One thing I really enjoy is a
tale told in the style of classic science fiction, which is why the writing of
David Gerrold appeals to me in a big way. Jumping off the Planet is a
great, character driven story with descriptions of settings to whet the
reader's imagination. It contains science that is not with us yet, but it is so
well researched that one cannot argue with its plausibility.
The funny thing is, as I
started reading this book, I realized it was very familiar for some strange
reason, and then it hit me, this story was also included in a collection I
bought several years ago directly from the author when he visited the town of
Beatrice, Nebraska for a celebration of the life of Gene L. Coon. The
collection, which includes four stories, is entitled A Promise of Stars:
Stories from Beyond the Sky.
Jumping off the Planet is a sci-fi story that focuses on a
dysfunctional family in the not-too-distant future where one can travel into
space on a space elevator, and even catch a ride to the moon. Unfortunately,
resources on Earth are scarce and availability is an ever-increasing problem,
so the more affluent members of the human race live and work on stations along
the length of the elevator. There is a lot of sadness and in this story, but it
is balanced with some triumph for the principal character, a young man often
referred to as "Chigger," a nickname given to him by his grandfather.
Charles "Chigger"
Dingillian along with his two brothers and mother live in a Texas shanty town
where they try to carve out a decent lifestyle. One day, Chigger's dad shows up
with a seemingly fantastic offer. During his time with the boys, he is allowed
by a custody agreement, he proposes to the boys they go on a vacation to the
moon. The boys are skeptical, believing their dad to be making yet another
promise he cannot, or will not, keep.
In effect, Max Dingillian
kidnaps his three sons and races off on a cross-country adventure to Ecuador, where
he plans to take his sons off the planet and away from their mother.
It isn't long after they depart
the planet that Max's plan is discovered, and the chase is on to stop
him.
Chigger has had enough of the
situation between his estranged parents and thinks about a solution to end his
torment and hopefully give him and his brothers a chance at a better life. He
has two choices: either go back to what it has been or divorce his parents.
Charles finds joy in almost
nothing. All he wants out of life is to be left to himself and be allowed to
listen to his music, the only thing that gives him solace. He really seems to
hate his family, but it isn't true. It's not the people in his family he hates,
but the situation they had put him in, particularly his mother and father, who
are more interested in their own agendas than what is best for their
kids.
What I appreciated most about
young Charles is his thoughtfulness about everything. Jumping off the Planet
revolves around the inner workings of a kid who is brilliant in many ways. He
takes note of his surroundings and comments on them, sometimes negatively, but
he doesn't miss a thing. It is tragic knowing what he could be if only had the
proper nurturing from adults who could provide an example of what it is to be
adults.
One of my favorite things about
this story is how Charles finds refuge in music, particularly in the music of
John Coltrane. This is not surprising to me when one thinks about his style of
jazz he dubbed "sheets of sound." As the sideman for the great Miles
Davis, Coltrane invented his technique by the playing of rapid passages of
notes that wove themselves together in a curtain of sound. That Charles latched
on to them shows an advanced appreciation for music.
This advanced appreciation is,
of course, an extension of the David Gerrold's own appreciation for music of
all kinds. One of the most profound statements offered in the book is a nearly
perfect description of what the style of jazz music is about:
"Jazz isn't music. Jazz is what happens when the music disappears and all that is left is the sound and the emotion connected to it. Jazz is a scream or a rant or a sigh. Or whatever else is inside, trying to get out."
Gerrold, David. Jumping Off the Planet (p. 73). BenBella Books. Kindle Edition.
As a musician myself, I find
this quote not only profound but also poetic and spot on!
My takeaway from Jumping off
the Planet is the tragedy of what happens when parents fall out of love with
each other and proceed to use their children as weapons against each other.
This is idea is clearly illustrated in the text of this tale and hangs like a
pall over the entire story.
No one is born knowing how to
be a parent. There are no manuals or coaches to teach one how to be a parent.
This story has a message to those that would be parents. When a man or a woman
begin to feel sorry for themselves enough to put themselves in the center of
their universe, they must remember that the small life they brought into the
world is, and should be, the center of their universe. A child never asks to be
born and in no case do they owe their parents anything, but their parents do
owe their children everything.
I recommend Jumping off the
Planet as an outstanding work of sci-fi that is also a deep character study
of a family in turmoil that has gotten to a point unbearable for the children
involved. It is often a disturbing tale with moments of laugh-out-loud irony
and an ending that is not only triumphant, but leaves the question of what's
next for these youngsters? Fortunately, there are two more books in this series,
and I look forward to the continued saga of what will happen to the Dingillian
clan and how the characters, particularly Charles, will grow.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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