Just finished reading this 1989 sci-fi novel by Bradley Denton that I found
in a used bookstore a couple of weeks back. And it's a hoot, particularly for
rockabilly fans. The story centers around a guy in Kansas named Oliver Vale who
was conceived the night of Buddy Holly's death. A lifelong Holly fan, he's
sitting at home one night watching "The Searchers" on his satellite dish when
all TV signals on Earth are interrupted by a broadcast featuring an apparently
resurrected Buddy Holly broadcasting from an environmental chamber on the
surface of one of Jupiter's moons. What's more, Buddy is regularly reading a
sign giving Vale's name and address that suggests that Vale knows how to rescue
him and how to restore regular broadcasting.
The rest of the book is something of an oddball road trip, with Vale
traveling from Topeka to Lubbock to find out if Holly's grave has been
disturbed. Along the way he's trying to avoid the police, a government agent
who's trying to kill him, and a Reagan-era televangelist, hooking up from time
to time with bikers, a Vietnam vet and his family, and a right-wing female
health nut.
If it sounds a bit wacky, it certainly is, but also a lot of fun. I think
it's out of print at the moment but one should be able to find used copies
without much difficulty.
--Jon J.




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