Journey Beyond Tomorrow
Encyclopedia
Journey Beyond Tomorrow, reprinted with the title Journey of Joenes, is a 1962 science fiction
/satire
novel
by American writer Robert Sheckley
, first published by Victor Gollancz
.
From the introduction, the reader learns that this future civilization is dominated by Polynesians
; that some great cataclysm overtook the world during Joenes' lifetime; that only fragmentary information of that time has survived, mostly by oral tradition carried on by story-tellers on various Pacific islands, being compiled and written down after a thousand years; and that the people of that future find it difficult to understand our time - and while knowing that it possessed some technological achievements they don't have, they don't feel envious nor are they eager to re-discover these secrets.
The bulk of the book consists of Joenes' adventures themselves. Born of parents of U.S. origin, Joenes has always lived on the tiny Pacific
island of Manituatua. At 25 he loses his job and decides to visit the United States
. Following his arrival there, he undergoes a series of surreal experiences, through which Sheckley describes with extreme sarcasm a society full of absurd extremes.
Just arrived Joenes gets to know Lum, who would become his lifelong companion and friend, tries Peyote
, argues with the police and is mistaken for a Communist. Investigated by a commission of inquiry he is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, but his sentence is immediately remitted by some kind of an electronic oracle. He is co-opted as a professor in a university engaged in manifestly insane experiments and is later recruited by the government to work at the Octagon (which replaced The Pentagon
). He is then sent to the Soviet Union
on a secret mission, but on his return the plane is mistaken for an enemy aircraft and attacked, sparking World War III
.
Only some Pacific islands survive, where Joenes moves with his friend Lum.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
/satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by American writer Robert Sheckley
Robert Sheckley
Robert Sheckley was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical.Sheckley was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and...
, first published by Victor Gollancz
Victor Gollancz
Sir Victor Gollancz was a British publisher, socialist, and humanitarian.-Early life:Born in Maida Vale, London, he was the son of a wholesale jeweller and nephew of Rabbi Professor Sir Hermann Gollancz and Professor Sir Israel Gollancz; after being educated at St Paul's School, London and taking...
.
Synopsis
The book's introduction is written by a fictional editor and compiler working at a future time after 3000 AD, narrating the adventures of Joenes, a semi-legendary figure of the 21st Century whose philosophy has permeated the world until a few years before the time of writing.From the introduction, the reader learns that this future civilization is dominated by Polynesians
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
; that some great cataclysm overtook the world during Joenes' lifetime; that only fragmentary information of that time has survived, mostly by oral tradition carried on by story-tellers on various Pacific islands, being compiled and written down after a thousand years; and that the people of that future find it difficult to understand our time - and while knowing that it possessed some technological achievements they don't have, they don't feel envious nor are they eager to re-discover these secrets.
The bulk of the book consists of Joenes' adventures themselves. Born of parents of U.S. origin, Joenes has always lived on the tiny Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
island of Manituatua. At 25 he loses his job and decides to visit the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Following his arrival there, he undergoes a series of surreal experiences, through which Sheckley describes with extreme sarcasm a society full of absurd extremes.
Just arrived Joenes gets to know Lum, who would become his lifelong companion and friend, tries Peyote
Peyote
Lophophora williamsii , better known by its common name Peyote , is a small, spineless cactus with psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline.It is native to southwestern Texas and Mexico...
, argues with the police and is mistaken for a Communist. Investigated by a commission of inquiry he is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, but his sentence is immediately remitted by some kind of an electronic oracle. He is co-opted as a professor in a university engaged in manifestly insane experiments and is later recruited by the government to work at the Octagon (which replaced The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
). He is then sent to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
on a secret mission, but on his return the plane is mistaken for an enemy aircraft and attacked, sparking World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
.
Only some Pacific islands survive, where Joenes moves with his friend Lum.