Rating: 
Summary: "Future Life" of dying outbacker told to priest.
Review: Almost science-fictiony tale told to Church of England priest by a dying down-and-outer Aussie in the rainy season in the outback (hence "in the wet").Told as 1st person narrative of elder priest who went out to aid a parishoner living with a chinese buddist; and a glance of life in the future, or "next life" that will be in the new Australia, flying the Queen of England.
Rating: 
Summary: Shute¿s mastery is in showing the oddity of everyday life
Review: Although some of Nevil Shute's work is created using a fairly large canvas (one thinks of "A Town Like Alice," more than any other), most of his novels are simple tales about everyday life. The trick, or real art, which they demonstrate, is in showing us a slice of that ordinary world we think we all know, as though it were the most normal thing in the world, and then bringing out the oddity that is never far below the surface. So "In the Wet," one of his more imaginative novels, takes us bit by bit into the remote parts of tropical northern Australia, building up tiny details from characters and race days and scraps of conversation, until the real story, hidden just below the surface, begins to emerge. Shute, whose background is very much that of an experimental scientist with oil on his hands, is never more impressive than when he leads the unsuspecting reader through the mundane material world that we think we see, onto another plane altogether. Not afraid in the least of exploring spirituality, Shute acts as an intelligent, well-informed guide for the reader on a voyage of discovery. Never intruding on the narrative, yet masterfully keeping it in rein, he is an author whose novels have long been considered merely "popular," when in fact they are often penetrating inquiries into the meaning of life. One other characteristic of Shute's writing that is perhaps more apparent today than it was in the fifties and sixties is that his work is always set in the contemporary period of a world undergoing vast change. He lived and served and worked through two world wars and the effects of these cataclysmic events were such as to shake up the foundations of the very science which had made so many people feel so secure for a time. Therefore, his texts today also provide interesting excursions into that world, from 1920 to 1960, which was not only metamorphosing into the more colourful world of the Beatles, Vietnam and Tricky Dicky Nixon, but which has since very completely disappeared from the ken of anyone much under fifty. Of course, if all you are after is a good story told by a competent storyteller, you won't be disappointed either.
Rating:
Summary: Fine tale of a future logical in 1952, now somewhat dated
Review: As a dying man drifts towards death in the Australian Outback (it takes place in the rainy season, thus, "In the Wet."), he tells an odd tale to a Church of England clergyman, of a pilot in 1980's Britain (the novel, written in 1952, is set in 1952) The story: David Anderson, a quarter-Aboriginal Australian pilot, is selected to fly for Queen Elizabeth, in a world where a sizable portion of the British people has emigrated, primarily to Canada and Australia. The remaining British have become "red",.... Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the novel is the "multiple vote", which, when it was mentioned at the last SF convention I attended, immediately provoked a half-hour debate. Democracy has been modified, leading to the possibility of earning additional votes in elections... OK, so Shute didn't forsee the rise of republicanism in Australia and the Parti Quebecois in Canada. And television is mentioned exactly once, there's no satellite transmissions, and a lot of other similar difficulties. All the same, Shute provides an interesting political novel/love story for us. I withhold a fifth star on this one because I don't find the character of David Anderson believable. This guy's supposed to be a quarter-Abo born in a ditch who came up through the ranks. He talks like an Oxford grad, and knows a fair number of polysyllables. Not only this, the quarter-Abo, discussing how the Queen should allocate her time if all was fair, discusses the proportion based on the overall population of the Commonwealth, and based on the white (!) population. Shute should have avoided these obvious howlers.
Rating:
Summary: An unbelievably prophetic vision of the global future
Review: Nevil Shute captured some wonderful ideas about balancing the power of governance. In his new utopian community, created as a result of the horrific expense of maintaining the "royals and their lifestyle" should be explored for implementation in the U.S. By Shute's plan every man and woman received a birthright vote. However, you could add votes, up to a maximum of 4 (total votes to be cast = 5) by the following: (1) if you owned property -- I believe this was a requirement in early history. (2) If you completed a certain level of education -- presumably public high school (3) If you served your country in the Armed Forces, and (4) reserved for very special situations, like the Congressional Medal of Honor or the Nobel Peace Prize. With all of our computer technology this seems to make great sense to vest the governance of our country with those who have, mostly by their own efforts, contributed more than just being born and having a birthright vote.
Rating:
Summary: Strange Yet Compelling
Review: Nevil Shute has the most emotionally compelling writing styles I've ever encountered. "In the Wet" is a odd and lovely example of this. Without ever being maudling, in a quiet, understated way Shute weaves a beautiful combination of feeling and character. "In the Wet" takes place in the Australian Outback. One can feel the heat, the dust, then the rain and the mud, as well as vividly seeing and being part of the scenery. The story is that of a Church of England parson well past his prime running a church in a very remote and widespread area. He's a practical man, acknowledging that "wrong isn't always wrong" in the Outback. He encounters a dying man who takes him on a trip through reincarnation, telling the tale of the life the man will live his next time around. As science fiction the book is severely outdated, yet--I've found this works well with the bomb classics like Shute's "On the Beach"--if you read it more as alternate history rather than a look to the future (the 'future' is the 1970s in this case) you'll be able to enjoy the wonderful writing, well-rounded characters, and the solidly crafted plot.
Rating:
Summary: Strange Yet Compelling
Review: Nevil Shute has the most emotionally compelling writing styles I've ever encountered. "In the Wet" is a odd and lovely example of this. Without ever being maudling, in a quiet, understated way Shute weaves a beautiful combination of feeling and character. "In the Wet" takes place in the Australian Outback. One can feel the heat, the dust, then the rain and the mud, as well as vividly seeing and being part of the scenery. The story is that of a Church of England parson well past his prime running a church in a very remote and widespread area. He's a practical man, acknowledging that "wrong isn't always wrong" in the Outback. He encounters a dying man who takes him on a trip through reincarnation, telling the tale of the life the man will live his next time around. As science fiction the book is severely outdated, yet--I've found this works well with the bomb classics like Shute's "On the Beach"--if you read it more as alternate history rather than a look to the future (the 'future' is the 1970s in this case) you'll be able to enjoy the wonderful writing, well-rounded characters, and the solidly crafted plot.
Rating:
Summary: Another Dream as 'Deus Ex-Machina'?
Review: Nevil Shute was a sturdily competent author. His plots are as well constructed as his planes probably were. Solid, orthodox in design and execution, no unnecessary frills - the embodiment of the stiff upper lip of the Englishman. This is no exception as it artfully tells a future tale of an England riven by an envy-based Socialism (that its author had recently escaped from)that is rapidly destroying those few institutions remaining. It has a solid emotional connection to present-day 'utopian' Australia (as wonderfully observed from the point of view of one who lived there as, say, Orwell's 'Burmese Days'). Hmmm...author wishes to tell of past or future and make politicised point therefrom. Problem - how to do this without breaking the emotional connection to the narrative of the present? Solution - make a character have a 'dream' of some kind. I rolled my eyes - this device was becoming hackneyed (cf.'An Old Captivity', 'The Rainbow & The Rose' etc.) and one might have expected Shute to be a little more inventive with his literary devices. Nevertheless, it works and functions adequately as a means of establishing and maintaining a fluid connection between the two. Well done, sir!
Rating:
Summary: A Rainstorm of Character and Idea
Review: This book was written in 1952, just after Queen Elizabeth took the throne, and is an odd look at what Nevil thought would happen to the British Commonwealth, and specifically to the concept of Royalty, under the influence of post-WWII economic and political pressures, over a period of 30 years from the time of the book's writing. As is typical for Nevil, the book has no bad guys, no sharp dramatic tension, but rather some fine character portraits, a properly told love story, and some very exacting insights into social and political structures. The book is actually told in two separate pieces. One is a framing story of an elderly Church of England pastor newly assigned to a rather remote area of the Australian outback and his efforts to minister to a flock that is literally spread over an area larger than many states. Nevil's description of the area and people in this area both during the dry season and 'in the wet' is startlingly full of life, a fine portrait that does much to illustrate some of Nevil's social commentary, which creeps in almost from the side, rarely directly presented. But from this everyday world, we move to a totally different one as our priest, suffering from malaria induced fevers and hallucinations, is forced by circumstance to minister to an old, dying drunkard, Stevie. In trying to learn about Stevie's past, we enter the world of the future, as Stevie's half-incoherent words combine with the priest's inner hallucinations to form the story of David Anderson, an Australian pilot chosen to fly the personal aircraft of the Queen. This vision of the future shows an England of near total socialism, sadly depopulated by emigration to other Commonwealth countries, poorly ruled and near bankrupt, questioning the value of supporting the royal family. Opposing this are the pictures of Canada and Australia as vibrant, growing economies, and where one of the key differences in government is the idea of individuals being able to earn more than the basic one vote, available to everyone, by education, military service, public service, travel, and by special dispensation (i.e. 'The Queen's Favor). Supposedly this form of enfranchisement has led to better, more efficient government - whether it really would is an obvious topic for debate. What is intriguing about this is just where Nevil got events right and where his vision diverged from what really happened. Little things like his prediction that Christmas Island would be turned over to Australian governance in 1961 (actual was 1958) and his portrait of a middle-aged Queen Elizabeth (startlingly accurate) and major things like his prediction of England's economic sharp decline and turn towards socialism show just how in tune with the times Nevil was. At the same time, his predictions on technology were sadly off the mark, the 'security' procedures surrounding the Queen are almost laughably inadequate when seen from today's viewpoint, and he took the problems of England too far, not foreseeing its eventual recovery from losing its empire. Lying atop all of this is a finely told love story between David and Rosemary, a secretary to the Queen. Nevil's characterization is always very strong, and his ability to show a slowly developing attraction is highly realistic and satisfying. And just under the surface is some commentary on issues of race, as David is one-quarter abo, and commonly goes by his nickname of 'Nigger'. Nevil is clearly pointing out the invalidity of judging people by race, and by extension he makes the point that all 'class' distinctions are artificial and, in the long run, detrimental. In presenting this point, he shows some of the treatment of the 'servant' class in ways that may offend some modern sensibilities, but his portrayal is very accurate for the times. The last portion of the book gets into a metaphysics where all religions have a validity and circles back to the book's starting point, providing much food for thought well beyond the parameters of his envisioned future. Each of the above items adds to the total of this very strong book, a book that has been sadly neglected and out of print for a long time. It is very encouraging to see most of Nevil's works being brought back into print in the last couple of years, as almost all of his works are deserving of a read, this one especially so.
Rating:
Summary: totally absorbing on several levels
Review: This is a wonderful book; it has instantly joined my personal top ten. Beautifully written, in the straightforward enconomical storytelling style which Shute mastered, it is several stories within a story, with wonderful historical accents, delicate interplay between Australian and English culture, a spicy dose of politics, a tender love story, and even some farsighted future gazing (the story was written in 1952).
Rating:
Summary: totally absorbing on several levels
Review: This is a wonderful book; it has instantly joined my personal top ten. Beautifully written, in the straightforward enconomical storytelling style which Shute mastered, it is several stories within a story, with wonderful historical accents, delicate interplay between Australian and English culture, a spicy dose of politics, a tender love story, and even some farsighted future gazing (the story was written in 1952).
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