Destination: Void

by
Frank Herbert

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Destination: Void (Destination: Void #1)

by Frank Herbert

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 1,467 ratings · 72 reviews

The starship Earthling, filled with thousands of hybernating colonists en route to a new world at Tau Ceti, is stranded beyond the solar system when the ship’s three Organic Mental Cores—disembodied human brains that control the vessel’s functions—go insane. An emergency skeleton crew sees only one chance for survival: to create an artificial consciousness in the Earthling...more

Paperback, 276 pages

Published December 1st 1978 by Berkley Publishing Group (NY) (first published 1966)

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Sep 24, 2012 Scott Rhee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Frank Herbert's "Destination: Void" is thought-provoking science fiction at its best. The book reads more like a play written in prose form, as it takes place solely on board the bridge of a spaceship and it is almost 95% dialogue. But, oh wow, what dialogue! The premise: a small crew of six is manning a spaceship carrying a cargo of thousands of humans in suspended animation in the hopes of reaching an Earth-like planet in the Tau Ceti galaxy to colonize. The book opens en media res, after the...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've been a fan of Frank Herbert for years, though I've only started to read his non-Dune novels in the past few years. I liked "The Lazarus Effect", but only recently learned that "Destination: Void" is the first in that series, and not "The Jesus Incident". I needed a very particular kind of novel recently, so I thought "Destination: Void" was the thing to read.

SUMMARY
At some point in the future, the "United Moon Base" sends out massive colony ships, each loaded with thousands of cloned people...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A crew has been awakened from hibernation because all three of the ships brain couldn't take the work anymore and died.since the whole crew was not awakened they had to find a replacement. The four guys picked a female surgeon to replace the fifth guy. Naturally waking up and finding out your not where you think you are is a shock but she recovers. She joins the team and help thing run smoothly. The whole team is faced with the dilemma on how the to get the ship across the universe with all the...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Derek Verlee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Herbert's imagination is staggering as always. The idea is a very good one, an almost flow of consciousness discussion of the undefinable nature consciousness, but set within a plot happening aboard a spaceship, an arc-ship, filled with thousands of suspended, sleeping, travelers. Space is an enormous void. They are traveling at near relativistic speeds, threatened seemingly by It is the sinking ship story, more along the lines of the distressed submarine story, but space is so much more quiet,...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Tommy Carlson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, let me say this up front: I've never read any of the Dune novels, nor have I seen the movie adaptation.

That said, I read a blog post somewhere listing some non-Dune Herbert books to read. So I chose this one, more or less at random.

The idea is that a ship full of clones is being sent off to colonize a planet. The onboard ship-controlling brains die, leaving the rest of them in a lurch. The crew are faced with not only deciding what to do but also with determining the true nature of their m...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Mike Smith rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Destination: Void is about a crew of clones sent on a mission to colonize another planet. What most of the crew don't realize is that their true mission is to create a conscious computer intelligence. The mission has been planned to experience certain failures that will force the crew to try to create an artificially intelligent and conscious computer in order to survive. Not only that, but this is the seventh attempt, using copies of the same clones that have been used in the previous missions....more Destination: Void is about a crew of clones sent on a mission to colonize another planet. What most of the crew don't realize is that their true mission is to create a conscious computer intelligence. The mission has been planned to experience certain failures that will force the crew to try to create an artificially intelligent and conscious computer in order to survive. Not only that, but this is the seventh attempt, using copies of the same clones that have been used in the previous missions. The earlier missions all failed for various reasons and were destroyed by one of the cloned crewmembers who knew what the secret mission was.

While the premise is good, I found this book so full of techno-psycho-babble that it made almost no sense. It's English, but you have to pretty much take it on faith that what the characters say to each other actually means something. They all seem to be experts in computer engineering, human psychology, and medicine. So they can understand each other, but if you don't know much about those fields, it will mostly sound like gibberish.

Part of the problem may be the book's age. The original premise dates from the mid-60s. This revised edition is from the late 70s. Computers, and the associated terminology, have changed so much since then that the computer-related concepts in the novel seem strange. For example, it appears that the characters enter programs by hand, by manipulating input circuits. While I'm pretty sure stored-program computers existed in the period, the ship computer in the book seems to operate on older principles.

Another problem is that not much happens in a plot sense. A lot of the book is each of the four main characters thinking to themselves. They all have intellectual revelations that bring them to higher states of consciousness and understanding, but the descriptions of these events aren't nearly as illuminating as the experiences themselves appear to be.

This book is followed by at least one sequel, "The Jesus Incident". The Jesus Incident is a better (i.e., more conventional) novel, and can be read and understood without having read Destination: Void. I recommend Destination: Void only to those who really like Frank Herbert and/or 60s/70s SF.(less)

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May 04, 2012 Matthew rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having just read a few really positive reviews for this book, I decided to read this, one of Frank Herbert's lesser-known works. I'm really glad that I did.

If one can look past some of the simplistic descriptions of future computer technology - then there is much given to consider in this story from a science fiction, philosophical, sociological, and especially a philosophy of the mind perspective.

Much of the story revolves around the efforts of three cloned scientists to create an artificial in...more

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Mar 01, 2010 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: random-comments-review

... If you are more familiar with Herbert's work this can be an enjoyable book. Destination: Void is one of his most dense and technical books though and it will certainly not appeal to everyone. I think the sheer technical detail in some parts of the novel are a bit overdone and distract from the story. By today's standards it is a pretty short book but most of it consists of the crew members working through various technical problems and that is certainly not enough to keep everybody entertain...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Jay Michaels rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I picked up Frank Herbert's The Jesus Incident (1978) at my public library, and inadvertently found myself joining the story "in media res." Unfortunately, the library didn't have Book 1 in the "Pandora Sequence," so I ended up buying the e-book from Kevin J. Anderson's "Wordfire"/"Smashwords" site.

This revised version of Destination Void (also 1978) is *extremely* talky, and Herbert's narrative style finds him dipping seemingly at random into his character's thoughts in the midst of their conv...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Alo rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Alo by: Joakim

This book could've become a timeless novel exploring the ideas of consciousness and artificial intelligence but instead it was filled with long sequences of technobabble and shallow psychology all which felt very dated. When it was originally published in 1966, this probably worked well, however it didn't stand the test of time like some other science fiction novels have.

The overall pace of the book was slow, few times tension was built up only to fizzle out. The last few chapters where the pace...more

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Apr 08, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I read the 1978 revised edition, where most of these details are apparent from early on (first 3-4 chapters), though they might be considered spoilers for the earlier work. (I'm not sure how much was changed.)

A batch of disposable clones are sent off on a spaceship to colonize a planet near Tau Ceti, with a cargo of supplies and thousands of colonists in hibernation. After leaving Earth's galaxy, the ship's Onboard Mental Cores---organic computers, wired-up human brains---fail, one by one, the l...more I read the 1978 revised edition, where most of these details are apparent from early on (first 3-4 chapters), though they might be considered spoilers for the earlier work. (I'm not sure how much was changed.)

A batch of disposable clones are sent off on a spaceship to colonize a planet near Tau Ceti, with a cargo of supplies and thousands of colonists in hibernation. After leaving Earth's galaxy, the ship's Onboard Mental Cores---organic computers, wired-up human brains---fail, one by one, the last killing half the ship's crew. The surviving clones are stuck running things on manual; they have to make a replacement computer, one with a consciousness to operate the ship on its lengthy trip.

But things aren't all as they appear. For one, their goal isn't colonization, but the construction of a conscious AI. The ship is rigged with numerous complications to stimulate the crew, keeping them on edge to heighten their productivity. And if this sink-or-swim fight for survival isn't enough, some of the crew are sleeper agents tasked with prodding the others to keep them thinking on the right track... and they have a self-destruct system as a fail-safe, in case they really do create an uncontrollable rogue AI.

This is an interesting work, because of its split focus. On the one hand, it's full of technobabble about the construction of a computer system that was technologically dated back in the '70s. Lots of ENG multipliers and neural-nets. On the other, we have an ongoing discourse about consciousness: its nature, its role in the human body, its location in the brain, the ethical and spiritual nature of it. A very dense book on both sides, so I understand many SF fans won't like it because of its weird and bipolar foci. And Herbert's writing can be dry at times.

But I felt it was a strong, interesting book, and I found it surprisingly enjoyable. I skimmed many of the technobabble paragraphs, but found the discourse on consciousness, and its moral and spiritual ramifications, pretty interesting. This is the most thrilling novel about engineering and psychology you're likely to find, which I realize isn't the best compliment. I want to run out and suggest it to someone... the problem is, I can't figure out who to.(less)

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May 07, 2009 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Before Frank Herbert's Dune and the money machine it became, he wrote some very interesting science fiction. Destination Void isn't his best writing but it sets up another book, The Jesus Incident which is much better.

Although I read and enjoyed The Jesus Incident long ago, I'm looking forward to reading it again now that I understand the environment better.

For those of you who liked the sudden POV switches of Dune, often paragraph by paragraph, you'll find yourself on familiar turf with Desti...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Graham rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good thoughts on the essence of consciousness that are hard to come by elsewhere. However, the technical language sections are probably gibberish and the characters/plot is not noteworthy. If you think of it as some sort of applied philosophy with a storyline, then you're golden.

I was craving more thoughts on the definition of consciousness after/during reading, which is what was fulfilling and worth it. From the material on consciousness I've encountered Herbert takes some honest stabs at that...more

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Oct 07, 2009 Erik rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: The philosophically and technically minded

Shelves: science-fiction, virginia-bookshelf, philosophy

"Is a man just a machine's way of making another machine?"

Destination: Void is the first of four books set in the eponymous universe of Herbert's making, also sometimes known as the Pandora series. The action in this book centers around an "umbilicus" crew of four and their ship, Earthling, that is carrying a massive cargo of hibernating colonists meant to colonize a planet in the distant Tau Ceti system. Before the ship even leaves our solar system, however, the ship's three Organic Mental Core...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Paul Richard rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Prequel to 'The Jesus Incident' involving the crew that has to solve a problem with the Ship's computer system, only to discover that they have made it sentient. Rather long-winded and far too complicated in places but with a reasonsble pace and a novel ending, prompting three more books relating to Pandora...I have to ask if James Cameron used the planet Pandora in Avatar as a result of these tales...even though Herbert's Pandora was far more hellish than the film version. More of a collect...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Andrew rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012

Good plot, great characterizations, excellent atmosphere, interesting exploration of metaphysical concepts. Terrible non-sensical techno-jargon.

Destination: Void precedes The Pandora Sequence (the trilogy that starts with The Jesus Incident), though this book is not necessary to one's enjoyment of the later trilogy.

A particular annoyance, for me, in this novel was the sub-plot in which Prudence explores psychotropic drugs in an effort to...? What? Whatever effect or discovery she was trying to m...more

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Jun 27, 2009 Kelly Maybedog Hawkins rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: what-sf

It's strange that the sequel to this novel is my favorite book of all time and yet I only gave this one two stars. Part of the problem is that most of this book is really just a philosophical dialog about the nature of consciousness and an attempt to mathematically define it. There's a some unnecessary intrigue where every character knows some secret about the other characters that they themselves don't know. The point of view is changed many times on a page (which Herbert admits he did for clar...more

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Mar 26, 2008 Jlawrence rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: re-reads

This books manages, despite significant flaws, to engagingly mix a golden age of sci-fi "engineers solving a technical problem" kind of plot with wild philosophizing and thriller elements.

It rests on a somewhat wonky premise (I'm not spoiling anything btw - the following is all revealed early on). Apparently, in the future, the most effective and cost-efficient way to research artificial consciousness is to build a huge colonization ship and launch it towards Tau Ceti with its self-monitoring me...more This books manages, despite significant flaws, to engagingly mix a golden age of sci-fi "engineers solving a technical problem" kind of plot with wild philosophizing and thriller elements.

It rests on a somewhat wonky premise (I'm not spoiling anything btw - the following is all revealed early on). Apparently, in the future, the most effective and cost-efficient way to research artificial consciousness is to build a huge colonization ship and launch it towards Tau Ceti with its self-monitoring mechanisms (disembodied human brains hooked up to the ship's computers) programmed to fail, so that the crew has to create a artificial consciousness to guide and monitor the ship, or perish if they fail to do so. The experiment, complete with re-building and re-launching the ship, is repeated until breakthrough trumps death. Rationales are given for this set-up: the crew is comprised of clones whose lives are valued less than 'normal' humans; an earlier Earth-bound experiment in artificial consciousness created a "rogue consciousness" that destroyed itself and its makers; it's believed that crisis situations inspire conceptual breakthroughs -- and the crew themselves try to puzzle out why they've been set-up this way. But it still felt a bit off.

Nevertheless, this set-up allows "let's solve an immense engineering problem" to drive the plot, while the nature of the problem brings up many complex philosophical and moral issues that Herbert loves diving into. Something else that separates it from typical "engineer hero" sci-fi is the signficant amount of (sometimes heavy-handed) psychology Herbert injects into the crew's often manipulative interactions. Through the characters' stressed psyches Herbet explores the limits of human awareness and states of enlightenment -- strong themes in the Dune series that are interesting to see him pursuing here.

Surprisingly, the archaic computer technology utilized doesn't ruin things, as the differences with modern components seem mostly a matter of scale, and the interrelations between the various abstract systems seem more important than the components they use. However, there are many times the technical explanations get so dense and hard-to-parse that you wonder whether Herbert is being incredibly smart or simply indulging in technobabble.

The end is also pretty cheesy, but sets up this book's sequels well. Overall, the book is rough - Herbert doesn't manage to merge its various elements as well as he does with the early Dune books. On just its quality of writing and structure, the book probably deserves only three stars, but the subject matter was fascinating enough that I give it an extra star for personal enjoyment.(less)

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Oct 05, 2012 Mike Kauspedas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm going to quote someone else review from below because it summarizes it perfectly.

"I am really conflicted about this book. There's an amazing premise, decently-written characters, this lurking fear (and hope) of a true artificial intelligence being born, and the tension between the characters... and then there are long blocks of dialogue (and thoughts) devoted to what amounts to (in my opinion) techno & psycho-babble, some obsolete technology, and a general lack of anything actually happ...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Ethan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As long as you're not expecting another Dune and you're open to Herbert's take on (slightly dated) hard science fiction, you'll probably enjoy this. It took me some time to get into it, but once I did I really liked the philosophical bits on consciousness. The biggest problem is that none of the characters are nearly as interesting or compelling as Herbert's Dune characters, but maybe it's unfair to judge this book against a classic, even if the same author did write that classic.

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May 01, 2012 Brendan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book by Frank Herbert that I've read outside of the Dune series. It has some interesting ideas, but mostly consists of circular philosophical debates between the characters, which leaves it with a slower pace than I'd like. Not much happens outside of the talking, so there's also very little actual plot to speak of.

The discussions themselves are interesting - there's some very experimental thinking going on here. However, as an engineer I can't forgive the technical sections. H...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Pennie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very good! The characters spend most of the book constructing a conscious computer to run their spaceship when the three human brains originally installed all went mad and had to be disconnected. They dig deeply into what is consciousness? What makes us conscious? that is the main theme of the book, and is very well done. I love the ending.. ;-D

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Jun 23, 2011 Stephanie Ricker rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Obviously he doesn't get amazing points for the title, but the rest of it was quite good. Not mind-blowing, I'm afraid; all of the other Herbert that I've read hasn't quite lived up to the Dune series. I think his talents really lie in worldbuilding because fiddling around with the one we live in just doesn't quite cut it in terms of illustrating his genius. Void was heavy on the science part of science fiction, so much so that I was a bit lost with some of the computer language they were tossin...more

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Aug 31, 2009 Benjamin Duffy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

This book crushed my skull and made my brain meats ooze out of my nose hole. The plot hinges, ostensibly, on a project to create artificial consciousness, but what it really becomes is a discussion and deconstruction of what IS consciousness. Really enjoyable and thought provoking, both as a science fiction adventure and as a novel of ideas.

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Aug 23, 2012 Jefferson rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: good-and-proper-science-fiction

This hodge-podge of lame existentialism, pseudopsychology, technojargon, and pseudomathematics sets the stage for what I understand to be an interesting series. An incredibly immature novel by an otherwise most impressive author. Skip this book and go straight to the Jesus Incident.

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Aug 21, 2012 Richard rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Disappointing. I loved Frank Herbert's Dune series. This was written after Dune and Dune Messiah and there is some reference to one of the characters changing into a worm-self, but otherwise it's a fairly drab take on some astronauts trying to build/create an artificial intelligence under life-threatening conditions. 2 stars.

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Jan 16, 2012 Daniel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great intellectual odyssey! One of the few books that makes an intellectual journey into the origins of life and consciousness into a thrilling and exciting discovery. Don't worry about the technical jargon. It will make sense at the end.

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Jul 06, 2012 Kev rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-sf-fantasy, science

I was amazed at the implicatons of uncertainty and unpredictability that arises from simple indeterminate equations. This solidified my interest in the theory of chaotic compexity. I really liked this one.

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Mar 05, 2009 Philana Walker rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adolescent-bliss

Really, I think Dune was a great introduction to Frank Herbert, because I learned to appreciate this book more. Taxing and psychologically mesmerizing.

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Feb 02, 2011 Alex Debkaliuk rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Interesting read rising many philosophical questions about what makes us conscious.. Great cliffhanger ending and a lot of unexpected plot turns too.

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About Frank Herbert

Critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author.

He is best known for the novel Dune and its five sequels. The Dune saga, set in the distant future and taking place over millennia, dealt with themes such as human survival and evolution, ecology, and the intersection of religion, politics, and power, and is widely considered to be among the classics in the field of...more

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Books by Frank Herbert

God Emperor of Dune (Dune Chronicles, #4)

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