|
WET
DESERT
vs.
The
Monkey Wrench Gang
 When I was writing Wet Desert in 2001, many
people asked me if I had read The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward
Abbey. I hadn’t even heard of it. So midway through my story,
I bought a copy and read it. Wow!
Abbey wrote the Monkey Wrench Gang in
1975. It is considered a timeless American classic by
many, including myself. The plot centers around four
eco-terrorists: Seldom Seen
Smith, a polygamist Mormon river guide, George Washington
Hayduke III, a Vietnam Vet, Bonnie Abbzug, a feminist, and Doc
Sarvis, a retired M.D. and billboard torcher.
These four characters, after finding each
other early in the story, join forces to terrorize all
industrial development in the desert area of southern Utah and
northern Arizona. Their ultimate fantasy is to blow up the Glen
Canyon Dam, and they brainstorm relentlessly on how to
accomplish it. But, ultimately the dam is beyond them, so they
focus instead on western development. They pull survey stakes,
they drive bulldozers into rivers, they blow-up train tracks,
they wreck construction equipment, etc. By the end of the story,
they upset everyone in the area and draw law enforcement in a
no-holds-barred manhunt.
 Although the plot is incredibly fun, the
strength of this book is Abbey’s writing. To say his style is
unique is an understatement. It is different than anything you
have ever read, but very enjoyable. Note: Whatever your
tolerance for reading “F***” bombs, Abbey will exceed it.
Lately, Monkey Wrench Gang fans are
celebrating in the streets regarding the announcement at the
Sundance Film Festival that after 30 years, the Monkey Wrench
Gang will finally be made into a movie scheduled for release in
2008. Click here for movie
news.
Wet Desert’s plot of an environmentalist
trying to restore the Colorado River, including the ultimate
fantasy to blow up the Glen Canyon Dam, tie the two novels
together. However, Wet Desert has a very different feel. First,
Instead of being told by the environmentalists, Wet Desert is
written from the perspective of Grant Stevens, a Bureau of
Reclamation engineer trying to stop the bombings, and mitigate
the floods.
*While the Monkey Wrench Gang is centered
in Utah, Wet Desert moves south along the Colorado River through
Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, and the Gulf of California in
Mexico.
*The attacks in the Monkey Wrench Gang are
spread among many desert targets, the Wet Desert attacks are
focused on the dams of the lower Colorado River.
*The Monkey Wrench Gang takes place
over weeks, Wet Desert is a fast paced thriller that covers only
three days.
*The Monkey Wrench Gang is an American
classic, Wet Desert is new (May 2007) and largely undiscovered.
*The Monkey Wrench Gang is told in
Abbey’s unique style, Wet Desert is told in the more
conventional style of mainstream fiction.
*Monkey Wrench Gang takes the reader on a
tour of natural wonders of southern Utah and northern Arizona,
Wet Desert takes you on a tour of all the canyons, dams, and
reservoirs of the Lower Colorado, including the dry river delta
in Mexico.
*Both books explore the environmental
issues in the west, both talk extensively about the
controversial Glen Canyon Dam.
*Both books are about environmental terrorists,
or eco-terrorists.
Summary: Both books are fascinating American West reads, where the
reader will be entertained, while simultaneously educated on the
complex environmental issues at hand.
Gary Hansen
 P.S. Edward Abbey wrote another book I
consider a classic. It is called Desert Solitaire, a non-fiction
book about his experiences in the southern Utah region during
the fifties and sixties when he was ranger in Arches National
Park (before there was a paved road). He sometimes didn’t see
a person for a week. This book includes his account of running
the Colorado River through Glen Canyon before it was flooded by
the dam.
|
