''The Ice People'' is a 1998

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel by British writer Maggie Gee, set in a future world dominated by a new

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

. The novel examines different elements of contemporary society: the fundamental roles and relationships of men and women, sexuality, politics and the issue of

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. Global warming is the initial context, where increases in temperature are then followed by the cyclic appearance of an ice age. The reaction of society and individuals to these dramatic extremes sites the novel within the

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...

n science fiction, but closer to the author's heart seem to be the changes within such a scenario of issues we face today: the changes in

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

as different parts of the planet change in their attractiveness; the changes in social position as "Insiders" and "Outsiders" – the "haves" and the "have-nots" – live within differing conditions; the value, status and interpretation of marriage; parenthood – the increasing difficulties in conception and the subsequent single-parenthood versus family issues; the "gang" mentality of men and women; the way politics is perceived, used and power abused. ''The Ice People'' has been compared to

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...

’s ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final ...

'' and

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxley ...

’s ''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarch ...

''.

Plot

At a point towards the end of the 21st century, Britain is in the grip of a new

. Men and women are largely living separately in different areas of the country, while civilisation and law and order have mostly broken down. As an old man living with a group of outlaws who will dispose of him once he has outlived his usefulness to them,

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tri ...

begins to tell the tale of his life, and in particular his marriage to

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...

. Their marriage is initially a good one, but as the

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

s begin to impact on the surrounding

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

, the couple start to cool towards each other and drift apart. Sarah eventually leaves Saul, becomes a

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...

, then finally tries to turn their son,

Luke People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

, against him. When Sarah refuses to let him see Luke, Saul kidnaps the boy and goes on the run, fleeing across the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

to Europe. Luke objects to being taken away from his home, however, and as Saul attempts to gain passage for them both to the warmer climes of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, Luke runs away. It later transpires that he has joined a group of bandits in Spain. Having lost his son, Saul returns to Britain, where he is involved in a car crash. He is pulled from the wreckage by the outlaws, who at first plan to kill him, but then decide to keep him alive when they discover his skills as a storyteller. But as the book comes to an end, the outlaws are becoming tired of Saul and his time is running out.

References

External links

* * Adeline Johns-Putra
"Care, Gender and the Climate-Changed Future: Maggie Gee’s ''The Ice People''"
Academia.edu {{DEFAULTSORT:Ice People, The 1998 British novels British science fiction novels Dystopian novels

Plot

See also

References

External links