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Mindbridge

Joe Haldeman

3.76 · Rating details · 2,320 ratings · 125 reviews

The discovery of a remarkable alien technology light years from Earth could have devastating consequences for humanity in this science fiction classic by the author of the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning novel The Forever War

In the far future, the accidental scientific breakthrough known as the Levant-Meyer Translation changes everything. Suddenly people can leap instantane

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Paperback, Gollancz SF Collector's Edition, 186 pages

Published by Gollancz (first published August 1st 1976)

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· 2,320 ratings · 125 reviews

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Feb 16, 2015 Metaphorosis rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, 2015-rev

reviews.metaphorosis.com

2.5 stars

Jacque Lefavre is a bit of a wild man, but he manages to hold himself together long enough to accepted as a Tamer - a matter transmission scout. He makes close connections with other Tamers, and when one team makes a startling discovery, Jacque and his crew are pushed into a central role.

Joe Haldeman is deservedly famous for The Forever War. Until recently, that and its sequels were most of what I knew about him. Unfortunately, the limits on that fame may also b ...more

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Apr 01, 2021 Craig rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is an enjoyable book, but somehow doesn't seem to live up to its potential. Haldeman employs a number of science-fiction mainstays (teleportational interstellar travel, telepathy and cross-species communication, genocide on an interplanetary scale, etc.), but tells his story in a kind of quasi-epistolary experimental style reminiscent of New Wave John Brunner or Michael Moorcock that I didn't think worked well for his hard-sf plot. The characterization suffered, and I enjoyed the story but ...more

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Mar 21, 2010 Terence rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommended to Terence by: Library Used-Book shelf

Shelves: sf-fantasy

Mindbridge reads much like a retread of Haldeman's seminal The Forever War:

1. The plot revolves around the miscommunication between humans and another intelligent species, the L'vrai (le vrai = "the truth"?), who bear a strong resemblance to the Taurans of TFW.

2. The quasi-military organization, the AED, that coordinates human space exploration protects its people with a remarkable suit that's a cousin to the suits that protected William and Marygay in TFW.

3. The hero's name, Jacque Lafavre, is ...more

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Oct 21, 2021 Oleksandr Zholud rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is a strange SF, part first contact, part exploration of other worlds, part development of post-humanity, part something else. I read it as a part of monthly reading for September 2021 at Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels group, even if I finished it later, because this is one of only a few Award nominees that lack audio-version. The novel was nominated for Hugo (and Locus) in 1977, lost to Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm, which I reviewed earlier.

The structure of the story ...more

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May 15, 2017 Mounir rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 16, 2009 Ron rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction

Good. Maybe a 3.5, but Haldeman doesn't get the beginner's benefit. Probably would have enjoyed it more thirty years ago. Some SF ages better than others.

Inconsequential geographic mistakes about Colorado Springs--where I lived thirteen years--knocked me out of the story several times. No big deal, but Haldeman shouldn't have made them. ...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Grace rated it did not like it

Probably the most sexist science fiction novel I've ever read. I can't believe what's expected from the female space travelers. It's total abuse of the female body. What's expected from the men isn't so good, either, except that the main character doesn't seem to realize it. No civilized society would treat its people like this. ...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Bondama rated it liked it

Excellent, vintage Haldeman - this man is becoming a "go-to" writer -- I read anything he writes, as soon as I find it. I did come late to reading him, for some reason... my sci-fi reading was primarily done at least 20-30 yrs ago - so I'm now going back, trying to catch up on books I've missed! ...more

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Jan 26, 2019 blake rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: avoiding-ulysses-by-joyce, reading-all-my-books-project

Haldeman is always good, and this story is no different, using a few science-fiction devices to create an interesting story of a future where people teleport to remote planets to try to geoform them. It's done in a neo-epistolary fashion, with about 50 chapters over 200 pages, comprised of news items, excerpts from a biography, and mission reports, as well as just traditional narrative. This made it somewhat harder to get swept up in (until the last act, which really amps things up).

I couldn't q ...more

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Feb 21, 2015 Kevin rated it did not like it

(I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I had high hopes for this book when I was getting started, but was ultimately disappointed.

The story starts fairly strong - a method is discovered that can send humans to the far reaches of the galaxy instantly. Colonization ensues, and the job of tamer (first boots on the ground) is coveted.

The story follows the son of a scientist who says such travel is impossible, only for it to actually happen shortly afterwards, (I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I had high hopes for this book when I was getting started, but was ultimately disappointed.

The story starts fairly strong - a method is discovered that can send humans to the far reaches of the galaxy instantly. Colonization ensues, and the job of tamer (first boots on the ground) is coveted.

The story follows the son of a scientist who says such travel is impossible, only for it to actually happen shortly afterwards, ruining a lifetime of work. His son, then joins up to thumb his nose at his father. Sounds like a great plot point, and we certainly waste enough time on it, except, well.. that's it. If you're looking for something further from that, you're out of luck.

My main problem with the book was the constant jumping of narrative style though, we'd be seeing the story through the main characters eyes, then the next page is a transcript of a mission that reads almost like a play, then it changes to be dry 'scientific paper' used to explain why something works (which is an incredibly lazy way of getting something across instead of finding a way to say it in the story), and then jump to an inventory for a mission, and then back again.

But back to the story..

The premise of the story is solid.. at first, and then it seems to drift off into a different story that the author wanted to tell.

(view spoiler)

All in all - I absolutely wouldn't waste my time reading this book again, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it. However, there was a great deal of promise in the writing style when the author was actually on-point with the story and not rambling - so I'd be willing to read something else of his but - I think I'll read some reviews first. ...more

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Jan 24, 2009 Ann rated it liked it

I wish you could do half stars.. I'd give this a 3 1/2.

This book is written in a way I'd never seen a book written before. Some chapters are presented as a play, with just dialogue. There are also complicated charts that have information that pertain to the story (and a lot of info that is extra just for color), tangential stories about side characters such as the man who operates the LMT chamber crystal, several interviews with the characters presented as though it were the actual official doc ...more

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Jan 26, 2016 Timothy Boyd rated it really liked it · review of another edition

One thing I always know when I start a new Joe Haldeman book is that I am in for a great SiFi read. Well written with a good science basis for the SiFi aspect of the world you enter makes Haldeman's books a joy to read. You always get a great SiFi story with that Haldeman plot twist that makes me wish the book were longer or had a sequel. Very recommended ...more

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Nov 25, 2018 Casey Wheeler rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a reissue of a classic science fiction book by the author. While having read a number of the Haldeman's books while I was a teenager I somehow missed this one. The premise of the book is about dealing with an advanced alien race, using another alien lifeform to communicate telepathically and being beamed to far away places to possibly terraform other planets. I found the book very engaging which made it a fast read.

I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of classic science fiction. ...more

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Sep 26, 2021 Art rated it it was ok

Initially the book drew me in. The style, the characters, the vagueness, all worked for me. Up until the part where the scientists started playing "hide the salami" with the help of an alien lifeform.

From there it all went downhill, I stopped reading it altogether for a week or two, remembered about it over the last weekend and barely made it to the end.

The novel reads as unfinished, with poor pacing and a lack of a proper ending.

Writing & Literary devices: - 5
Plot & Pacing: - 2
Theme & Messag ...more

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Aug 10, 2021 StarMan rated it liked it

Shelves: not-enough-science, science-fiction, aliens

Best character: Carol (a very brave gal).
Verdict: 3 stars. Hardly any science, but most readers won't care. ...more

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Aug 18, 2013 Charles Dee Mitchell rated it liked it

Shelves: late-20th-century-sf

Thanks to the wonders of Levant-Meyer Translation technology, one of those science fictional devices for FTL travel best taken on the author's terms rather than questioned for its scientific grounds, humans now send teams of Tamers to distant planets to test them for possible terraforming. This is tricky and dangerous work with results than can be bloody and disastrous. On a planet the second out from Groombridge 1618, Jacque Lafavre and his team bring back what appears to be a sluglike alien li ...more

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May 01, 2012 Casey Wheeler rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: goodreads, net-galley, science-fiction, fantasy

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Aug 06, 2017 Patrick Scheele rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This book has some interesting ideas, like the instantaneous transfer to distant planets with all its limitations and dangers. I wish that idea had been explored more. It had the potential for some creepy horror scenes mixed in with the sf adventure. Sadly it then devolved into science fantasy and became all about the magical telepathy.

For a while it seemed like the newly discovered aliens would make the book interesting again, but they turned out to be level 9001 wizards specializing in telepa ...more

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Oct 02, 2017 Charles Harrison rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I think this is the award winning book I have enjoyed least. I liked the varied writing style (reports, statistics, small plays etc) and there were some solid concepts but the narrative just seemed a little on the weak side. Indeed I feel a really interesting protagonist was rushed through and you are rarely given time to learn anything about him rather you are told.
The explanation for the mind bridges is given to early and is to obscure. The big twist ending is easy to see coming and leaves it ...more

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Jul 14, 2015 Janice rated it liked it

Shelves: scribd, 2015

This was more an "idea" book and less of a "plot" book. Humanity has discovered instantaneous travel to the stars, but with some limitations. What they find will change everything. And the change is largely mediated through one man for a long time.

Kinda interesting aliens here, but we don't really see enough of them to get a good idea of them. They do affect humanity in vast ways over a thousand years though. Much of that is just hinted at.

So, kinda interesting, but kinda incomplete-feeling. I ...more

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Jan 12, 2015 Eldritch Reading Reindeer Welcomes 2022! rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: all-sci-fi-my-challenge, 2015_reads, apocalyptic-dystopian-futuristic, armchair-southwest-u-s, a1-i-own-books, a1-netgalley, february_2015_reads

REVIEW: MINDBRIDGE by Joe Haldeman

Award-winning author Joe Haldeman' s trademark philosophical science fiction is much in evidence in this futuristic tale of universal exploration, made possible by the implications of a new theory of astrophysics.Delineated through the character if "Tamer" Jacques Lefavre (son if the physicist who devoted his lifetime to disproving this theory), MINDBRIDGE explores alien telepathy, and the existence of an ancient species of star explorers. ...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Paige rated it it was ok

Reads a bit disjointed due to a somewhat risky narrative style, some good ideas, but on the whole this one's not quite there. ...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Florin Pitea rated it liked it

I read it back in the Nineties. A gripping tale.

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Dec 16, 2016 Bar Reads rated it it was amazing

Joe haldman is becoming one of my favourite authors!

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Jun 18, 2021 Tom Dixon rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: laser21

Could have been, should have been so much better.

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Sep 17, 2011 Bill Gusky rated it really liked it

imho some of the last great Sci Fi.

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Sep 13, 2021 Mal Warwick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Brace yourself. This one’s tough to get your head around. On the most basic level, Mindbridge is a story of how First Contact goes awry, but summing it up that way does the book a disservice. Students of literature would call it an epistolary novel. It’s a pastiche of news items, journal entries, excerpts from academic papers, and other miscellany as well as narrative passages and dialogue. And what emerges from all this is a love story, a space travel tale, and an exploration of the human psych Brace yourself. This one’s tough to get your head around. On the most basic level, Mindbridge is a story of how First Contact goes awry, but summing it up that way does the book a disservice. Students of literature would call it an epistolary novel. It’s a pastiche of news items, journal entries, excerpts from academic papers, and other miscellany as well as narrative passages and dialogue. And what emerges from all this is a love story, a space travel tale, and an exploration of the human psyche as well as an account of a mind-boggling encounter with extraterrestrial intelligence. It’s tough to do all that in 200 pages, but Joe Haldeman pulls it off.

A fanciful portrayal of the future

Mindbridge was written half a century ago, so its initial setting in the mid-21st century must then have seemed far in the future. Of course, that’s no longer the case. And, like so much science fiction, the developments portrayed in technology and government seem to us today to be as fanciful as they appeared in 1976. The most significant of these is the process that makes instantaneous interstellar travel possible. It’s called the Levant-Meyer Translation. Despite the scientific-sounding name, it is, of course, magic. But it makes the rest of the story work.

The human race is spreading to the stars

Jacque Lafavre—yes, he’s Swiss, but he spells that first name without the S—is a Tamer for the Agency for Extraterrestrial Development, or AED. After months of grueling, fiercely competitive training, Jacque has made the grade as a pioneer in “taming” new worlds. (Today, we call the process terraforming. In the mid-21st century, it’s called geoformy.) Traveling by means of the Levant-Meyer Translation, teams of five Tamers venture to planets orbiting stars within the range of ten to 100 light-years from Earth. As a newly-minted Tamer, Jacque’s first excursion is a practice run of sorts. It’s to a rocky, Earth-like planet circling the nearby star Groombridge 1618. No one expects much of the planet. But a surprise awaits him and his teammates there, and it will prove fateful not just for them but for all the human race.

No, Jacque’s team does not encounter extraterrestrial intelligence on the planet they christen Groombridge. That comes later. What they find is an indigenous animal species that heightens human extrasensory perception—with sometimes fatal consequences. And Jacque’s already elevated ESP ability, together with the freakish Groombridge animal, will play a pivotal role when First Contact later becomes a reality. And goes awry.

About the author

Joe Haldeman was born in Oklahoma City in 1943. He earned a BS in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Maryland in 1967. Immediately after graduation, he was drafted into the US Army. He served as a combat engineer in the Vietnam War. Haldeman was wounded in combat and was awarded a Purple Heart. His experience in Vietnam has inspired much of his fiction. He won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for The Forever War (1974) and did so again for the novella that became his short novel, The Hemingway Hoax (1991). Haldeman has written dozens of other science fiction novels. He won the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2010. ...more

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Feb 12, 2021 Delia Binder rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, sf

This is Joe Haldeman's follow-up to his Hugo and Nebula Award-Winning SF Classic

The Forever War (The Forever War, #1) by Joe Haldeman

The Forever War, set in a different fictional universe. Here people travel across the Universe by means of "Levant-Meyer Translation", a form of Interstellar Portal technology that requires a great deal of power to work and is constrained by both the size of the portal and distance (minimum nine light-years, maximum 100 light-years, give or take — to start).

Our protagonist, Jacque (no "s") Lefavre, is the son of a once-eminent physicist who scientifically disproved the existence of Levant-Mayer Translation — just before Dr. Meyer proved it worked by sending a mouse and a camera to another solar system and back, safely. Having to admit he was wrong crushed Jacque's father, and he spent the rest of his life teaching at a Junior College while trying to prove he'd been right all along, while his son grew up with...let's call them "Anger Management Issues".

That's Not Far Off the Mark, Actually!

Jacque, out of a combination of rebellion and youthful romanticism, signed up to become a "Tamer", part of a First Contact team that "Translated" to strange new worlds to see if they were suitable for human habitation, and to record data for later terraforming teams if they weren't. Having eventually passed his Tamer training (those Anger Management Issues held him back two years), the team Jacque is on for his mission discover a safe for human habitation world with a sponge-like creature...that links people telepathically....

Haldeman's worldbuilding is superb, as you would expect from the author of The Forever War. While the plot keeps piling on elements (i.e., there's a sentient alien race that eventually comes into play), the story hangs together and is never less than enjoyable. If it's not as great a book as its multi-award winning predecessor, that's most likely due to the characters feeling a bit more off-the-rack (while the stakes are higher than Space Vietnam War, all the main characters are trained to "face certain death with a slightly raised eyebrow")

Which, as STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES could tell you, doesn't make for great drama!

and the sense that Haldeman had a bunch of different ideas and...just mashed them together, and when he saw the structure didn't fall over called it a day.

It's a good book that just misses being great. ...more

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Nov 28, 2021 Tristan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This ebook is annoying in that there are many OCR errors and the typesetting changes that were part of the book concept comes across poorly. Published in 1976, the book is very much a high concept experimental sort of thing with intermissions in screenplay format, extracts from reports, etc … a sort of anticipation of multimedia that is now dated and disjointed rather than novel and eye opening.

The story has a few startling, well-developed ideas. I like the transference technology that allows in This ebook is annoying in that there are many OCR errors and the typesetting changes that were part of the book concept comes across poorly. Published in 1976, the book is very much a high concept experimental sort of thing with intermissions in screenplay format, extracts from reports, etc … a sort of anticipation of multimedia that is now dated and disjointed rather than novel and eye opening.

The story has a few startling, well-developed ideas. I like the transference technology that allows instant travel to another planet, but is poorly understood and lethally hazardous to use, as well as the notion that this technology is equally expensive when sending humans in spacesuits or unmanned probes, so might as well send some schmucks. I love the economics and travel scheduling of the thing. The concept has been developed to the point of routine. I also like the concept of the apparently innocuous little creature that has the unexpected property of providing the telepathic mindbridge of the title. The explanation for its existence is a moment of wacky genius.

One aspect of the book is very seventies. That’s the matter-of-fact approach to sex. Although both sexes have agency and freely as well as equally express their needs, this is expressed by all behaving in a rather male way. Forward thinking at the time perhaps, but dated now. The experiment involving the mindbridge during sex is laughable and unnecessary for the story, but is so typical of the time: laboratory investigations into human sexuality was all the rage. On the other hand, the breeding program put in place to colonise other planets is a logical extension of the transport technology’s restrictions - the slingshot effect - but only if one accepts that a child conceived on another planet is somehow exempt from that restriction. A bit cringeworthy, but I could definitely see the world authorities setting this sort of thing up.

One thing that is definitely relevant to today is the description of conspiracy theorists claiming that space flight is a hoax, with language that is just the same as today’s cries of “fake news” from the lunatic fringe that poisons today’s society.

As to the first contact with intelligent extraterrestrials, the methodical way the threat to Earth is assessed is very plausible as are the efforts to a response. The communication with the alien is again plausible as to the otherness of the alien’s mind and expression, but the supervisory nature of the alien’s mission - brutal as it is - doesn’t bring much new to the genre. Overall, this part of the story is the least interesting of the whole.

This is a good read with a lot of intriguing ideas, but also a few dated ones. I’m glad to have read it, but probably will not revisit. Three stars. ...more

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Jan 23, 2020 Joachim Boaz rated it really liked it

4.5/5 (Very Good)

Nominated for the 1977 Hugo Award

Joe Haldeman never struck me as an author who experimented with New Wave methods of telling. Mindbridge (1976) shatters my misconception. Imagine the basic plot of his masterpiece The Forever War (1975) combined with a fascinating experimental structure. The latter intrigued me far more than the former.

The Basic Plot: The Levant-Meyer Translation allows humans to instantaneously travel across the galaxy. The Tamer Agency sends its agents to inves ...more

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Hugo & Nebula Awa...: September 2021 -- Mindbridge (Spoilers Allowed)	11	19	Nov 22, 2021 01:52AM
Hugo & Nebula Awa...: September 2021 -- Mindbridge (No Spoilers)	14	20	Oct 04, 2021 04:23PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Teleportation to Other Planets - Aquatic ESP Creature [s]	15	367	Sep 11, 2014 02:47AM

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About Joe Haldeman

Joe Haldeman

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Brother of Jack C. Haldeman II

Haldeman is the author of 20 novels and five collections. The Forever War won the Nebula, Hugo and Ditmar Awards for best science fiction novel in 1975. Other notable titles include Camouflage, The Accidental Time Machine and Marsbound as well as the short works "Graves," "Tricentennial" and "The Hemingway Hoax." Starbound is scheduled for a January release. SFWA pres ...more