Who Goes Here? by Bob Shaw (book review)
In 2386, the Space Legion recruited people who wanted to forget their past. They make it easy, you sign up and have your memories erased. In Warren Peace’s case, he has most of his memories erased. Did I say ‘Who Goes Here?’ is writer Bob Shaw’s satire? It didn’t really sink in until I looked at his lead character’s name. It only turns out towards the end of the book that is an alias. Logical really. I mean, why keep your real name as it gives a means for the new you to find out about a history you have no memory of?
Their space transport is rather unique. It teleports across space by teleporting itself 250 feet at a time on itself in constant flux to travel vast distance and leave just as quick once it dropped the military off.
In many respects, I thought we were going to follow Peace’s war efforts, although this was limited to two before he was given some r&r when he arrives on Aspatria, where his earlier self had wiped his memories. A whole solid 4 hours, although this might not be based on Earth time, and little funds as some of it was used to pay for his paper clothes. It looks like inflation is an all-time high in this reality. He also has a Blue Parrott model which clues him in to visit the night club. So much of this is spoiler as he wants to learn who and what he was, fearing he was a really bad person. In the process of which he finds the inventor of a time machine and placed further back before his recruitment and decides to see who he was, not to mention the consequence of possibly erasing his own existence. So much of which is spoiler.
In many respects, ‘Who Goes Here?’ is a quick read. Well, at least for me. No doubt, you’ll probably look a bit more at the wordplay and any of its implications. Shaw plays with all the conventions and SF tropes. The idiocy of war and rebellion and how being unconventional, even unintentionally, played to the hilt. I haven’t read many of Bob Shaw’s books but if what I’ve said above makes a match for you, then he’s worth seeking out.
GF Willmetts
May 2026
(pub: Pan Science Fiction, 1979 from a 1977 release. 173 page paperback. Price: varies. ISBN: 0-330-25609-2)
