“Hollow World” is, by his own admission, a book Michael J. Sullivan never intended to write. He’s got plenty of fans (and work to do) in fantasy without trying to branch out and tackle science fiction. But he did, and he did it well.
If you’re looking for a book you can tie up in a nice, neat package, this isn’t it. The future Sullivan predicts in Hollow World is neither kind of -topia. Even the people who live there aren’t entirely happy. But it’s not necessarily a bad place, either. All we’re really left with is knowing that people from our time would have some difficulty getting used to it.
The premise is fairly straight-foward: A dying scientist discovers how to time travel one-way into the future, and finds a future humanity that has genetically engineered themselves into a disease-free, nearly immortal, genderless existence. People live underground in a series of colonies called Hollow World so as to minimize (or undo) the impact to the surface of the planet, and they’ve largely created a peaceful existence with plentiful power and resources where people are enabled to pursue their natural interests.
Except not all is entirely well. Ellis Rogers, our time traveler, arrives just in time to witness a murder–something so unheard-of that the inhabitants immediately turn to him as the expert on how to investigate the crime. He is befriended by Pax, a modern being with a talent for mediation and counseling, who takes him under his wing and introduces him to this mild new world. Pax, as a member of a humanity where everyone is manufactured genetically identical (and without body hair or sexual organs), feels a desire to stand out, to be an individual. Where clothing is optional in this world, Pax wears a suit from the Victorian era as his personal style, and he feels some dissatisfaction with a society where everything is perfect, but there is little real variety.
Pax and Ellis work together to investigate the murders and soon find themselves in the middle of events that could destroy Hollow World. Along the way Ellis must deal with his painful past and decide where he fits in a future in which he is a fascinating anomaly, but essentially alone.
If I had to choose one adjective to describe this book, it’s “honest”. Sullivan takes his best guess at what our future looks like as a species and comes up with something…different. As I said before, it’s neither a utopia nor dystopia. It’s an alternative, with plenty of pros and cons. There is a lot to like about this vision of the future, but Ellis is quick to pick up on some of the drawbacks–and Pax is open about some of the ones he sees, as well. No one is blindly cheerleading for Hollow World. They like their life, and they find the past abhorrent, but they’re not claiming they’ve achieved the perfect society. They’re still working on that.
And of course this vision of the future raises some difficult questions. Ellis believes in God, but in the future they’ve decided there is no god, and religion has died on its own. Through the course of the novel he encounters various opinions on the matter, but ultimately Ellis seems to not decide. Sullivan also looks at the nature of love and relationships in a genderless society which has some clear parallels with our own current societal conflicts. Again he ultimately doesn’t “resolve” anything so much as look at various sides of the issue. Some might say that’s the coward’s way out. Others might say it’s staying true to the characters–what works for them is not going to be universally applicable. Indeed, in some ways the parallel breaks down entirely–how does one become sexual with someone who has no gender?
I don’t think Sullivan set out to write a social examination, but when he realized the ramifications of what he was writing decided not to back away from it. Some will dislike the book for going there at all. Some will dislike it for not taking a stand. Some will dislike it for taking a stand against their pet side. Some will think it a marvelous book that validates their world view. I think this is a book that depends largely on who is reading it and what they bring with them. I found myself getting anxious simply because I’m tired of hearing about these issues and, having enjoyed the book immensely to that point, feared Sullivan was going to try and drag me in a particular direction and ruin the book for me. I’m still not completely sure he didn’t.
Ultimately the ending is dissatisfying. But then I did say it’s an honest book. He could have given us a “satisfying” ending, but it wouldn’t have been honest. Ellis, in reality, really hasn’t had enough time to come to grips with the new society he lives in, nor to explore his new relationships sufficiently to be able to understand them. This is not a story that can be tied up in nice, neat little packages and still be real (or not be incredibly dull as Ellis works it all out). It seems right that Sullivan ends it there, as any further exploration would really require a new novel.
I’ve been following Sullivan for a while now, not just as a reader, but as a writer as well. He didn’t have to write this book. His other series are safe ground. He chose to write a book he knew could be unpopular for many different reasons, and he chose to write it in such a way that very few will be entirely happy with it. I find I respect that, and I find it making me think more deeply about my own writing. I know I’m not the only one who struggles at least a little with reconciling their personal beliefs and their writing. Sullivan is making a career of writing what he wants to write, even when it goes against current trends. It’s encouraging to watch him making it work.