Consider Nuclear waste. What does one do with it? Where do you put it for thousands of years until it has become inert? Some have suggested to just put it underground and forget it. Perhaps we can tunnel into mountains and leave it there. Maybe encase it in concrete. Send it to be vaporized in the Sun. The latter would seem to be the best solution. However, the cost of $10,000/pound just to get a payload into orbit, let alone the extra cost of sending it into deep space, would be prohibitive.
In The Waste Gun, author John Shoberg proposes to build a giant magnetic gun to shoot large canisters of waste into the Mid-Atlantic Rift, recycling the materials taken from the earth back to the earth. Is this a good idea? Well, it depends on a lot of things, some are addressed in The Waste Gun.
Waste Gun is a science fiction work by independent author John Lars Shoberg. I found this work interesting and fun to read.
The story unfolds in three intertwining parts. First there are the people of Nuclear Recyclers Inc. Second is a rabid combination environmentalist/terrorist named Carlos. Finally, there are several FBI agents investigating acts of terrorism taking place in and around the United States.
Nuclear Recyclers Inc is working to develop a system to handle all varieties of nuclear waste. They are a private company seeking funding from investors for research, development, and implementation of their waste gun. The system comprises a series of magnetic rings designed to accelerate metal containers to high speeds. The containers loaded with nuclear waste materials get shot into the Mid-Atlantic Rift where extreme temperatures of the magma layer of the earth's crust will render the materials inert. Company owners believe it to be an efficient recycling method for materials piling up at an alarming rate. Many countries around the planet have endorsed the idea and are planning to use Nuclear Recyclers' services to rid their countries of waste materials.
Carlos, an independent terrorist, and self-proclaimed environmentalist (and I use this term lightly) is receiving funding and materials from an investor of his own. He moves around the country recruiting help to set up acts of terrorism to stop the "rape" of Gaia (from the ancient Greeks who believed Gaia was the name of the goddess representing the planet as a living organism). For much of the book, Carlos uses a plastic explosive substance called Semtek to wreak much of his havoc, and he has the explosive in abundance. While he seems to be overly concerned about the Earth's resources, he has no regard for life and purposefully puts people in harm's way to deliver his message. Fortunately, many of his nefarious plots go awry because of the incompetence of those he recruits to help, or because forces against him arrive in the nick of time.
Finally, FBI agents track Carlos across the country by following the trail of the stolen Semtek explosive, and through his operating patterns they find in his activities.
There are several characters developed to where the reader gets just what he/she needs to know and understand what their purpose and motivations are. For me, the most developed character in the story was Carlos.
I cannot help but wonder if Carlos was loosely patterned after Carlos the Jackal active in and around Paris, France in the mid-1970s. The Carlos in Waste Gun loved to set and watch explosives detonate and it did not matter who was hurt as long as the message was delivered. The Jackal's favorite method was also to use explosives. I asked John about this...
Me: "Was Carlos patterned from Carlos the Jackal, the terrorist known to be active in Paris from 1973 to 1975?"
John: "Nope. I just patterned him after a completely committed eco-terrorist whose only wish is to destroy the defilers of the Earth, even if it destroys that earth. I just made the character to be as evil as I could."
Throughout the entire story, Carlos talks to the Gaia goddess explaining he is taking revenge for 'crimes' committed against her by the "defilers" and "rapists" as he refers to people who benefit from earth’s resources. He does not consider human life part of the total living system of the planet; he believes human death on a massive scale is just another means to advance his agenda.
In one scene, he attempts to poison an entire town by setting explosives in a fertilizer plant in eastern Nebraska. As the unsuspecting town sleeps, charges will explode and send a chemical cloud over the town killing men, women, and children. He has no respect for life.
What I liked most about Waste Gun is how fast paced it is. The book opens with some fast action between chapters, but it really ramps up after the middle of the book and it does not let up until the end. Without giving away spoilers, Carlos takes the fight directly to the protagonists. At this point in the story, the reader learns Carlos is a true idealist. He is consumed by his beliefs and will go to any lengths to achieve his goals. I was never bored with the story, neither did I find anything that took me out of the story. It is focused, well written, and is an exhilarating thrill ride for readers.
One of the most contested topics today is how we have and are handling the environment. Global warming, pollution, mass extinctions, and other topics have passionate people on both sides of issues. Nuclear waste is created at many levels, but a great deal of it is low-level waste from the medical industry. The waste has to be disposed of or stored in such a way it doesn't harm people. But when a site is proposed, the people in the neighborhood are vehemently opposed to have it stored in their area. They say yes, take care of it, but do not put it here. A waste gun may not be the answer to the problem, but it is at least a call to think about alternatives to solving the problem of nuclear trash.
Terrorism is another theme in Waste Gun to give one pause for thought. It seems all too easy for terrorists to perform acts that cause devastation and death on massive scales. Unfortunately, especially in the United States, when measures are put in place to keep citizens safe, there is always an outcry how our civil liberties are being curtailed. What might seem like a major issue to some is usually little more than a minor inconvenience. The question is, do we want to live in a place where we feel safe to go about our daily lives, or live-in paranoia and fear. Never knowing when a bomb might explode and change one's life forever, or even take it away? Waste Gun may give one pause to think about weighing one against the other.
I enjoyed The Waste Gun as a story that is entertaining and thought provoking. I recommend it for anyone who might enjoy a fast-paced, action packed Sci-Fi story by an independent author.
John Lars Shoberg always wanted to be a scientist, and has two Masters of Science degrees, but he also has a creative side, and took a class on creative writing while in college as well. For several decades he worked in chemical labs while practicing his writing skills in the evenings. All of his works are available from www.MoonPhase.com, where you can also sign up for his newsletter.
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
