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Classic Australian SF #6
Out of the silence
Book by Cox, Erle
- GenresScience FictionFiction
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1919
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November 18, 2023
“Not one of ‘em has the bowels to do a bunk... with a stale bun."
What?! Ah, the Australians. I simply must visit the Land Down Under one of these days. In the meantime, I must content myself with books like these.
"Out of the Silence" is considered the first proper science fiction novel to come out of the continent country, and for this it has mostly been remembered. Otherwise, it has not made much of an impact in the fantasy community. To me, that's mind-blowing, and I'll explain why.
The story involves our main protagonist living in the outback and digging a trench for a water tank, when he stumbles upon a strange structure buried in the ground. It turns out to be a door to a huge "museum" full of otherworldly technology. And booby traps. Typical of a 20th Century hero, he keeps fiddling about with things he doesn't understand. Once he even inadvertently blows a hole in the wall. He vows to not touch anything else, but within the next sentence he's back to, "By Jove, what's this shiny red button? I think I'll push it."
His constant meddling eventually leads to him penetrating deep into the heart of the museum to find a gorgeous woman named Earani kept in suspended animation, together with instructions on how to revive her. After enlisting the help of a doctor to awaken the sleeping beauty, we learn the amazing and dark purpose of the facility.
I like the feeling of awe this story inspires in the first half, which consists of unveiling the wonderous interior of the vast underground complex and all its mysterious contents. It reminds me a bit of "Rendezvous with Rama" or "House of Leaves" in that respect.
But apart from that, why is this book so memorable? Well, it's hard to say without spoilers. Up to this point, the book provides a mystery that will keep you guessing and turning the pages if you have gone in blind like I did. So if you want to unravel the surprises yourself, stop reading my review, get hold of this book, then come back after you've finished it.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
After Earani is awakened, the book decisively goes off the rails, posing one ethical dilemma after another for the cast as well as the reader. Earani wants to venture out in society and make friends, but finds an unwritten moral code that makes her a fish out of water. The women of town only know two things about her--that she's beautiful and has been living with the main character in secret for six months. She is immediately rejected as a wanton hussy. Of course, her own behavior doesn't endear herself to anyone either, as one of the first things she does when she is introduced to the townsfolk is insult a priest for being fat. But the point is that she discovers that the social ostracism only applies to women. Our main character, as a man, does not suffer the same scrutiny. And the ironic thing is that this social code, which seems weighted unfairly against women, is readily enforced by women more than anyone.
But before you get to feeling too sorry for Earani, the book gets much more complex than that. You see, she is not a helpless damsel in distress. No, she's more like Doctor Who and the Scarlet Witch mixed together. She is a genius and has incredible powers at her fingertips for both good and evil. And we learn just what she plans to do with that knowledge when we're hit with this exchange:
"We had commenced as you did in ignorance, pestilence, and war. We had been split into groups and nations with as many languages. The groups and nations gradually coalesced, and with them grew up a common language. War had practically ceased... The great problem, however, was the problem of the coloured races. Mentally and in everything but physical endurance they were beneath us. They could imitate, but not create. They multiplied far more rapidly than we did, and, led by ambitious men, they threatened to exterminate the white races by sheer force of numbers. In some places, where the two races lived side by side, the position became acute, and everywhere they demanded as a right an equality they were unfitted for. Perhaps you know faintly what I mean."
"We understand, Earani. The problem is not unknown to us,” put in Barry.
At this point, I sat up in bed and made some exclamation that scared the shit out of my wife who was falling asleep next to me.
And from there, it keeps going to excruciating levels. Now, before you start thinking that Erle Cox should be cancelled, I truly do not think the author himself was communicating his own racist thoughts through the mouths of his characters. He was acutely aware of what many of his readers in Australia actually thought about the local aboriginal population, or what Americans thought of the native nations, etc. What he is doing is shoving their faces into the excrement of their own thinking, laying bare the ignorant and elitist words of colonialist empire so that, even in the 1920s, the ugliness of these thoughts would be undeniable.
Earani had been chosen to rebuild a great ancient civilization which had been lost due to a global disaster, a civilization that claims to achieved the marvels of science through eugenics. But the presence of Earani poses an existential threat to the 20th Century. Earani says she can tell instantly and infallibly from facial characteristics who has superior intellect and leadership qualities, and she finds most of the current human population to be deficient. Uh oh. So the average Australian citizen, who themselves did not actively take part in colonization or extermination of indigenous people, but who casually believe their land is their birthright, bestowed upon them due to survival of the fittest, may soon learn firsthand the consequences of that thinking. And where will it end? Who gets to determine who is fit and who isn't? And through what criteria? Facial features? Skin color? IQ? Medical disability?
Though this book is very progressive for the time it was written, it can also be seen as a fairly conservative reaction to more liberal ideas of Cox's generation, like the New World Order. In such a utopia, global harmony is not really achieved. It is enforced by abolishment of populism and national sovereignty, and suppression of dissent, to create a very uniform rule by enlightened masters. This elitist thinking still has the same basis of thought as racist ideas or religious extremism--there is only one right way of thinking, only one culture of superior technology and wisdom that needs to rule over those who are incapable of knowing better.
But then how do you stop such thinking? If there was a large group of people, or a whole nation, bent on destroying the world to uphold their way of life that they consider superior, shouldn't it be imperative to wipe them off the face of the map? Earani is the face of this dilemma, with all her attractive and tragic charms. She is not an evil master villain. But she has been indoctrinated to believe that her way is the moral high ground, and there is no convincing her otherwise. The characters must consider the possibly of having to destroy her and all the potential life-enhancing technologies she brings. The narrative keeps you wondering just how all this will end until we reach the thunderous and satisfying conclusion.
I love cosmic mysteries and psychological deconstruction in science fiction, perhaps more than complex alien civilizations and space opera battles. If that describes you, then this novel will be your thing. It hooks the unsuspecting reader with a mystery, setting up the potential for some great threat or monster from another world, but with the turn of a page, the reader is confronted with a mirror reflecting back who the monster of this story really is.
No wonder this book has largely been forgotten. It was too divisive, too on-the-nose, too difficult for the audience of the time to digest, and so it was quietly laid aside, the dirty laundry no one cared to talk about, and thus faded from collective memory.
I think this book is a powerful tool to critically examine this phenomenon of human perception of "the Other," which leads to intolerance of diversity, whether it be in appearance or belief. The author seems at first to have a pessimistic view with his depiction of a member of an advanced race whose self-styled enlightenment is as chilling as the Nazi final solution, which this book precedes by several years. But in another way, this book is an allegory for how to properly deal with intolerance. You dig it up. Expose it to the light and air. You can't weaponize it. That just leads people to call someone a racist who they don't like, which doesn't heal or even accurately address the problem. It must be faced in each individual and deconstructed by the individual. Though this book is a reaction to British colonialism and the existence of the Australian state, Cox's brush has a broad sweep. You don't get a pass no matter what your ethnicity or background. You are guilty by means of being human with the same neurological wiring. It is only through examination of your own reflection and playing forward the consequences of your own bias that it hits home. Only then can you truly celebrate the Other rather than fear it.
And this is a good psychological lesson for us all to practice whenever we run into conflict that has us behave in ways that are hurtful and which only makes us ashamed.
At least, that was my take on it.
SCORE: 4 death rays out of 5. For as good as it is, it still lags a bit at times, gets a little heavy on exposition and preachiness, and has some banter that gets on my nerves, so I can't quite give the full 5. But do dig this book out from the dustbin of memory and see what you think!
What?! Ah, the Australians. I simply must visit the Land Down Under one of these days. In the meantime, I must content myself with books like these.
"Out of the Silence" is considered the first proper science fiction novel to come out of the continent country, and for this it has mostly been remembered. Otherwise, it has not made much of an impact in the fantasy community. To me, that's mind-blowing, and I'll explain why.
The story involves our main protagonist living in the outback and digging a trench for a water tank, when he stumbles upon a strange structure buried in the ground. It turns out to be a door to a huge "museum" full of otherworldly technology. And booby traps. Typical of a 20th Century hero, he keeps fiddling about with things he doesn't understand. Once he even inadvertently blows a hole in the wall. He vows to not touch anything else, but within the next sentence he's back to, "By Jove, what's this shiny red button? I think I'll push it."
His constant meddling eventually leads to him penetrating deep into the heart of the museum to find a gorgeous woman named Earani kept in suspended animation, together with instructions on how to revive her. After enlisting the help of a doctor to awaken the sleeping beauty, we learn the amazing and dark purpose of the facility.
I like the feeling of awe this story inspires in the first half, which consists of unveiling the wonderous interior of the vast underground complex and all its mysterious contents. It reminds me a bit of "Rendezvous with Rama" or "House of Leaves" in that respect.
But apart from that, why is this book so memorable? Well, it's hard to say without spoilers. Up to this point, the book provides a mystery that will keep you guessing and turning the pages if you have gone in blind like I did. So if you want to unravel the surprises yourself, stop reading my review, get hold of this book, then come back after you've finished it.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
After Earani is awakened, the book decisively goes off the rails, posing one ethical dilemma after another for the cast as well as the reader. Earani wants to venture out in society and make friends, but finds an unwritten moral code that makes her a fish out of water. The women of town only know two things about her--that she's beautiful and has been living with the main character in secret for six months. She is immediately rejected as a wanton hussy. Of course, her own behavior doesn't endear herself to anyone either, as one of the first things she does when she is introduced to the townsfolk is insult a priest for being fat. But the point is that she discovers that the social ostracism only applies to women. Our main character, as a man, does not suffer the same scrutiny. And the ironic thing is that this social code, which seems weighted unfairly against women, is readily enforced by women more than anyone.
But before you get to feeling too sorry for Earani, the book gets much more complex than that. You see, she is not a helpless damsel in distress. No, she's more like Doctor Who and the Scarlet Witch mixed together. She is a genius and has incredible powers at her fingertips for both good and evil. And we learn just what she plans to do with that knowledge when we're hit with this exchange:
"We had commenced as you did in ignorance, pestilence, and war. We had been split into groups and nations with as many languages. The groups and nations gradually coalesced, and with them grew up a common language. War had practically ceased... The great problem, however, was the problem of the coloured races. Mentally and in everything but physical endurance they were beneath us. They could imitate, but not create. They multiplied far more rapidly than we did, and, led by ambitious men, they threatened to exterminate the white races by sheer force of numbers. In some places, where the two races lived side by side, the position became acute, and everywhere they demanded as a right an equality they were unfitted for. Perhaps you know faintly what I mean."
"We understand, Earani. The problem is not unknown to us,” put in Barry.
At this point, I sat up in bed and made some exclamation that scared the shit out of my wife who was falling asleep next to me.
And from there, it keeps going to excruciating levels. Now, before you start thinking that Erle Cox should be cancelled, I truly do not think the author himself was communicating his own racist thoughts through the mouths of his characters. He was acutely aware of what many of his readers in Australia actually thought about the local aboriginal population, or what Americans thought of the native nations, etc. What he is doing is shoving their faces into the excrement of their own thinking, laying bare the ignorant and elitist words of colonialist empire so that, even in the 1920s, the ugliness of these thoughts would be undeniable.
Earani had been chosen to rebuild a great ancient civilization which had been lost due to a global disaster, a civilization that claims to achieved the marvels of science through eugenics. But the presence of Earani poses an existential threat to the 20th Century. Earani says she can tell instantly and infallibly from facial characteristics who has superior intellect and leadership qualities, and she finds most of the current human population to be deficient. Uh oh. So the average Australian citizen, who themselves did not actively take part in colonization or extermination of indigenous people, but who casually believe their land is their birthright, bestowed upon them due to survival of the fittest, may soon learn firsthand the consequences of that thinking. And where will it end? Who gets to determine who is fit and who isn't? And through what criteria? Facial features? Skin color? IQ? Medical disability?
Though this book is very progressive for the time it was written, it can also be seen as a fairly conservative reaction to more liberal ideas of Cox's generation, like the New World Order. In such a utopia, global harmony is not really achieved. It is enforced by abolishment of populism and national sovereignty, and suppression of dissent, to create a very uniform rule by enlightened masters. This elitist thinking still has the same basis of thought as racist ideas or religious extremism--there is only one right way of thinking, only one culture of superior technology and wisdom that needs to rule over those who are incapable of knowing better.
But then how do you stop such thinking? If there was a large group of people, or a whole nation, bent on destroying the world to uphold their way of life that they consider superior, shouldn't it be imperative to wipe them off the face of the map? Earani is the face of this dilemma, with all her attractive and tragic charms. She is not an evil master villain. But she has been indoctrinated to believe that her way is the moral high ground, and there is no convincing her otherwise. The characters must consider the possibly of having to destroy her and all the potential life-enhancing technologies she brings. The narrative keeps you wondering just how all this will end until we reach the thunderous and satisfying conclusion.
I love cosmic mysteries and psychological deconstruction in science fiction, perhaps more than complex alien civilizations and space opera battles. If that describes you, then this novel will be your thing. It hooks the unsuspecting reader with a mystery, setting up the potential for some great threat or monster from another world, but with the turn of a page, the reader is confronted with a mirror reflecting back who the monster of this story really is.
No wonder this book has largely been forgotten. It was too divisive, too on-the-nose, too difficult for the audience of the time to digest, and so it was quietly laid aside, the dirty laundry no one cared to talk about, and thus faded from collective memory.
I think this book is a powerful tool to critically examine this phenomenon of human perception of "the Other," which leads to intolerance of diversity, whether it be in appearance or belief. The author seems at first to have a pessimistic view with his depiction of a member of an advanced race whose self-styled enlightenment is as chilling as the Nazi final solution, which this book precedes by several years. But in another way, this book is an allegory for how to properly deal with intolerance. You dig it up. Expose it to the light and air. You can't weaponize it. That just leads people to call someone a racist who they don't like, which doesn't heal or even accurately address the problem. It must be faced in each individual and deconstructed by the individual. Though this book is a reaction to British colonialism and the existence of the Australian state, Cox's brush has a broad sweep. You don't get a pass no matter what your ethnicity or background. You are guilty by means of being human with the same neurological wiring. It is only through examination of your own reflection and playing forward the consequences of your own bias that it hits home. Only then can you truly celebrate the Other rather than fear it.
And this is a good psychological lesson for us all to practice whenever we run into conflict that has us behave in ways that are hurtful and which only makes us ashamed.
At least, that was my take on it.
SCORE: 4 death rays out of 5. For as good as it is, it still lags a bit at times, gets a little heavy on exposition and preachiness, and has some banter that gets on my nerves, so I can't quite give the full 5. But do dig this book out from the dustbin of memory and see what you think!
January 5, 2009
Out of the Silence by Erle Cox was published in Novel form in 1925. Before that, it appeared as a serial in the Argus, which was a daily newspaper in Melbourne. In 1949, it tied for 13th on the Arkham Survey of `Basic SF Titles', but unlike many of the other books on that list, it has disappeared from notice. Only occasionally does it seem to get mentioned, and then it is referred to as the first major Australian SF novel and not as an all-time classic.
The copy that I managed to find was published by Sirius Quality Paperbacks in 1981, and is 416 pages in length. The story is kind of a combination of the Atlantis myth with the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. I think one of the reasons it has not lasted as well as some other classic SF titles, is that it is fairly predictable. I knew from reading the prologue where the book was going for the most part, and it takes its time getting there. On the plus side, it is enjoyable reading, even if you know where it is going.
At the risk of being a small spoiler, there is one part of the plot that is important, and was not predictable from the prologue alone. The racial issue given the context of this book being written between the two world wars is interesting, and somewhat foretelling. I suspect that it is for this reason that the book was highly rated in 1949 when August Derleth conducted the Arkham Survey. However, even that issue, once it is introduced it plays out as one would expect.
If the above review sounds negative, then I should clearly state that I think this is an enjoyable book to read. Some may find it a bit slow paced, but I would say it is above average, but not enough above to give it four stars.
The copy that I managed to find was published by Sirius Quality Paperbacks in 1981, and is 416 pages in length. The story is kind of a combination of the Atlantis myth with the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. I think one of the reasons it has not lasted as well as some other classic SF titles, is that it is fairly predictable. I knew from reading the prologue where the book was going for the most part, and it takes its time getting there. On the plus side, it is enjoyable reading, even if you know where it is going.
At the risk of being a small spoiler, there is one part of the plot that is important, and was not predictable from the prologue alone. The racial issue given the context of this book being written between the two world wars is interesting, and somewhat foretelling. I suspect that it is for this reason that the book was highly rated in 1949 when August Derleth conducted the Arkham Survey. However, even that issue, once it is introduced it plays out as one would expect.
If the above review sounds negative, then I should clearly state that I think this is an enjoyable book to read. Some may find it a bit slow paced, but I would say it is above average, but not enough above to give it four stars.
February 23, 2008
For anyone who wants to read an early sci-fi classic that isn't bent on killing you with detail, this is an excellent novel. An Australian is digging in his property and unearths an ancient underground science fair exhibit complete with a beautiful woman who he brings back to life. This woman from an ancient advanced civilization brings both good and evil with her. While it seems she can do no wrong, (lie, cheat, or steal), it seems her idea of doing things for the good of the world and mankind are a little extreme, and include genocide among other atrocities. This book is quite a find if you can locate it. Definitely a nice addition to any sci-fi collection.
October 9, 2019
I happened upon a 1947 edition in an antique bookshop some months ago and it has sat in my shelf until very recently.
I enjoyed this novel. It's very much a product of its time (having been written in 1919) with both the prose and the dialogue reflecting an almost Edwardian style to popular storytelling. I found the story compelling and was eager to discover the mystery of the sphere along with the protagonist Alan Dundas.
The cast were appealing, with the small town characters reflecting the romanticism of 1920's small town Australia. These, juxtaposed with the subtle menace of the mysterious Earani and her compatriots from the prologue, made for an engaging study.
At the same time, I felt the character of Marian Seymour was underused and this made the conflict between her, Earani and Alan a little clunky later in the story. If her early romantic overtures with Alan had been developed more, I would have found the later conflict more satisfying.
Andax too, was cast as this malevolent threat but we had little context as to why he was such a threat from the prologue and I felt he needed to be fleshed out more.
Still, Out Of The Silence is a fine example of compelling sci-fi storytelling from an uniquely Australian voice. That this kind of fiction was being written in the post WW1 period in Australia boggles my mind and I am surprised this book doesn't have greater notoriety.
I'm pleased I read this novel.
I enjoyed this novel. It's very much a product of its time (having been written in 1919) with both the prose and the dialogue reflecting an almost Edwardian style to popular storytelling. I found the story compelling and was eager to discover the mystery of the sphere along with the protagonist Alan Dundas.
The cast were appealing, with the small town characters reflecting the romanticism of 1920's small town Australia. These, juxtaposed with the subtle menace of the mysterious Earani and her compatriots from the prologue, made for an engaging study.
At the same time, I felt the character of Marian Seymour was underused and this made the conflict between her, Earani and Alan a little clunky later in the story. If her early romantic overtures with Alan had been developed more, I would have found the later conflict more satisfying.
Andax too, was cast as this malevolent threat but we had little context as to why he was such a threat from the prologue and I felt he needed to be fleshed out more.
Still, Out Of The Silence is a fine example of compelling sci-fi storytelling from an uniquely Australian voice. That this kind of fiction was being written in the post WW1 period in Australia boggles my mind and I am surprised this book doesn't have greater notoriety.
I'm pleased I read this novel.
October 21, 2018
I was bored by most of the novel, although there are some quite gripping moments. Also, some of the characters are not very well developed and the ending is quite rushed and a bit improbable.
June 15, 2020
On ne peut pas vraiment reprocher à l’ouvrage son sexisme considérant l’époque à laquelle il a été écrit: tant dans la société australienne du début du vingtième siècle que dans le monde de Hiéranie la femme est très peu considérée. Pourtant, la relation de pouvoir entre Alan et Hiéranie est inversée puisque c’est cette dernière qui domine la relation. De plus, la bonne société de la petite ville de Glen Cairn semble contrôlée en arrière-plan par les femmes… Cox était peut-être en avance sur son temps…
Par contre, le racisme exprimé par le récit est quant à lui tout à fait impardonnable (quoi que, encore une fois, compréhensible pour l’époque). Dans le monde de Hiéranie, les races de couleurs ont été éliminé dans un grand génocide et avec une politique eugéniste stricte car elles étaient inférieures en tout points. “Elles pouvaient imiter et non créer. Elles se multipliaient beaucoup plus rapidement (…) et partout elles exigeaient comme un droit l’égalité pour laquelle elles n’étaient pas faites.” [p. 203] Barry semble s’objecter mais Alan acquiesce: “je pense que le monde serait meilleur et plus propre si quelques-unes de ses [sic] races en venaient à s’éteindre” [p. 210] et il cite les Turcs en particulier — ce qui est compréhensible car la défaite de Gallipoli a laissée aux Australiens des séquelles importantes qui ont perdurées.
Je note que l’oeuvre de Cox a presque une qualité prophétique lorsqu’il décrit la technologie de Hiéranie (télévision, CT-scan) ou l’avenir de la planète (qui évoque vaguement le nazisme et la Seconde Guerre Mondiale pourtant presque deux décennies d’avance!). On note également que l’ouvrage offre un prologue qui figurait dans l’édition originale et qui avait été supprimé dans les éditions postérieures mais qui n’apporte absolument rien au récit. Je me dois aussi de remarquer que la traduction comporte plusieurs erreurs grammaticales et typographiques. J’ai par contre bien aimé le style vieillot de l’ouvrage (normal considérant son âge) et surtout l’utilisation d’une langue qui évoque les vieux films français (je n’ai pas pu lire la version anglaise mais j’imagine que la traduction reflète le style original). Toutefois les épithètes sucrée qu’utilisent les protagonistes amoureux pour s’interpeler me semblent bien exagérés..
Évidemment, la lecture de cet ouvrage me confirme que La nuit des temps de Barjavel (commenté précédemment) offre de grandes similitudes avec La sphère d’Or. Celui-ci l’a définitivement “inspiré” ou “influencé” et les similitudes sont si grandes que certains l’ont même accusé de plagiat. Je me souviens d’avoir lu que Barjavel avait commencé à écrire La nuit des temps comme un scénario de film et, le projet étant tombé, il en a ensuite fait un roman. Peut-être que son scénario était une adaptation de La sphère d’Or et que, par la suite (l’éditeur jugeant peut-être qu’il y avait assez de différences entre les récits), le crédit pour Cox a été “oublié”? Quoi qu’il en soit les deux romans sont bons et chacun est assez original à sa façon pour que l’on prenne du plaisir à lire les deux indépendamment.
Par son récit crédible, qui nous offre une histoire à la fois fascinante et captivante, remplie d’éléments intéressants, La sphère d’Or constitue une bonne lecture. À lire.
Lire mon commentaire complet sur http://clodjee-blog.com/2020/06/14/la...
Par contre, le racisme exprimé par le récit est quant à lui tout à fait impardonnable (quoi que, encore une fois, compréhensible pour l’époque). Dans le monde de Hiéranie, les races de couleurs ont été éliminé dans un grand génocide et avec une politique eugéniste stricte car elles étaient inférieures en tout points. “Elles pouvaient imiter et non créer. Elles se multipliaient beaucoup plus rapidement (…) et partout elles exigeaient comme un droit l’égalité pour laquelle elles n’étaient pas faites.” [p. 203] Barry semble s’objecter mais Alan acquiesce: “je pense que le monde serait meilleur et plus propre si quelques-unes de ses [sic] races en venaient à s’éteindre” [p. 210] et il cite les Turcs en particulier — ce qui est compréhensible car la défaite de Gallipoli a laissée aux Australiens des séquelles importantes qui ont perdurées.
Je note que l’oeuvre de Cox a presque une qualité prophétique lorsqu’il décrit la technologie de Hiéranie (télévision, CT-scan) ou l’avenir de la planète (qui évoque vaguement le nazisme et la Seconde Guerre Mondiale pourtant presque deux décennies d’avance!). On note également que l’ouvrage offre un prologue qui figurait dans l’édition originale et qui avait été supprimé dans les éditions postérieures mais qui n’apporte absolument rien au récit. Je me dois aussi de remarquer que la traduction comporte plusieurs erreurs grammaticales et typographiques. J’ai par contre bien aimé le style vieillot de l’ouvrage (normal considérant son âge) et surtout l’utilisation d’une langue qui évoque les vieux films français (je n’ai pas pu lire la version anglaise mais j’imagine que la traduction reflète le style original). Toutefois les épithètes sucrée qu’utilisent les protagonistes amoureux pour s’interpeler me semblent bien exagérés..
Évidemment, la lecture de cet ouvrage me confirme que La nuit des temps de Barjavel (commenté précédemment) offre de grandes similitudes avec La sphère d’Or. Celui-ci l’a définitivement “inspiré” ou “influencé” et les similitudes sont si grandes que certains l’ont même accusé de plagiat. Je me souviens d’avoir lu que Barjavel avait commencé à écrire La nuit des temps comme un scénario de film et, le projet étant tombé, il en a ensuite fait un roman. Peut-être que son scénario était une adaptation de La sphère d’Or et que, par la suite (l’éditeur jugeant peut-être qu’il y avait assez de différences entre les récits), le crédit pour Cox a été “oublié”? Quoi qu’il en soit les deux romans sont bons et chacun est assez original à sa façon pour que l’on prenne du plaisir à lire les deux indépendamment.
Par son récit crédible, qui nous offre une histoire à la fois fascinante et captivante, remplie d’éléments intéressants, La sphère d’Or constitue une bonne lecture. À lire.
Lire mon commentaire complet sur http://clodjee-blog.com/2020/06/14/la...
September 18, 2021
3 1/2 stars - a kind of sc-fi version of She (Rider Haggard) set in the Australian outback (an artifact from a super advanced civilisation from the past is unearthed in a small rural town). Written in 1940's the story contains a novel plot, although the early dialogues are rather unpalatable. The utilitarian and outwardly racisct arguments propounded by the antagonist give it a very dated feel and the denouement quite unsatisfying.
October 19, 2014
цілком читабельна фантастика, особливо перша темна, чи навіть половина. фінал трохи «віддає нафталіном», але загалом ок, на полицю до класики жанру має стати.
July 23, 2016
Great Mystery - spoilt by adding prologue for later release.Vic
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