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This Fortress World
William Dane is a man with a nasty but valuable secret, one that all the cutthroats in the galaxy are itching to get their hands on. Dane must perfect the art of concealing himself from the crazed factions yearning for the power that this secret can give them; otherwise he will die an unspeakable death at their hands. He is a man on the run from the entire galaxy, and he must be constantly vigilant to ensure that the key to ruling the universe does not fall into the wrong hands. This classic science fiction masterpiece satisfies readers’ every desire for adventure and intrigue.
- GenresScience Fiction
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1955
6 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
James E. Gunn
268 books118 followersAmerican science fiction author, editor, scholar, and anthologist. His work from the 1960s and 70s is considered his most significant fiction, and his Road to Science Fiction collections are considered his most important scholarly books. He won a Hugo Award for a non-fiction book in 1983 for Isaac Asimov: The Foundations of Science Fiction. He was named the 2007 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Gunn served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, after which he attended the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 1947 and a Masters of Arts in English in 1951. Gunn went on to become a faculty member of the University of Kansas, where he served as the university's director of public relations and as a professor of English, specializing in science fiction and fiction writing. He is now a professor emeritus and director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, which awards the annual John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award at the Campbell Conference in Lawrence, Kansas, every July.
He served as President of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1971–72, was President of the Science Fiction Research Association from 1980-82, and currently is Director of The Center for the Study of
Science Fiction. SFWA honored him as a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 2007.
Gunn began his career as a science fiction author in 1948. He has had almost 100 stories published in magazines and anthologies and has authored 26 books and edited 10. Many of his stories and books have been reprinted around the world.
In 1996, Gunn wrote a novelization of the unproduced Star Trek episode "The Joy Machine" by Theodore Sturgeon.
His stories also have been adapted into radioplays and teleplays:
* NBC radio's X Minus One
* Desilu Playhouse's 1959 "Man in Orbit", based on Gunn's "The Cave of Night"
* ABC-TV's Movie of the Week "The Immortal" (1969) and an hour-long television series in 1970, based on Gunn's The Immortals
* An episode of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World, filmed in 1989 and entitled "Psychodynamics of the Witchcraft" was based on James Gunn's 1953 story "Wherever You May Be".
Gunn served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, after which he attended the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Science in Journalism in 1947 and a Masters of Arts in English in 1951. Gunn went on to become a faculty member of the University of Kansas, where he served as the university's director of public relations and as a professor of English, specializing in science fiction and fiction writing. He is now a professor emeritus and director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, which awards the annual John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award at the Campbell Conference in Lawrence, Kansas, every July.
He served as President of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1971–72, was President of the Science Fiction Research Association from 1980-82, and currently is Director of The Center for the Study of
Science Fiction. SFWA honored him as a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 2007.
Gunn began his career as a science fiction author in 1948. He has had almost 100 stories published in magazines and anthologies and has authored 26 books and edited 10. Many of his stories and books have been reprinted around the world.
In 1996, Gunn wrote a novelization of the unproduced Star Trek episode "The Joy Machine" by Theodore Sturgeon.
His stories also have been adapted into radioplays and teleplays:
* NBC radio's X Minus One
* Desilu Playhouse's 1959 "Man in Orbit", based on Gunn's "The Cave of Night"
* ABC-TV's Movie of the Week "The Immortal" (1969) and an hour-long television series in 1970, based on Gunn's The Immortals
* An episode of the USSR science fiction TV series This Fantastic World, filmed in 1989 and entitled "Psychodynamics of the Witchcraft" was based on James Gunn's 1953 story "Wherever You May Be".
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 30, 2024
Kupując książkę z antykwariatu za 6 zł nie miałem wysokich oczekiwań. Spodziewałem się raczej książki sci-fi, która się "słabo zestarzała". Dostałem jednak całkiem niezłą powieść, którą mi się dobrze czytało.
Zanim opowiem więcej o książce chciałbym napisać coś o autorze. Kupując "Zamknięty świat" nie miałem absolutnie żadnego pojęcia kim jest James Gunn [i nie chodzi o reżysera] i w trakcie lektury zacząłem trochę o nim czytać. Okazało się, że przyczynił się znacząco do promowania gatunku science-fiction w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Pełnił on funkcję przewodniczącego Stowarzyszenia Amerykańskich Pisarzy Science Fiction oraz stał na czele Science Fiction Research Association. Był także założycielem i dyrektorem Centrum Badań Fantastyki Naukowej działającego w Kansas. I jego pierwszą wydaną powieścią jest "Zamknięty świat" napisana w 1955 roku :O Więc nie tylko poznałem ciekawego autora, ale również przeczytałem jego debiutancką książkę :zbirb_cojapacze:
Teraz o samej powieści - na planecie Brancusi mnich William Dane odkrywa tajemniczy artefakt pochodzący jeszcze za czasów Drugiego Imperium. Nie wie do czego jest zdolny ten artefakt, jednak wie, że nie może trafić on w niepowołane ręce. Musi być czujny, bo relikt wzbudza zainteresowanie samego Imperatora i nie powstrzyma się przed niczym, by go zdobyć.
Pomysł na fabułę początkowo nie wyróżnia się - ot, kolejny WAŻNY artefakt, który ma zmienić losy wszechświata. Jednak w trakcie lektury dowiadujemy się czegoś więcej. Tutaj jest sporo elementów filolopunku - głównie o społeczeństwie i jak ludzie mogą przyczynić się do zmian. Te elementy bardzo przypominały mi książkę "Dzieci umysłu" Orsona Carda. Jednak nie tylko filozofią książka żyje - mamy tutaj też sporo dynamicznej akcji, ucieczek itp. Autor nieźle wplata te fragmenty w narrację książki.
Na plus też chcę dać setting - jak na 1955 rok, książka dobrze się broni. Autor unikał szczegółowych opisów technologii, dzięki czemu nie mamy wrażenia, że dostajemy kolejny "retro futuryzm".
Jeżeli chodzi o minusy, to mam tak naprawdę dwa - zbyt dużo fragmentów książki jest skupionych na kościele i jaką rolę odgrywa on w społeczeństwie. Trochę mi to zalatuje propagandą i pokazaniem jak to istotny i fundamentalny jest to aspekt. Drugi punkt to sam bohater. Z bogobojnego mnicha William staje się zawodowym najemnikiem i cichym zabójcą - i to w przeciągu może miesiąca xD Niby mała rzecz, ale jakoś mi przeszkadzała
Kończąc moją recenzję - jestem zadowolony, że trafiłem na tę książkę. Fajnie się czytało i mogę polecić. Dobrze wydane 6 zł xD
Moja ocena to 3.5/5
Zanim opowiem więcej o książce chciałbym napisać coś o autorze. Kupując "Zamknięty świat" nie miałem absolutnie żadnego pojęcia kim jest James Gunn [i nie chodzi o reżysera] i w trakcie lektury zacząłem trochę o nim czytać. Okazało się, że przyczynił się znacząco do promowania gatunku science-fiction w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Pełnił on funkcję przewodniczącego Stowarzyszenia Amerykańskich Pisarzy Science Fiction oraz stał na czele Science Fiction Research Association. Był także założycielem i dyrektorem Centrum Badań Fantastyki Naukowej działającego w Kansas. I jego pierwszą wydaną powieścią jest "Zamknięty świat" napisana w 1955 roku :O Więc nie tylko poznałem ciekawego autora, ale również przeczytałem jego debiutancką książkę :zbirb_cojapacze:
Teraz o samej powieści - na planecie Brancusi mnich William Dane odkrywa tajemniczy artefakt pochodzący jeszcze za czasów Drugiego Imperium. Nie wie do czego jest zdolny ten artefakt, jednak wie, że nie może trafić on w niepowołane ręce. Musi być czujny, bo relikt wzbudza zainteresowanie samego Imperatora i nie powstrzyma się przed niczym, by go zdobyć.
Pomysł na fabułę początkowo nie wyróżnia się - ot, kolejny WAŻNY artefakt, który ma zmienić losy wszechświata. Jednak w trakcie lektury dowiadujemy się czegoś więcej. Tutaj jest sporo elementów filolopunku - głównie o społeczeństwie i jak ludzie mogą przyczynić się do zmian. Te elementy bardzo przypominały mi książkę "Dzieci umysłu" Orsona Carda. Jednak nie tylko filozofią książka żyje - mamy tutaj też sporo dynamicznej akcji, ucieczek itp. Autor nieźle wplata te fragmenty w narrację książki.
Na plus też chcę dać setting - jak na 1955 rok, książka dobrze się broni. Autor unikał szczegółowych opisów technologii, dzięki czemu nie mamy wrażenia, że dostajemy kolejny "retro futuryzm".
Jeżeli chodzi o minusy, to mam tak naprawdę dwa - zbyt dużo fragmentów książki jest skupionych na kościele i jaką rolę odgrywa on w społeczeństwie. Trochę mi to zalatuje propagandą i pokazaniem jak to istotny i fundamentalny jest to aspekt. Drugi punkt to sam bohater. Z bogobojnego mnicha William staje się zawodowym najemnikiem i cichym zabójcą - i to w przeciągu może miesiąca xD Niby mała rzecz, ale jakoś mi przeszkadzała
Kończąc moją recenzję - jestem zadowolony, że trafiłem na tę książkę. Fajnie się czytało i mogę polecić. Dobrze wydane 6 zł xD
Moja ocena to 3.5/5
January 21, 2017
Future dark ages
The rating is more like 3.5 stars rounded up. There is a kind of freshness to the writing that I liked, but it can also read as a bit naive and even pretentious. Every character the protagonist comes in contact with seems initially to serve as a means of exposition on different views on politics; and thus they are left somewhat thin and their motivation subject to the needs of the author. Yet this kind of simple storytelling has its charms. In the preface the author says that his view of a galactic empire is based on the Middle Ages; knowledge has stagnated and the bulk of planetary populations live in dire conditions,held in check by the rulers, and the church, which also serves to preserve past knowledge.
The story follows the familiar pattern where an innocent is accidentally given an object of mystery and great significance, which makes him suddenly a target for various factions. This forces him to grow into a hero and an instrument of social change. I could and should take exception to the convenient way he always happens to run into the people who are important to the story and call it lazy plotting, but in a short book like this shortcuts happen.
The rating is more like 3.5 stars rounded up. There is a kind of freshness to the writing that I liked, but it can also read as a bit naive and even pretentious. Every character the protagonist comes in contact with seems initially to serve as a means of exposition on different views on politics; and thus they are left somewhat thin and their motivation subject to the needs of the author. Yet this kind of simple storytelling has its charms. In the preface the author says that his view of a galactic empire is based on the Middle Ages; knowledge has stagnated and the bulk of planetary populations live in dire conditions,held in check by the rulers, and the church, which also serves to preserve past knowledge.
The story follows the familiar pattern where an innocent is accidentally given an object of mystery and great significance, which makes him suddenly a target for various factions. This forces him to grow into a hero and an instrument of social change. I could and should take exception to the convenient way he always happens to run into the people who are important to the story and call it lazy plotting, but in a short book like this shortcuts happen.
June 14, 2017
Well, this was a nice book, not too dense, not too smart, not too boring. It was just good.
In some parts it made me say "wait, how does that even work", like in the beginning of the book, the main character has lived in a monastery for all of his life, and then in the next chapter he learns to fight like a pro in two days of training... like... ok? I guess, if it had been more days, weeks, even months, it would have been believable, but just two sessions and he is a perfect shooter? ok
Of course later in the book we learn some things about the character that put him a little away from what we would call a "standard human", but even he himself points out "he isn't one of the people", I mean, he almost is, but not yet, maybe a few generations down the road. Still the book doesn't go out of its way to explain the achievements he reached during the story.
But I think that's just me being a complainer, the story is acceptable and all in all makes sense, the mysteries are mysterious and what's revealed is revelatory.
good book
In some parts it made me say "wait, how does that even work", like in the beginning of the book, the main character has lived in a monastery for all of his life, and then in the next chapter he learns to fight like a pro in two days of training... like... ok? I guess, if it had been more days, weeks, even months, it would have been believable, but just two sessions and he is a perfect shooter? ok
Of course later in the book we learn some things about the character that put him a little away from what we would call a "standard human", but even he himself points out "he isn't one of the people", I mean, he almost is, but not yet, maybe a few generations down the road. Still the book doesn't go out of its way to explain the achievements he reached during the story.
But I think that's just me being a complainer, the story is acceptable and all in all makes sense, the mysteries are mysterious and what's revealed is revelatory.
good book
December 26, 2014
review of
James E. Gunn's This Fortress World
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - December 25, 2014
Somewhat to my surprise, this is the SEVENTH bk I've read by Gunn, the earliest, & my least favorite so far. Of these 7, I've reviewed 4: Future Imperfect ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62... ), The Listeners ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10... ), The Magicians ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30... ), & Kampus ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21... ).
The "PROLOGUE" sets the tone:
"The Second Empire. Say it aloud. Let it inflame the imagination. Let its meaning sink into the soul.
"An empire. Within it the numberless worlds of the inhabited galaxy united, working together, living together, trading together. The name alone tells us that much. But how did it work? How was it held together? How were disputes decided, wars avoided? We don't know. We will never know. Only the name comes down to us. We remember it, and we remember, dimly, a golden time, a time of freedom and peace and plenty, and we weep sometimes for what is gone and will not come again." - p 1
Empire.. a double-edged sword. Don't all empires have centers from wch war is constantly waged to feed these centers? Empires are like robber barons, they have visions, they steal so that they can give back on their own terms. The Roman Empire enforced an international language, Latin. The Roman Empire spread advanced knowledge of sanitation, mining, building.
Robber Barons, like Frick & Carnegie, monopolize industry, depress wages, create museums & libraries & parks. Would the workers have created such a huge steel industry w/o these greedy visionaries? Maybe not. Would the workers have set up museums & libraries & parks? Maybe, maybe not. There are impressive union halls, impressive whole bldgs for unions.
The British Empire renounced slavery long before the USA did & set up anti-slaving blockades off the coast of Africa to try to stop it. But, of course, they built their empire using slaves & conquering - they imposed opium on China. Nonetheless, I'm grateful that English is an international language to the extent that it is - but one shdn't forget that it, & its predecessor Latin, were imposed.
I have little faith in 'human nature' - w/ or w/o empire humans will be cruel & brutal. I don't think that the Taliban left to their own devices are going to create a better society for those around them than the USA World Cop - far from it. Let's hope these aren't the only 2 choices. I'll choose Fair Trade over 'Free' Trade anyday - every little bit helps - but I'm not optimistic or naive enuf to believe in a unified humanity working peacefully together for mutual benefit or in a visionary dictator imposing some facsimile thereof that keeps the more monstrous in check.
The story takes place on an Earth-like planet w/ slight differences: "six hours of study, research, and exercise; evening prayers beside the bed at twenty-five; sleep." (p 13): there are at least 25 hrs in the day.
There's a somewhat amateurish youthfulness to the writing:
""The solution?" I said.
""A simultaneous revolution all over the galaxy," Siller said quietly. "No power will be able to take advantage of the confusion. Afterwards, a confederation of worlds which will gradually develop into full union."" - p 53
This Fortress World was published in 1955. I didn't remember when Gunn was born. It occurred to me that this might've been his 1st novel, maybe even written by a precocious teenager, a young fantasist. Then I researched his birthdate & found it to be July 12, 1923. I was a bit surprised to realize that he wd've been 31 or 32 when this came out, maybe it was written much earlier. Don't get me wrong, I admire most things I cdn't've done myself - I cdn't've written such a novel when I was 31, I cdn't write it now - but that doesn't mean I wasn't doing things much more sophisticated at that age - so the admiration doesn't run that deep. The writing still seems pretty consistently corny & amateur:
""Wait for me," Laurie had said. Wait? Wait here to bring death to you? Wait here like death to draw you close with bony arms and press your face with fleshless lips? Wait? No. Laurie. There may be peace and quiet here, but you are better off back there. Death is peace, too; death is quietness." - p 78
"Riches and poverty, I thought, here they meet in the court of justice where all are equal. And why, I asked myself, are there no nobles here or Peddlers? I remember an old saying, "The law is for the poor; it is the only thing they can afford."" - p 174
OR, as I like to say:
When Money's God
Poor People
are the Human Sacrifices
&
We are all UNEQUAL
under the LAW
& THAT is its PURPOSE
In other words, juvenile or not, I tend to agree w/ some of the sentiments of the bk:
""The basic necessity of the fortress is the ignorance of the people. An intelligent, educated people can't be kept inside a fortress. Knowledge is a physical force which would burst the walls from within. The rulers know that. the first principle of their political philosophy is to keep their subjects weak; the second is to keep them ignorant. One is physical, the other is mental;" - p 193
"["]They never quite starve. They have their free teevee theaters. And we can't reach them. The rulers control every method of communication except one. And they've blocked that very effectively."
""Books?" I asked.
"He nodded gloomily. "there's only one way to stop the people from reading, and they've done it. They've kept them ignorant and illiterate. If the people could read, they would have words and ideas to think with. We could educate them, organize them.["]" - p 53
& I reckon many of us here at GoodReads agree w/ that, eh?!
James E. Gunn's This Fortress World
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - December 25, 2014
Somewhat to my surprise, this is the SEVENTH bk I've read by Gunn, the earliest, & my least favorite so far. Of these 7, I've reviewed 4: Future Imperfect ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62... ), The Listeners ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10... ), The Magicians ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30... ), & Kampus ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21... ).
The "PROLOGUE" sets the tone:
"The Second Empire. Say it aloud. Let it inflame the imagination. Let its meaning sink into the soul.
"An empire. Within it the numberless worlds of the inhabited galaxy united, working together, living together, trading together. The name alone tells us that much. But how did it work? How was it held together? How were disputes decided, wars avoided? We don't know. We will never know. Only the name comes down to us. We remember it, and we remember, dimly, a golden time, a time of freedom and peace and plenty, and we weep sometimes for what is gone and will not come again." - p 1
Empire.. a double-edged sword. Don't all empires have centers from wch war is constantly waged to feed these centers? Empires are like robber barons, they have visions, they steal so that they can give back on their own terms. The Roman Empire enforced an international language, Latin. The Roman Empire spread advanced knowledge of sanitation, mining, building.
Robber Barons, like Frick & Carnegie, monopolize industry, depress wages, create museums & libraries & parks. Would the workers have created such a huge steel industry w/o these greedy visionaries? Maybe not. Would the workers have set up museums & libraries & parks? Maybe, maybe not. There are impressive union halls, impressive whole bldgs for unions.
The British Empire renounced slavery long before the USA did & set up anti-slaving blockades off the coast of Africa to try to stop it. But, of course, they built their empire using slaves & conquering - they imposed opium on China. Nonetheless, I'm grateful that English is an international language to the extent that it is - but one shdn't forget that it, & its predecessor Latin, were imposed.
I have little faith in 'human nature' - w/ or w/o empire humans will be cruel & brutal. I don't think that the Taliban left to their own devices are going to create a better society for those around them than the USA World Cop - far from it. Let's hope these aren't the only 2 choices. I'll choose Fair Trade over 'Free' Trade anyday - every little bit helps - but I'm not optimistic or naive enuf to believe in a unified humanity working peacefully together for mutual benefit or in a visionary dictator imposing some facsimile thereof that keeps the more monstrous in check.
The story takes place on an Earth-like planet w/ slight differences: "six hours of study, research, and exercise; evening prayers beside the bed at twenty-five; sleep." (p 13): there are at least 25 hrs in the day.
There's a somewhat amateurish youthfulness to the writing:
""The solution?" I said.
""A simultaneous revolution all over the galaxy," Siller said quietly. "No power will be able to take advantage of the confusion. Afterwards, a confederation of worlds which will gradually develop into full union."" - p 53
This Fortress World was published in 1955. I didn't remember when Gunn was born. It occurred to me that this might've been his 1st novel, maybe even written by a precocious teenager, a young fantasist. Then I researched his birthdate & found it to be July 12, 1923. I was a bit surprised to realize that he wd've been 31 or 32 when this came out, maybe it was written much earlier. Don't get me wrong, I admire most things I cdn't've done myself - I cdn't've written such a novel when I was 31, I cdn't write it now - but that doesn't mean I wasn't doing things much more sophisticated at that age - so the admiration doesn't run that deep. The writing still seems pretty consistently corny & amateur:
""Wait for me," Laurie had said. Wait? Wait here to bring death to you? Wait here like death to draw you close with bony arms and press your face with fleshless lips? Wait? No. Laurie. There may be peace and quiet here, but you are better off back there. Death is peace, too; death is quietness." - p 78
"Riches and poverty, I thought, here they meet in the court of justice where all are equal. And why, I asked myself, are there no nobles here or Peddlers? I remember an old saying, "The law is for the poor; it is the only thing they can afford."" - p 174
OR, as I like to say:
When Money's God
Poor People
are the Human Sacrifices
&
We are all UNEQUAL
under the LAW
& THAT is its PURPOSE
In other words, juvenile or not, I tend to agree w/ some of the sentiments of the bk:
""The basic necessity of the fortress is the ignorance of the people. An intelligent, educated people can't be kept inside a fortress. Knowledge is a physical force which would burst the walls from within. The rulers know that. the first principle of their political philosophy is to keep their subjects weak; the second is to keep them ignorant. One is physical, the other is mental;" - p 193
"["]They never quite starve. They have their free teevee theaters. And we can't reach them. The rulers control every method of communication except one. And they've blocked that very effectively."
""Books?" I asked.
"He nodded gloomily. "there's only one way to stop the people from reading, and they've done it. They've kept them ignorant and illiterate. If the people could read, they would have words and ideas to think with. We could educate them, organize them.["]" - p 53
& I reckon many of us here at GoodReads agree w/ that, eh?!
February 21, 2022
This Fortress World, neboli Zamkniety Swiat byl jedním z prvních románů, které jsem zvládl přečíst v polštině. Čímž samozřejmě získal nostalgické místo v mé knihovně. Ale teď jsem se k němu dostal znova… a fakt už to hodně zastaralo. James Gunn (ne TEN James Gunn - autor knihy je o dost starší, nerežíruje a navíc je už mrtvý… ale docela nedávno, dožil se 97 let) tuhle knížku napsal už někdy v padesátých letech a je to klasický příběh s obyčejným chlápkem (žijící v klášteře), kterému se dostane náhodou do ruky mocný artefakt… a tím se stane cílem tajným téměř všech, kteří na té planetě žijí. Takže musí utíkat a prodírat se světem, který vůbec nezná. Ovšem stačí krátký výcvik a poradí si s tajnými službami, získá lásku a rozpoutá převrat… tak trochu.
I když to byl první autorův samostatný román, je tu pár pěkný momentů. Třeba pokus o únik z planety, kdy se hroutí jeden plán za druhým. Ale i přes nostalgii musím uznat, že je to román, který už dost zestárl, ale ještě se nedoškrábal k romantické pulpovosti. A neoplývá ani výraznými nápady. Zase je aspoň krátký. Taky dobrý.
I když to byl první autorův samostatný román, je tu pár pěkný momentů. Třeba pokus o únik z planety, kdy se hroutí jeden plán za druhým. Ale i přes nostalgii musím uznat, že je to román, který už dost zestárl, ale ještě se nedoškrábal k romantické pulpovosti. A neoplývá ani výraznými nápady. Zase je aspoň krátký. Taky dobrý.
August 9, 2013
This is James Gunn's first published novel, although that same year, 1955, he co-wrote a novel with Jack Williamson. To say, at this almost sixty year remove, that Fortress World is of mostly historical interest may sound like damning with faint praise, but the story and style are very much of their time. I read it with curiosity and interest rather than enthusiasm and never got involved with the story or characters. It is almost as much a noirish exercise as it is SF, and I imagined its scenes played out in the grainy black and white of early TV dramas.
Several novels I have read from this period have to do with whether or not the humannity is ready to join the league of advanced alien races that populate the universe, Gunn takes the opposite approach. Humankind has filled the universe but established fortress worlds with little connection to one another. Their shared humanity has been forgotten, but an alien artifact that sets the plot in motion may offer a way home.
It is a good chase novel, that owes as much to works like The Thirty Nine Steps and Rogue Males as it does to science fiction. Our unlikely hero is a young religious acolyte who proves he has the chops to do what needs to get done to save the artifact and himself in a world of intrigue and criminal violence. Towards the end, the story resolves into some long-winded discussions about humanity and the future that have the earnestness of midnight dorm room discussions; but, given the plethora of dystopian novels currently making the rounds, there's nothing wrong with the occasional ray of hope getting beamed our way from the distant past of the mid-twentieth century.
Several novels I have read from this period have to do with whether or not the humannity is ready to join the league of advanced alien races that populate the universe, Gunn takes the opposite approach. Humankind has filled the universe but established fortress worlds with little connection to one another. Their shared humanity has been forgotten, but an alien artifact that sets the plot in motion may offer a way home.
It is a good chase novel, that owes as much to works like The Thirty Nine Steps and Rogue Males as it does to science fiction. Our unlikely hero is a young religious acolyte who proves he has the chops to do what needs to get done to save the artifact and himself in a world of intrigue and criminal violence. Towards the end, the story resolves into some long-winded discussions about humanity and the future that have the earnestness of midnight dorm room discussions; but, given the plethora of dystopian novels currently making the rounds, there's nothing wrong with the occasional ray of hope getting beamed our way from the distant past of the mid-twentieth century.
April 12, 2014
The first chapters are engaging and interesting. Then the middle of the book gets, by degrees, more bizarre and weird. Every once in awhile, a line is dropped - and though it has a good sense to it, it doesn't mesh with the plot. Finally, the last three chapters are engaging and curious and the resolution is "something to think about."
Also, I was grumpy with the author for what I thought he was doing with a particular group on the book - then the ending was a complete 180°. Not sure if that is good, but it's better than what I assumed he was gonna do.
Also, I was grumpy with the author for what I thought he was doing with a particular group on the book - then the ending was a complete 180°. Not sure if that is good, but it's better than what I assumed he was gonna do.
June 12, 2010
Excellent, engaging story. Written cleanly, clearly, and concisely. Provides food for thought.
October 21, 2012
Grade F. 1984
Ace Double Novel D223
Ace Double Novel D223
December 3, 2015
Pretty good. Depressing, though.
May 28, 2016
one word on this story: whimsical
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