Back in the day when LR was made, I remember thinking how utterly stupid the entire premise was.
But the older I get, the more I fear it may actually be the future.
I hope some day what’s left of humanity will accurately blame these idiots for the new Ice Age they will suffer through...
In a near future, the climate is wrecked, polar ice extends down through Dakota and the citizens of American have given themselves over, in the name of conservation, to an overbearing and pervasive government. Science has been rejected as elitist and technology as destructive. The American government no longer supports the surviving space stations and they struggle to continue with inadequate resources.
When two space pilots crash-land in North Dakota, the US government is after them. If caught they'll face the full weight of the law, the space stations will be one step closer to collapse, and the once-bright future of civilisation will dim a little more.
So it's left to an unlikely group of supporters to rescue the astronauts. And who is this unlikely saviours? SF Fandom, of course. The fans themselves will rescue their astronaut heroes.
This is a book for SF fans, an excellent gift from Niven, Pournelle and Flynn. If you read the fanzines, if you go to the conventions, if you buy "SF Reviews" T-shirts, then maybe this book is for you. However, if you're not one of these dedicated, committed fans, then it's a sad, sad read: a potentially exciting novel ruined by an embarrassing cast of characters.