Dystopic Future - Freighters and Anti-Grav Units

[UncleBucky]

Hi forum,

I have tried to search this, but there are either not enough keywords out there or I don't supply enough keywords, hehe. So I send it out to the collective pattern matchers!

There was a sci-fi novel of standard length that dealt with a somewhat dystopic future. The seas were dead, but traveled by robot or lightly crewed freighters. There might have been as I remember farm fields (in the UK?) where they tried to eliminate the birds from the hedgerows increase crop yields. Finally, I can remember a scene on the coast of Africa (the continent sure, but perhaps along a desolate sandy coast) where an individual of advanced age was found dead (murdered) driftiing along the beach strapped to a refrigerator sized anti-gravity unit.

More I cannot dredge up. But it was a bleak book and not optimistic.

Any help?

Thanks to all in advance out there!

Best,

Uncle Bucky

 

[Danny McG]

This is putting me vaguely in mind of a faintly remembered T J Bass novel - anyone else think the same? And more importantly have a clue what I'm talking about

 

[chrispenycate]

The only TJ Bass novels I know are 'Half past human', and its sequel "The Godwhale." I don't remember any antigravity, and the seas aren't dead - the Godwhale is an automated harvesting machine, and the three toed nebbish is the next stage in human evolution…

 

[Danny McG]

sigh ! having a poor day today in book search. Think I need a little nap and then coffee

 

[Matteo]

I just realised the original enquiry is four years old...

Anyway, it sounded interesting and so I did a search on UK authors (only because of the UK farming connection).

I think it might be Earthworks by Brian Aldiss.

 

[Danny McG]

just did a Google on this one and Earthworks looks a lot closer than my stab in the dark

 

[otistdog]

It looks like this one was double-posted by the OP; it's been previously IDed (though not confirmed) here at:

Searching for 50s/60s Dystopic Future Novel