Security

Security

The trouble with science fiction novels about dystopian worlds is their overall message that this type of end is inescapable. Admittedly, a lot of books have a more cheerful end-note whereby a group of people will set the stage for a new way of life. Having said that, I also noticed that while those are great reads in their own right, the truly good books are ones that tackle this topic with the view that dystopia, in one form or another, is unavoidable. Poul Anderson's Security falls into this category.

In this short story, the author describes a bleak world where a nanny state pretends to be a democratic one, where the government watches over every move of its citizens. In this world, information is controlled because everyone can be a subversive character, bent on overthrowing a system that 'works'. 

The main character in this story is Lancaster, a scientist whose life changes when he partakes in a secret government mission. He is sent off to a hidden location where he helps develop new technology that can aid in fights against potential enemies. It ends up as a nurturing environment where he can discuss ideas more freely, try out new concepts and interact more openly with his colleagues. This, together with a government mishap later on, makes him rethink his previous views about the world that he lived in.

It would be logical, at this point, to start comparing this to other dystopian novels about autocratic regimes and such. Fair enough. Given that the novel contains a number of themes that are common to such stories, it is interesting to see how the author's take fares against the other writings. To this effect, it almost appears as if the author didn't focus so much on the greater details (i.e. surrounds, the way some of the folks were monitored, etc.) as he did on Lancaster's changing attitude. Thus, the espionage aspects, government control and police activity are all part of the backstage and Lancaster's transformation is the main focus. In this way, the author was attempting a paradigm shift tactic of sorts. With such a take, I do wish the story had a happier ending than the one described by the author.

I should also point out that there are underlying themes in this story that is very specific to a certain time period in the US. That would be the paranoia that was prevalent in the McCarthy era during the Cold War. After all, consider the way everyone and anyone could be a spy. Think of the way Lancaster was worried about information falling into the wrong hands. While we are on the topic, a lot of little details (the focus on technological advances, development of weapons, etc) also hint at its relevance to the Cold War itself. Of course you will find such aspects, usually covered in a more generic manner, in other SF stories, stories that are not at all related to a historical time periods. In this case, you had to keep the McCarthy period in mind in order to fully appreciate the mood of the story. In a sad way, that will also prepare you for that dreary ending.