The Ice People
Encyclopedia
The Ice People is a 1999 science fiction
novel by Maggie Gee
, set in a future world dominated by a new ice age
. The novel examines different elements of contemporary society: the fundamental roles and relationships of men and women, sexuality, politics and the issue of global warming
.
Global warming is the initial context, where increases in temperature are then followed by the cyclic appearance of an ice age. The reaction of society and individuals to these dramatic extremes sites the novel within the genre
of dystopia
n science fiction, but closer to the author's heart seem to be the changes within such a scenario of issues we face today: the changes in racism
as different parts of the planet change in their attractiveness; the changes in social position as "Insiders" and "Outsiders" - the "haves" and the "have-nots" - live within differing conditions; the value, status and interpretation of marriage; parenthood - the increasing difficulties in conception and the subsequent single-parenthood versus family issues; the "gang" mentality of men and women; the way politics is perceived, used and power abused.
The Ice People has been compared to George Orwell
’s Nineteen Eighty-Four
and Aldous Huxley
’s Brave New World
.
is in the grip of a new ice age
. Men and women are largely living separately
in different areas of the country, while civilisation and law and order have mostly broken down.
As an old man living with a group of outlaws who will dispose of him once he has outlived his usefulness to them, Saul begins to tell the tale of his life, and in particular his marriage to Sarah
.
Their marriage is initially a good one, but as the climate change
s begin to impact on the surrounding environment
, the couple start to cool towards each other and drift apart. Sarah eventually leaves Saul, becomes a political activist, then finally tries to turn their son, Luke
, against him.
When Sarah refuses to let him see Luke, Saul kidnaps the boy and goes on the run, fleeing across the English Channel
to Europe
. Luke objects to being taken away from his home, however, and as Saul attempts to gain passage for them both to the warmer climes of Africa
, Luke runs away. It later transpires that he has joined a group of bandits in Spain
.
Having lost his son, Saul returns to Britain, where he is involved in a car crash. He is pulled from the wreckage by the outlaws, who at first plan to kill him, but then decide to keep him alive when they discover his skills as a storyteller.
But as the book comes to an end, the outlaws are becoming tired of Saul and his time is running out.
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...
novel by Maggie Gee
Maggie Gee
Maggie Mary Gee is an English novelist. She was born in Poole, Dorset, then moved to the Midlands and later to Sussex. She was educated at state schools and at Oxford University . She later worked in publishing and then had a research post at Wolverhampton Polytechnic where she completed a...
, set in a future world dominated by a new ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. The novel examines different elements of contemporary society: the fundamental roles and relationships of men and women, sexuality, politics and the issue of global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
.
Global warming is the initial context, where increases in temperature are then followed by the cyclic appearance of an ice age. The reaction of society and individuals to these dramatic extremes sites the novel within the genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
of dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n science fiction, but closer to the author's heart seem to be the changes within such a scenario of issues we face today: the changes in racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
as different parts of the planet change in their attractiveness; the changes in social position as "Insiders" and "Outsiders" - the "haves" and the "have-nots" - live within differing conditions; the value, status and interpretation of marriage; parenthood - the increasing difficulties in conception and the subsequent single-parenthood versus family issues; the "gang" mentality of men and women; the way politics is perceived, used and power abused.
The Ice People has been compared to George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
’s Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
and Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
’s Brave New World
Brave New World
Brave New World is Aldous Huxley's fifth novel, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Set in London of AD 2540 , the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology and sleep-learning that combine to change society. The future society is an embodiment of the ideals that form the basis of...
.
Plot
At a point towards the end of the 21st century, BritainUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is in the grip of a new ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. Men and women are largely living separately
Sex segregation
Sex segregation is the separation of people according to their sex.The term gender apartheid also has been applied to segregation of people by gender, implying that it is sexual discrimination...
in different areas of the country, while civilisation and law and order have mostly broken down.
As an old man living with a group of outlaws who will dispose of him once he has outlived his usefulness to them, Saul begins to tell the tale of his life, and in particular his marriage to Sarah
Sarah
Sarah or Sara was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac as described in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. Her name was originally Sarai...
.
Their marriage is initially a good one, but as the climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
s begin to impact on the surrounding environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
, the couple start to cool towards each other and drift apart. Sarah eventually leaves Saul, becomes a political activist, then finally tries to turn their son, Luke
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...
, against him.
When Sarah refuses to let him see Luke, Saul kidnaps the boy and goes on the run, fleeing across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Luke objects to being taken away from his home, however, and as Saul attempts to gain passage for them both to the warmer climes of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Luke runs away. It later transpires that he has joined a group of bandits in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Having lost his son, Saul returns to Britain, where he is involved in a car crash. He is pulled from the wreckage by the outlaws, who at first plan to kill him, but then decide to keep him alive when they discover his skills as a storyteller.
But as the book comes to an end, the outlaws are becoming tired of Saul and his time is running out.
See also
- Global warmingGlobal warmingGlobal warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
- Global warming in popular culture
- Global coolingGlobal coolingGlobal cooling was a conjecture during the 1970s of imminent cooling of the Earth's surface and atmosphere along with a posited commencement of glaciation...
- Snowball EarthSnowball EarthThe Snowball Earth hypothesis posits that the Earth's surface became entirely or nearly entirely frozen at least once, some time earlier than 650 Ma . Proponents of the hypothesis argue that it best explains sedimentary deposits generally regarded as of glacial origin at tropical...