Outward Bound [Paperback]

The protagonist of the novel is Linc Marani. Linc is 15 or so as the book opens. He gets into a bit of criminal trouble, and gets offered an alternative to prison: a special new program.

The rest of the book details the steps of this program. They are pretty much what you might expect: a touch of discipline, learning about unsuspected skills (naturally including leadership), and learning about responsibility, for his own life and for others. The other main characters are a typical set: the sidekick, the girlfriend, the rival who does Linc wrong but isn't without ability, the weaker rival who Linc turns to his side. Linc progresses through the program, overcoming several obstacles: his problems with the bullying rival, resolved first by violence, subsequently by earning his respect; learning a cherished skill and facing disappointment when he learns he might not be good enough to do make a career of his skill; and finally a return to his home, where he learns that his problems on Earth just aren't important anymore.

Hogan is a good storyteller, and the book was enjoyable to read. But nowhere was I surprised: the whole thing unreeled exactly as I expected from the onset, with perhaps one minor twist. The characters held my attention, but they were all from Central Casting. The message was a bit understated, perhaps even too much so. While it was a relief to avoid the heavyhanded political screed of, say, the earlier Jupiter novel Higher Education (by Pournelle and Sheffield), and while the general point (that accepting responsibility for self and others is a good thing) is a fair enough message; once again there wasn't a compelling enough theme to really demand attention. When Heinlein got on his soapbox, as in Starship Troopers, he could be annoying. He could invite argument and disagreement, or full-throated praise, depending on your viewpoint or mood. But he definitely held your interest. Hogan here doesn't really hold the interest with his theme, or his plot; and the characters and storytelling voice are interesting enough to make the book an OK read, but not to make it memorable.

Outward Bound by James P. Hogan is the sixth book in the Jupiter series. This book was relatively easy to follow for me, a college age reader who is still getting used to cyberpunk type novels. The story is predictably told in short intervals, but without any major jumps occurring in the flow of the plot. As with many other cyberpunk novels, Outward Bound's main character, Linc Marani, knows only a community of selfish, backstabbing individuals whose greatest enjoyment comes from the use of drugs. At first, Linc sees no wrong with life being this way. Also consistent with other cyberpunk novels is the ultimate struggle the main character has with the stagnant society he finds out he wants to escape from.

One striking difference, however, is Hogan's acute characterization of Linc. The fifteen-year-old Linc Marani has spent his whole life within a few city blocks, running around with the wrong crowd, trying to scrape up enough money to get him and his parents by. The reader is able to see Linc's character change for better or worse with the decisions he makes. The story centers around Linc's ability to find a meaning for his life and his place in the universe. Will Linc be able to overcome his rough start to life and find his niche, or will he continue spiraling toward nowhere?

Hogan's confusing descriptions of futuristic technology coupled with a somewhat predictable plot prevents the novel from being a personal favorite, but the topics and issues the story brings up makes it quite worthy of reading.