Orbit Unlimited

by Poul Anderson

Earth had changed since the days when her proud space fleets spanned the void of Space. Now her people were packed and packaged tight on Earth, their freedoms exchanged for a promise of stability by a multi-armed autocratic government. Then one small band of people led by a fanatic saw there was one last chance for Man to make his place in the Universe. But to take that chance they had to fight, not only the mighty grip of the government, but the terrible, generation-long voyage fraught with risk. And then, the new planet - strange, challenging, alien

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

160 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1961

About the author

Pseudonym A. A. Craig, Michael Karageorge, Winston P. Sanders, P. A. Kingsley.

Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.

Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]

Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.


Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry

Reviews

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 5 out of 5]

ENGLISH: This is one of my two best-beloved science fiction novels of all time, together with A Canticle for Leibowitz. In each of the four stories making up this book, Anderson poses a striking moral dilemma, which the characters must answer in the appropriate way, even though the answer may not be morally acceptable, but then the principle of the lesser evil must be applied.

Thus, in the first part, a father with political power uses it to push his son to leave the Earth and colonize an extrasolar planet, even though he'll lose all contact with his son (whom he loves) by doing this.

In the second part, the skipper of the extra-solar fleet must elect among putting the success of the expedition in peril, or downright lying, forgery, and risking the life of a young member of his crew. He takes what he sees as the right decision, but his ethical compunction moves him to resign as fleet leader and join the colonizers.

In the third part, the new fleet leader must fight his own infatuation with a married woman (one of the colonists), which moves him to prevent their getting access to key materials, whose absence would make the colonization unfeasible.

Finally, in the fourth part, the life of a lost child is balanced against the possibility of tighter food restrictions for the whole colony.

ESPAÑOL: Esta es una de mis dos novelas de ciencia ficción preferidas de toda mi vida lectora, junto con Cántico por Leibowitz. En cada una de las cuatro historias que componen este libro, Anderson plantea un dilema moral impactante, al que los personajes deben responder de la manera adecuada, aunque dicha respuesta no siempre sea moralmente aceptable, por lo que hay que aplicar el principio del mal menor.

Así, en la primera parte, un padre con poder político lo utiliza para empujar a su hijo a dejar la Tierra y colonizar un planeta extrasolar, aunque al hacerlo perderá todo contacto con su hijo, a quien ama.

En la segunda parte, el almirante de la flota extrasolar debe elegir entre poner en peligro el éxito de la expedición o mentir, falsificar y poner en peligro la vida de un joven miembro de su tripulación. Tras tomar la que, según él, es la decisión correcta, sus remordimientos le llevan a renunciar como jefe de la flota y a unirse a los colonizadores.

En la tercera parte, el nuevo jefe de la flota debe luchar contra su amor por una mujer casada (esposa de uno de los colonos), lo que le mueve a restringir su acceso a ciertos materiales indispensables, cuya ausencia haría inviable la colonización.

Por último, en la cuarta parte, la vida de un niño perdido se contrapone a la posibilidad de que toda la colonia sufra restricciones alimentarias estrictas.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I wanted

This kindle novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account a stand alone book

DNF

Not what I expected after a number of books I enjoyed by the author. 2024

[John Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libertarians In Spaaaaaaaace!!!

This is not a terrible read. Kind of preachy in places, but it’s Poul Anderson, so the narrative is worth it.

[Mariangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of four episodes in the colonization of a planet in a different solar system.
Each episode brings a new challenge to the expedition, seemingly impossible to solve, and we get to know the characters through the decisions they make.

[Jan vanTilburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book.
I’m surprised it’s not better known. And given higher marks. It once again shows me how different people are!
I think I’m becoming a real Anderson fan. This is my 5th book from Anderson I’ve read and they all have been highly entertaining. As many reviewers have said, his ideas are very imaginative and I wholeheartedly agree. And for me, also his character descriptions are great. Especially in this book where we get to know the innermost reasoning of the main personages. It gives for great interaction and shows how people come to (painful) decisions.

In four related parts the story is told of colonists settling on far away planet. Each part has it’s own momentum. In them Anderson describes the struggle and agony which come with life changing decisions.

This book consists of 4 interrelated stories. Each of which I liked.

part one. Robin Hood’s Barn.

The first part tells the intricate intriges to entice dissidents to settle on a distant planet. It may seem farfetched but I did like it.

Anderson sketches insightful the dynamics of suppression by a shrewd and cunning government. Tactics on both sides are discussed via their main players. And then government offers a compromise...Or was it?
A very good first part.

part two. The Burning Bridge.

En route. Are we going on or turn we back?

Here we follow the reasoning and resulting anguish of Captain Coffin (seems an ominous name for a spaceship commander) when he must preside and be responsible, over the decision to continue on to the colony planet or go back to Earth.
The colonists aboard the fleet must make this decision. Anderson shows us the pros and cons of each side. Emotions run high, logic seems to give way to feelings. And Coffin comes to a decision.
Again very good episode.

part three. And Yet so Far.

One last change to turn back or stay.

Salvage crucial equipment aboard a stranded spaceship or give up the colonisation? That is the question.
A phychological sword play ensues between the Fleet captain Kivi and Jan Svoboda, the representative of the colonists. The different world views of the autronauts and the settlers: “The spaceman were explorers. Their mystique could not be reconciled with that of the Constitutionalists” come clearly into view.
How they try to persuade the other, each with their own (hidden) motives.

part four. The Mills of the Gods.

The need of the individual above the need of the group.

Marvelous rescue story. And a journey into one man’s soul. I’m still amazed that this book is not more known. I like it a lot and this is a good story to conclude the book.
Danny, Coffin’s son, is gone missing down a dangerous canyon. Together with a reluctant Jan Svoboda, Coffin goes into this dangerous terrain where permanent low lying clouds and a dense athmosphere make for perilious going. The interaction between these man drives this story forwards, together with the description of this alien, but beautiful landscape. A battle of wills. And a battle against nature.
And as it turns out the rescue for the whole colony.
A superb story.


Some musings about the philosophy behind the future colonists thoughts:
(and I believe also Anderson’s own ideas about how a society should be)

p.12: “‘Constitutionalism’ refers merely to an attitude toward the physical universe, an advocacy of basic thought patterns on the constitution of reality. Anti-mysticism,” and
p.19: “an ideal of seeing the world as it actually is and behaving accordingly.”
Epistemology at it’s core: “How do we know what we know and what is it we know.”

p.18; “We have eaten up our resources with the same abundance with which we have increased our numbers. So the Four Horseman have ridden out on their predictable path. Exploration (of space) is becoming too costly.”
(Anderson always stated that space exploration is never a waste of money or unnecessary luxury: abandoning space would doom humanity to "a society of brigands ruling over peasants."

The idea behind space settlement: “...,the knowledge that there was a colony, a place where a man who found life here unendurable could go — wouldn’t that be valuable?”

p.31: “I’m sick of this whine, ‘Don’t blame me, blame the system.’ There isn’t any system: there are men, who act well or badly.”

p.34: the old Svoboda’s musing about the state of the technological civilization: “...the real cause [may] be a collective unconscious revolt against this steel and machinery.”
and about conflicts p.40: “...it’s in the nature of intercultural conflicts to be insoluble. When axioms clash, logic is helpless.”

[Stephen Gallup · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this slim paperback to read on a trip when I knew there'd be a long layover in the Denver airport. And that's where I finished it. It was just about a perfect choice for reading under those conditions -- not too heavy but intriguing enough to keep my interest despite multiple distractions.

The story opens in a future era that has a domineering government and enormous social stratification such that most of humanity leads brutish lives while the ruling elites enjoy themselves at the top of the heap (a world that our present leaders seem determined to create, in my view). A few semi-privileged individuals who desire another option have the opportunity to go elsewhere, because a somewhat Earthlike planet has been discovered 20 light-years away.

The novel is divided into four distinct parts, each of which presents a crisis. I felt that some of the crises, or at least the way in which they were presented, felt more like insoluble problems than dramatic conflicts. The reasons they could not be resolved were made so clear that each time I began to feel depressed. However, one character's response is always to imagine going forward without having succeeded, finding that outcome completely unacceptable, and then persisting in the search for an answer until some element of the problem becomes part of an elegant solution.

I also liked the rather vivid depiction of what it might be like to adapt to life in a very different place. Among other things, the new planet has a 62-hour rotation period, a sun that looks too big, one-fourth again as much gravity as Earth, and such dense atmosphere that the colonists are comfortable only at high altitudes. I thought of the adjustments colonists in, say, North America or Australia had to make in bygone times, and realized that maybe I shouldn't feel so daunted by the continuing changes that modern life throws my way.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is the least fun Poul Anderson book I've read so far. There were nuggets of greatness but there were a few issues for me:

One, this was like 3 short stories ended with a novella. they were labeled parts I-IV but it's definitely a few short works combined into one story that didn't really need each other or feel like a full story.

The first was a worry by elites about a group of Constitutionalists gaining power, and trying to figure out what to do with them. The constitutionalists eventually realize they can just be pioneers like pilgrims and head to space. This was the set up. A LOT of exposition, worldbuilding, preaching, was difficult to get through and I almost quit the book in this section.

Part II is colonists in space. The elites have died, constitutionalists are back welcome. Do they continue on? The world they knew will be dead (40 years passed) but the world they're heading to is harsh. Interesting part. Strongest portion of the book. Different characters than one.

Part III elaborated on part 2, but also had some tie backs character wise to part I. They're arriving at the colony, the ship captain wants to head back, but some colonists want to stay anyway. They need supplies and a ship is stuck in a radiation zone in orbit which makes it tough to get them. This was a 7/10 okay part.

Part IV: On the colony a kid is getting bullied disappears into the wilderness and they have to rescue him. It's a bit drawn out though this was solid too, kinda 7/10.

Low rating is mostly because of the slog of a start. I expected a bit more out of Anderson based on his other great books. It was alright, but given his great and large catalogue, I'd start somewhere else!

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four interlinked stories that together tell the story of how Earth's first colonisation of another planet comes about, just before it's space programme is about to close down for good.

The final story is far and away the best in the collection but by then it's too late; we've already had to sit through a lot of run of the mill SF that was barely entertaining. Although we are introduced to the characters of the final story in the preceeding stories, they do little to flesh them out or establish them in the reader's mind.

Poul Anderson can write great SF (and fantasy for that matter) but only a tiny glimmer of this man's talent is in evidence here, and only in the final story. It is becoming quite clear to me that he wrote a lot of forgettable books that readers interested in exploring the classics of the field would do well to avoid.

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book, I always underestimate how much I enjoy Poul Anderson when I read him. He is an awesome writer, with plenty of science driven writing, as you would expect from an author with a science degree. But that science is combined with beautifully descriptive writing, the way he sets the scenes of the stars from space is lyrical, as are the descriptions of the new planet.

I am giving it 4/5 stars, because while I loved the ending, I did not love the first bit and the two middle ones were, middling. The end was exceptionally brilliant though.

I have seen other reviewers call this a series of short stories but I totally disagree. There are time gaps between the four parts, yes, but there is no way the two last ones can be read independently and if you tried to read the first as a story you would be very disappointed. Because it is entirely politics, setting up the story for the next parts and so has only a very weak story arc in itself. Characts are ongoing; one of the main characters in part one is STILL the main character in part four. I could go on, and will happily defend my position should anyone want to debate it.

Part I is set on Earth-of-the-future, totalitarian, crowded with insufficient resources and no democracy. Government has become wholly outside the control of the uneducated citizenry, to the extent that they actually realise it. A counter culture of citizens are considered by government to pose potential risk in the future. And the end of this part is where these potential revolutionaries, with government cooperation become interstellar colonists.

Part II is in space, aboard the colony fleet, with the captain in charge one of the crew who originally discovered the planet they are headed for. This captain, Coffin, is a career spaceman in a career which takes him further and further in time from him home and the people he knew. Since a voyage lasts eighty or so years to Earth, but only a couple of years to the crew they are a breed apart. It is this part that has an event quotes on all the covers of the paperbacks. I can't see who, it is a fairly minor event, really.

Part III is where the fleet has arrived at the destination planet and they are in the process of unloading, there are plots and there is tension between the spacers and the colonists. This also is the most science heavy of the sections, where physics and astronomy come into play.

Part IV is some years following colonisation, in this part we have some of the most scintillating descriptions of the beauty of the new planet. We also have descriptions of the zoology and ecology, speculations on the effects of plate tectonics (still a controversial hypothesis when this was written) and a fine, thrilling adventure quest as well.

So, those are the good bits and what I love about this author. The things that I do not love as much, well, source (I suspect) from the fact that the author was born in 1920's and was writing prolifically by the 40's and 50's. Men are the prime movers. Women could never want to be colonists because they are not psychologically made that way, they only go along to please their husbands. Women cannot share a spaceship with men because the men would lose control of themselves and... not be able to whatever... so all women travel in a sperate ship guarded by men who have no access to them.... ICK - pass the bucket. Actually, now I come to think of it, this is very much Islamic ideology, so, way behind modern first world thinking.

About bullying! Even in the 60's and 70's it was still just a toughening up that no one way worried about, let alone in the 30's - 40's. Now, I LOVE living in an era that is doing everything to stamp out that foul behaviour. Here however, we have the attitude that a boy being routinely set upon by all his classmates, taunted and beaten up (even in front of responsible adults) is just part of growing up and not really a problem. Though the kid who is beaten up should really just try harder... Victim shaming at it's worst.

So yes, it has dated a bit. But it is well worth reading it like the historical document it is, for the brilliance of the writing, the science and the overall story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_OxI...

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poul Anderson began publishing in the 1940’s and left us quite a library of books and short stories to enjoy. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed a few of his Science Fiction books so when I was offered Orbit Unlimited for $1.99 I decided to take a chance on it, knowing that being first published in 1961 the science would be old and the primary characters would be men.

Orbit Unlimited is listed as a collection of short stories but, as they all interconnect and have some of the same characters, I see it more as a single story. This book starts out as a dystopian novel, although exactly how bad off the Earth is and how it got that way is only vaguely alluded to. The important feature of the future earth is the dictatorial government and lack of individual rights. As Anderson was long a champion of Libertarian causes, this book clearly came out of his own political thoughts and objections. A rebel group focused on educational and family freedom, known as Constitutionalists, grab at the chance to head out in a space fleet to colonize a new world, free from Earth’s clutches.

Throughout the book there are numerous political and social issues that pop up and need to be addressed. One of these is the need to keep the all-male rocket crews from the female passengers. While there is a lot of fifties sexism in this section, you can also see that Anderson was willing to take the risk of addressing the violent and controlling nature of his male crew and also to sneak in a couple of strong female characters. Science Fiction has long addressed hot-button social issues by disguising them and I think Anderson has tried to slip in some personal statements about male and female relationships despite what, at first glance, looks like a story about the same old macho male rocket jocks.

Despite Anderson’s focus on freedom and individualism, this book has a few incidences where these principles are violated by a few in power working to create a greater good. While he may talk the talk of individual power and freedom, in this book Anderson has clearly decided that individuals need to be manipulated in order make correct moral decisions. This theme resonates several times in the book and raises some interesting issues. I wish I could have had the chance to sit down with Anderson and talk at length about what was his thinking behind this part of the story line.

This book is definitely not one that I would rate as one of Poul Anderson’s best (thus the three stars). I am glad I read it as I found the subtext quite interesting, the writing engaging, and it provided a great look back as to where Science Fiction was over fifty years ago. If you haven’t read any of Anderson’s other books, PLEASE DO NOT start with this one. However, if you are already a fan, this walk down memory lane will give you some insight into the journey Anderson took during his long career.

[Martti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rolled some dice and picked up a bunch of pulp science fiction in Visby and one of those was this collection of short stories from 1961. Luckily it happened to be the first in a series about Rustum.

Not to reveal too much, I must say it was an enjoyably layered read. The tech being masterfully researched and realistic, but staying in the back like a strong foundation. Focus being on humans with their pesky morality, politics and intrigue. Reading Anderson after Wyndham, the contrast with strong characters is even stronger.

To be brief. Being first is tough and nobody would probably want it. Unless you are faced with the major dilemma of the first story. I mean, those plans within plans might have been a bit of an overkill, but it was a wonderfully layered bastard to get through.

If this is any indication of the rest of the bibliography of Poul Anderson, I need to dig deeper into this golden age master with seven Hugo trophies.

[F. C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic science fiction— for a reason

Poul Anderson was one of science fiction and fantasy’s greatest authors. As in all of his sci fi, while the story was certainly interesting in terms of the futuristic science aspects— in a his case, colonists being shipped in cold sleep to a new planet— what was most important for him and therefore his readers was the personal aspects.

What does such a future mean for the people who face it? How would people of different personalities face the challenges of colonization, and what sort of people would be necessary for such a colony to succeed? Who would even be willing to go?

And what happens when a small boy becomes lost, and who will be willing to try to save him?

Recommended.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is outstanding. It’s not a typical novel, but a fix-up of four related stories. All of the stories are good to great, with each presenting a different ethical dilemma at a key moment in the history of the founding of an interstellar colony. My favorite is the 2nd story, which makes me think of one of my favorite DS9 episodes (though mentioning the episode would hint at a spoiler). It’s definitely worth checking out. Especially if you’ve enjoyed other books by Poul Anderson, don’t miss this one.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orbit Unlimited is a fixup novel whose short stories are not very closely linked. We get a description of a dystopian Earth that motivates some to look for a planet B. The problem is that those best qualified to pioneer an exoplanet colony are not motivated to take the risk because they are at the top of the dystopian hierarchy. It is up to Libertarians, here called Constitutionalists, to save the day. We do get some of Poul Anderson’s patented planetary adventure in the two stories set in the Epsilon Eridani system. Expect the usual 1960s sexism. 3.5.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 (Average)

Poul Anderson’s Orbit Unlimited is comprised of four short stories linked together chronologically and occasionally by recurrent characters. This structure is essentially a loose-form novel.

The first section describes the persecuted Constitutionalists [..]

Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...

[Bill Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good for its age

I read this many many years ago and loved it. Today it is dated. Mr Anderson was a pioneer of the genre. A must read if you are just dipping into the fantastic world of Science “Fiction”

[Russ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Simply horrible. Slow moving. Uninteresting. Preachy. This is the first book I have read by this author. And, given how terrible it was, it will quite possibly be the last.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poul Anderson is a legend, but this is far from his best work.

Rather than a novel, this is a collection of interconnected stories about establishing a colony on a distant planet--a little like Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles, but not nearly as well executed.

The first story could be skipped altogether. It's mostly a 40-page infodump that introduces a couple of characters you'll see later on. The "twist" ending is so contrived that you'll find yourself rolling your eyes and maybe laughing out loud.

In the second story, a vessel that has departed for a faraway planet called Rustum receives a message from Earth to the effect of: "We know you guys left on bad terms, but Earth is cool now, so you should come back." The colonists, awake only in year-long shifts while the majority are in stasis, must make some hauntingly difficult decisions. This was definitely my favorite story in this collection.

The third story is about a stupid mistake that could doom the new space colony. It falls in line with the previous story's theme of tough decisions, as the "colonists" and "astronauts" must recover supplies from the irradiated zone in which they lost a ship.

The final story is about a lost misfit child and the mission to find him. It's the most character-focused story in the collection, and the later portion includes some fun details about Rustum's fauna.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three previously published short stories put together in book form. They are related and do tell a complete story but they do not mesh together very well. The first tells of a minority group forced to leave Earth. The second tells of the voyage to another star and of the arrival. The third takes place several years later on the planet and in my opinion is probably the best of the three.

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 08.30.84

[John Behnken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. A bit slow at times, but a great story. Typical Poul Anderson. :) Hard sci/fi to be sure. Probably too much for the casual reader.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good SF adventure.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nicely executed book - it's basically three short glimpses into the lives of earth's first pioneers. As others have mentioned the third story is the best of the lot.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only read this once - may re-read at some point

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good SiFi story. Poul Anderson always adds just the right amount of real science to his stories to make the SiFi background of the story a workable, believable world. Recommended

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade C