Stark [Hardcover]

The plot -
An eclectic group of environmentalist is looking into just exactly what the Stark Consortium, a collection of the richest and most powerful men in the world, is up to. What the consortium is up to is the most devastating conspiracy in all of human history. Since the entire novel rests on the slow revelation of that conspiracy, any further plot discussion would be a spoil, so that's that.

The characters -
I love Elton's characters in this book. They are not particularly "full of life" as I usually prefer. Instead they are caricatures, and in this zany story it really works. Every one of them has unique viewpoints, personality quirks (to put it mildly) and speech patterns. Zimmerman, the bollockless Aussie Vietnam vet, is a scream.

The problems -
In the first half of the book, Elton has real problems establishing the point of view (POV) for the reader. An example of a POV problem would be characters A and B walking through a garden, while the author tells us about a conversation between characters C and D. If not handled properly, this can lead the poor reader into thinking C and D are in the garden, and generally just confuse the heck out of him or her. This is a very common mistake for new novelist, and something that a good editor will point out and get fixed.

The other problem is purely subjective and not likely to bother many other folks. It's just too preachy. Throughout the book the reader is assaulted with tales of gloom and doom from the extreme camp of the environmentalist collective. Obviously for storyline development a good deal of this was necessary, but there are times when instead of visualizing the characters or the scene you just see Elton standing there wagging his finger at you. Not pleasant in those parts. Yes, there are things being done to the environment that need to be changed. No, the world is not about to end. 'nuff said.

The good stuff -
As stated before, Elton is a master word crafter. He does an outstanding job of bouncing the story between two or three settings, and brings all his plot elements together before the end. There are two or three paragraphs near the end describing the emotion of jealously that are absolutely amazing.

The rating -
Three stars. It was almost a really good read, but the technical flaws and the preachiness forced it down to "better than a poke in the eye with a stick." Anyone who is a member of Greenpeace would probably give it a four.

The finding out the plot is part of the enjoyment and point of the novel so that it would be unfair to reveal it. However there are two tiers of characters. At one end is a financially succussesful businessman who seems to be slightly based on Rupert Murdock. He is gradually drawn into a conspiracy which is the basis of the book. At the other end are a number of classic comedy figures who discover the conspiracy and try to prevent it.

The book is a passionate defence of the enviroment movement and raises a number of issues which have since been more widely accepted. However it is more than a political tract. It is simply laugh out loud funny. Elton writes the book as a series of gags which are totally effective. It was a comedy classic in its time.