In Tom SweterLitsch’s “The Gone World,” Sweterlitsch describes a world plagued by an event called the terminus. Through the Deep Time program, time travelers have spotted when the terminus will occur in the future. The plot of the book explores the events that cause the terminus’ arrival and what events would enable humans to escape the terminus. The book ends eerily as the only way for the world to escape the terminus is for a black hole to kill everyone aboard the ship that discovered the alien planet. To conclude the novel, Sweterlitsch describes life reverted to a previous version of itself when the main character is a child again and has no connection to the Deep Space program. Sweterlitsch continues to allude to Shannon’s boyfriend and father’s connection to the Navy which may ultimately result in the same eventual future.
This book explores the effects of time and space travel. In each trip into the future, a different possible worldly outcome is created. Characters change from allies in the previous world to enemies whose past has been riddled with horrors which have yet to happen. In other futures the same character rediscovers a loving connection with Shannon. Despite the exaggerated differences in most characters and Shannon’s increasing understanding of the causes of the terminus, the terminus’ arrival steadily encroaches on Terra Firma. This allows Sarah to discover that she is enabling her program to seek out the terminus and lead the terminus back to Earth. Through a series of hard to follow plot twists and time knots, Shannon is able to postpone the terminus’ arrival. Described by Quammen in “Spillover,” it will not take an alien planet to introduce an apocalyptic virus. In fact, humanity is more vulnerable to a virus than ever because of its rising world population Sweterlitsch’s “The Gone World” takes a similar tone to Margret Atwood’s “The Year of The Flood” which describes mankind as responsible for their own downfall. Atwood describes mankind’s vanity as the catalyst which instigates an apocalypse. Despite varying decisions in each future, each future Sweterlitsch describes the same decisions being made by a group of elite scientists and government official’s. These decisions expose humanity to the terminus in every future. This a statement on Sweterlitsch’s belief in corrupt government and humankind’s selfish and greedy nature. By alluding to the potential continuation of the Deep Space and Deep Time program at the end of the book, Sweterlitsch even hints at the fact that the terminus may be postponed, but humanity will still be damned by its own vanity. Although I believe that most people are good, if the world were vulnerable, it would only take one person’s selfish decision to expose everyone to the wrath of this virus. With governments frequently operating behind closed doors, this decision may secretly happen anyways. This kind of inevitable fate is far too possible. For example, a country studying biological warfare could in turn mutate into something which cannot be contained. There is potential for all livable Earth to be destroyed by nuclear warfare. This kind of outcome can be caused by a few bad people in a world filled of good people. An alien virus does not need to be introduced for our own vanity to govern our future. While I would like to believe that most people are good, it is much easier to break things than it is to fix them. I believe that our species has potential to continue to thrive, but we are much more likely to survive if we can find a way in which our fates are not all intertwined and vulnerable to the evil of few.
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