The Sheep Look Up

A Nebula Award Finalist, this dystopian novel by Hugo Award–winning author John Brunner depicts a near future where environmental collapse has become severe. Air pollution is so widespread that gas masks are worn universally. Infant mortality has risen dramatically, and birth defects, new diseases, and various physical ailments are common. Drinking water is contaminated and unsafe for most people. Large corporations dominate society, profiting from the sale of gas masks, drinking water, and clean food while government institutions prove ineffectual and corrupt. Environmentalist Austin Train has become a fugitive. The "trainites," a group of violent environmental activists, seek him to lead their cause; the government pursues him for elimination; and the media exploits him for entertainment. Train himself simply wants to survive. Beyond science fiction, the novel functions as political and social commentary on environmental disaster and systemic failure.