Magellan: A novel

by Colin Anderson

First edition hardcover in very good condition, with unclipped dust jacket in good condition. Jacket is scuffed, marked and worn. Edges are creased nicked, including a few small tears. Board edges, corners and spine ends are bumped. Boards are clean, binding is sound and pages are clear. LW

Genres: Science Fiction

189 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the one hand, I can see why this book sunk without a trace when it was published in the early 70s.

Clunky writing, and no chapter or even scene breaks make for a demanding and exhausting read. The plot takes the form of a very loose religious allegory. The early portions don't really hint at the full plot of the novel and instead remind the reader of better written works like Philip Jose Farmer's "Riders of the Purple Wage".

But I still like this book.

Why? Because Anderson has used to Fall of Man story in the Bible to create a splendid and original SF plot.

It's not a classic, but this is the kind of book that takes years to think out before it is written. It's a shame the writing cannot match the powerful vision behind it.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 (Good)

Magellan (1970), Colin Anderson’s only science fiction publication, is an inventive but emotionally hollow novel, overly brief, and lacking in sufficient prose to adequately convey [..]

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

[Raymond Elmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine a day in the far future when the world is simply tired of it all. Civilization's problems are solved, all desires addressed. And yet every last soul is restless, unhappy, dissatisfied.
What do people want? Some want oblivion. Others, completion, or power or isolation.

So the rulers of Earth's one city, Magellan, build the ultimate machine. Deep in the earth, it reads desires and grants the wish. And when they push the button, reality changes.

It is as though everyone were in a waking dream that they can share but not control. The hero must travel through the dreams of the mad, the angry, the lost, the cruel. In this new reality a castle is a living mind, a fenced garden is a closed soul, a kindly social worker rules a pyramid of suffering.
It is a dream journey; ending with the world beginning anew. A cycle is completed; thus the name of the city and the novel.

A very prescient story, memorably told.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recall reading this way back in HS when the novel came out. A future single terrestrial city, a plan to use a computer to give everyone the power to make wishes come true. Things went rapidly downhill from here. Chaos ensured.

I did not like it back then, the writing was not very good, but the ideas expressed were. Too bad the novel was not better executed.

[SciFiOne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grade D