Book Review: And Then the Town Took Off by Richard Wilson
(Three Stars)
“Behold,” he said. “Something Columbus couldn’t find. The edge of the world.”
For its time, published in 1960, innovative science fiction. Characters and plot are mediocre. Pop corn for the mind then and now. Not politically correct by current standards.
“The old town’s really come up in the world, hasn’t it?” “Overnight.”
Pattern for many subsequent science fiction tales, though in most the patch of earth is displaced temporally, not spatially.
“That sums up why you’ve never been a howling success in politics. You don’t give a damn for the people. All you care about is yourself.” Refreshing; today it’s a given that all politicians care about is themselves.
Quibbles: If the train wasn’t scheduled to stop in Superior, why didn’t it cruise off the far side or crash at the near side since it crossed the patch before anyone discovered they were afloat? While cruising around two or four miles above ground level, the weather is always beautiful. While Wilson’s characters show a reasonable concern about sources of water, none note than the town is miraculously supplied with electric power throughout.
“This levitation confirmed his magnology principle.” “What that?” “I haven’t the faintest idea. I’m a politician, not a scientist.”
As a Matter of Fancy 