From Publishers Weekly
Nebula-winner Oltion's 2001 novel,
The Getaway Special, explored how the near-future discovery of a cheap, simple interstellar drive prompted anyone on Earth with enough nerve to take off for the stars, leaving terrestrial governments fuming at the loss of their renegade citizens. In this meandering but satisfying sequel, things have gotten worse, especially in an increasingly paranoid America. Trent and Donna Stinson, of Rock Springs, Wyo., decide to climb into their pickup truck and head for Alpha Centauri. They're a laid-back couple, perfectly willing to share new planets with aliens as long as they can earn enough to live and then relax with a few beers. When the U.S. government interferes and they wind up lost in space, Trent and Donna start working hard to find their way home
and clean up the mess back on Earth. There's not much glamour in this space opera, as shown by a weightless Trent struggling to take off lug nuts so he can remove truck tires in interplanetary space. Oltion has carefully thought out the mechanics of such situations, which serve to support the book's upbeat message: If you keep cool, you probably can get out of whatever trouble you've gotten yourself into.
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From Booklist
Oltion's
Getaway Special (2001) explored the far-fetched scenario of ordinary citizens outfitting pickup trucks and SUVs with cheap interstellar hyperdrives and emigrating to other planets. In this somewhat meandering sequel, things have gotten so bad, what with unemployment and the increasingly fascistic American government, that working-class couple Trent and Donna Stinson, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, decide to head for nearby Alpha Centauri. On the orbiting planet Onnescu, they begin to find a semblance of greener pastures, making friends with the original settlers and even picking up a little work. But the dream ends abruptly when, during a side trip to another planet, Trent and Donna are nearly killed by agents of their own government. All too quickly, they find themselves stranded on a remote planet, struggling to survive and praying for a miracle to return them to Earth. While Oltion spends perhaps too many pages detailing the perils and mechanics of hyperdrive jumps, he includes enough colorful aliens and action to satisfy
Getaway Special fans, at least.
Carl HaysCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
