THE DREAMING EARTH by John Brunner

Finished Th 10/4/12

The novel is set in a not too distant future, and Nicholas Greville is a United Nations Narcotics agent who is trying to track down the source of new drug called 'happy dreams'. There are worldwide shortages of all commodities  and the only surplus is the exploding population. The citizens hate the UN because they mistakenly believe that the agents are the cause of the shortages, but they are only rationing remaining resources  and staving off riots and calamity. No one can determine the source this new drug which has left large sections of the population apathetic and listless, yet the drug is marketed and distributed in a very strange manner. The first dose is always five dollars, and those thereafter are only two dollars, and UN agents have never been able to locate how it is made or the distribution network. The drug is usually injected on the thighs, and it takes about one hundred 'hits', and then the user leaves his old life. Later, it is uncovered that the drug changes brain chemistry, and allows the user to 'vanish', and  enter a new reality.  The last chapter of the novel reveals that the UN Pure Research department is actually behind the drug and the international distribution network. They are well aware that the  drug allows humans to enter a new dimension, and this drug will provide a portal for mankind to conquer new worlds with new and unlimited resources. At the end of the book, Nick Greville enters the new world.

My Post on Good Reads-

This is an interesting and thought provoking Science Fiction novel, yet not fully realized. The story-line is set in a not too distant future, and the central character is a United Nations agent working in the narcotics division. There is a new drug sweeping the planet called, 'happy dreams', and his agency cannot find the source or the distribution network for the operation. All natural resources on Earth are scarce, and the only surplus seems to be the exploding population rate, and this new drug is rendering a significant portion of the population listless and apathetic. The ending offers a startling explanation, and this would have been a terrific premise, but the novel isn't long enough, and the style is too lackluster. 

The mode and format of THE DREAMING EARTH is rather unimaginative and straightforward, and probably would have worked better if Brunner had chosen a more provocative presentation. The writing style of his wonderful novel, STAND ON ZANZIBAR is innovative, and matches that novel's challenging and stimulating themes.

However, since the book is just over one hundred and fifty pages, you haven't invested too much of your time to enjoy the rather incredible solution to a world's rapidly diminishing natural resources.