 1990
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—extrapolatory
Time of work: 2050
Locale: A space colony in Earth orbit
The Plot
The story occurs primarily on Clarke County, a space colony in high Earth orbit, and involves the efforts of Sheriff John Bigthorn to stop a Mafia killer, a plot by a crazed member of an Elvis Presley cult, and a movement for colony independence. The story is told within a frame involving a journalist writing a book. Simon McCoy approaches the journalist to tell him the real story. The journalist agrees to hear him out, withholding any questions until later. The novel is in the third person and is presented from a variety of viewpoints, but it is intended to represent the story being told by McCoy.
The story begins with Macy Westmoreland, longtime girlfriend of a Mafia boss. Westmoreland is escaping with stolen cash and computer disks. An FBI agent following her is killed by a hired hit man called the Golem. Westmoreland books passage to Clarke County, and the Golem follows.
The novel introduces Sheriff John Bigthorn while he is taking peyote in his hogan (Indian sweat lodge) in an isolated section of the agricultural area of Clarke County. He is visited by Jenny Schorr. She and her husband, Neil, are the leaders of Clarke County. The Schorrs have modeled Clarke County, the first and only space colony, after their 1960’s-style farming commune. When their investors push commercialism, Jenny impulsively threatens to declare independence. That information, from a private meeting, is immediately distributed on the “net,” or information network, by Blind Boy Grunt.
Westmoreland and the Golem arrive on the colony, and Earth authorities warn Bigthorn. Simon McCoy is on the same shuttle as Westmoreland and the Golem. He sneaks into a cryogenics storage facility, where Blind Boy Grunt talks to him through the communications system.
Blind Boy Grunt incites independence among the colonists, liberally quoting singer Bob Dylan. Bigthorn visits the Golem, seeking to intimidate him. Westmoreland decides to hide by joining the Elvis cult, which is planning a live concert. Elvis steals one of Westmoreland’s computer disks and gives it to one of his hacker followers, Gustav Schmidt. The Golem booby-traps Bigthorn’s house, but Bigthorn is not badly hurt.
Schmidt finds, on Westmoreland’s disk, secret government codes to activate a nuclear missile that had been left in orbit from a mission to destroy an asteroid before it collided with Earth. He decides to destroy Clarke County as a tribute to Elvis. Blind Boy Grunt tells McCoy about the plan, and they work to thwart the scheme. McCoy figures out that Blind Boy Grunt is an artificial intelligence. Westmoreland is arrested and put in protective custody, but the Golem breaks in and takes her hostage.
Schmidt successfully uses the stolen codes to send the missile toward the colony, prompting a panicked evacuation. Meanwhile, Bigthorn uses his ancient hunter’s instincts to track and kill the Golem, saving Westmoreland. McCoy and Blind Boy Grunt use a simulated Elvis to trick Schmidt into surrendering control of the missile. The primary narrative ends with the FBI getting Westmoreland and her disks, Clarke County getting the missile, and Bigthorn deciding to return to Earth. The frame narrative ends with McCoy explaining that he is a time traveler from the twenty-second century sent (by a secret peace group begun in the 1960’s) to protect the colony from destruction; he is also a twentieth century man who was cryogenically frozen and revived. Time travel works only into the past, however, and he is stranded in the twenty-first century.