Bright New Universe

by Jack Williamson

"Think what it would mean! To prove we aren't alone! To find other races - older and wiser than we are! Out on the moon, I hope to find an answer. If we do pick up a signal from space, it will be the great turing point in human history. It will give our lives a meaning." — Yet to make his words good, Adam Cave had to break with his family and society, and put himself against his own world. But once out there on the far side of the moon, where an isolated band kept pushing Earth's call letters into the void, the picture changed startlingly, shockingly. For Cave learned the truth that had been held back from a placid world for so long...

Genres: Science Fiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

John Stewart Williamson who wrote as Jack Williamson (and occasionally under the pseudonym Will Stewart) was a U.S. writer often referred to as the "Dean of Science Fiction".

Reviews

[Steve Rainwater · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the weirdest, most bizarre first contact story I've ever read.

And I don't mean the aliens, I mean the crazy plot twists and characters. It has endless WTF moments. I found myself laughing at times about the plot developments. I'm not sure if it was meant to be funny or not but I enjoyed it.

Basically, it's the story of college graduate Adam Cave who believes he's found his calling in following his late father's path of working for Project Lifeline, a SETI project located on the dark side of the Moon. After breaking up with his high school sweetheart and surviving a family intervention in which an oddball collection wealthy relatives try to talk him out of it, he heads to the Moon.

But nothing is as it seems. Adam finds hints of a secret MAGA-like coalition of wealthy, religious, white supremacist males called "Man First" that opposes first contact (they also oppose liberals, commies, atheist aliens, post-scarcity economics, education, equal rights, and progress in general) Despite being written in 1967, Man First is right out of today's headlines.

Everyone Adam meets on the Moon has secrets. The lunar entrepreneur who tries to hire him away from Project Lifeline also gives him a secret communications device for no apparent reason; Project Lifeline people are secretly Man First agents; Man First agents are secretly working with aliens; the lazy Space Force officer who makes moon-Vodka with an illegal still and stolen potatoes is either trying to kill Adam or protect him; Adam's father maybe isn't dead after all, or maybe he his, or was, or will be soon; Adam's ex girlfriend is maybe a zombie operative for a space squid. After a while Adam doesn't know what's true and what's not.

Adam eventually ends up on the run with a multi-racial group of outcasts trying to thwart the Man First group and convince the aliens that Earth people aren't as crazy as they seem.

It's probably not for everybody but it's fast paced, never boring, and highly entertaining.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

"Jack Williamson’s Bright New Universe (1967) is one part juvenile (young man trekking into space against the wishes of his family), one part 1960s social commentary on race, and one part 30s/40s pulp (look at that beehive alien! Look at that sexy Asian girl alien!). The hybridity is jarring and unsuccessful [...]"

[Rog Petersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. A rather naive tale of first contact.

[James Cooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on 'first alien contact' scenario, get's slightly weirder as the story concludes, some bizarre characters.

[Gr1972 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 out of 5

[Dirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old-fashioned (in more than one way) first contact science fiction, with a nice touch.

[Razorhack]

Bright New Universe by Jack Williamson (1967)

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

1982 grade C