H. Chandler Elliott (1909–1978)

This is an interesting book, if a hard one to recommend. It was only published by Gnome Press in hardcover in 1955. Gnome Press was a fan-based publisher, working at a time when most American SF was still only in pulp magazines. Reprieve from Paradise starts like something from the 1930s, particularly in its portrayal of science and technology life in the far future. Then, for a long section it becomes a sequence of pseudo-historical philosophical musings on the course of humanity towards doom by over-population. Then it turns into a relatively decent adventure involving a trek over the ice, not unlike what Le Guin would do in The Left Hand of Darkness. It ends back in the 1930s with the main character having an epiphany about the future which I must admit I could not follow.

The setting is novel: "Atlantean" civilization -- i.e., the European model -- has collapsed, to be followed by a new one arising from Polynesia. It's a future with tens of billions of people, crammed together on every square foot of land that isn't being used to grow food. Most people, called Freemen, primarily have sex, watch TV, and do a small amount of work. Those few who rebel become Patrollers --basically cops -- or scientists.

Warning: there's a section involve the adult male character and an underage girl (though she would be old for a Freemen) that does NOT become sexual but that fact that it doesn't is on the male character's mind.

I can't call this a hidden classic. It is however an interesting and distinctive effort from an author who only wrote this and a few SF short stories.… (meer)