Syzygy

Amorphs Universe #2

by Michael G. Coney

Once every fifty-two years Arcadia's six erratic moons come together in a constellation that plays havoc with the ecological balance of the planet.
As a marine biologist at Riverside Research Centre, Mark Swindon is chiefly concerned about the effect of catastrophic tides on his precious fish pens.

Then, without warning, a wave of motiveless violence sweeps through the normally sleepy colony—and Mark too feels himself drawn against his will into a mysterious cycle of death and rebirth.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction

167 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Michael Greatrex Coney was born in Birmingham, England and educated at King Edward's School.

He started a career as a chartered accountant and went on to become a management Consultant. Then he went into the catering business, managing an inn in south Devon with his wife, Daphne for three years and a hotel in the West Indies for another three. He worked for Financial Services in the B.C. Forest Service for seventeen years before retiring .

He Passed away 4 November 2005. peacefully of Cancer (Mesothelioma). He was married with three children and lived on Vancouver Island.

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite Sci-Fi reads. Set on another planet it deals with man's attempt to accommodate itself into a new eco-system. Part life or death struggle and part investigation it has well thought out characters, creatures and environment.

[Ed Erwin]

Read this loooooooong ago. I'll guess 1981. The only thing I remember about it is that I learned the meaning of the word "syzygy". I still haven't found any need to use that word, not even in Scrabble®.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Syzygy is not only a cool word, but also a fine novel by Michael G. Coney. It's set on a newly colonized planet, Arcadia, which has half-a-dozen moons in erratic orbits that line up once every fifty-two years. It causes things to go wonky; think Asimov's Nightfall, but with underpinnings of ecology and religion and politics, with a strong undercurrent of adventure and romance. Published in 1973 by Ballantine with a striking Gene Szafran cover, it was one of the better books of the time that added New Wave trappings to traditional sf situations. It's fast-paced but thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that I have been looking for a copy of this book for a few years now. I first read it when it was a brand new shiny edition in 1975, I loved it. I leant my copy to a friend, never got it back, bought another copy and when I had to downsize it went. I never forgot this book though and have sought it out again. I still love it. It will not be to everyone's tastes, it is dated, we are on a colony where everyone drinks and smokes, eats meat and they go to church and have very old fashioned ideas about women, in fact it could have been written in the 50's and I do sometimes get the feeling that it is an homage to the 50's style. The book is an easy read but also an intelligent one, the ideas about colonising what appears to be a benign planet, plus the kind of characters that might be there are great. The wild west in outer space. It will not be to everyones taste but if you like SF from the Golden Age, I think you will enjoy it.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Post-hippie speculative fiction that takes on religious brainwashing, government ineptitude, the legalization of pot, and man’s arrogance of superiority over nature and the environment. Characters are on the thin side and the ending is purposefully vague, which was all the authorship-rage at the time.

[Mark White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Syzygy is a short novel - you could probably finish it at a sitting - but packs everything in. Set on a deceptively earth like planet, the colonists face an unknown danger that is logically and inherently connected to the ecology they inhabit. The characters are intelligent and believable and quickly work out the cause but then battle human nature and insidious mind control to save the people of their town. The sub-plot of a mysterious death (and is there a murderer in their small community?) is also completely believable and beautifully woven into the main story line. Well written, well paced, exciting and razor edge concise, Syzygy is a great read.

[Ričardas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Painfully underrated.

[Lars · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being a huge fan of Coney’s ‘Hello Summer, Goodbye’, ‘Syzygy’ was the second book of the author I read. But while the former is an ageless classic and a great blend of Science Fiction and Coming-of-age, the latter is a rather dusty, artificial novel I couldn’t connect to. Where ‘Hello Summer, Goodbye’ catched my emotional interest very fast, ‘Syzygy’ tried a rather scientifical, even bureaucratic approach. It seems that the author also noticed that and therefore integrated a love story, which at least in my eyes was quite bloodless.

In general, the author tried to work in too much: Besides the love story there also is a crime case and naturally there’s classical Science Fiction stuff, which is mainly all Soft Science Fiction, discussing the character of emotionality, its controllability and the possible consequences for society. Obviously Coney had to cover the role of religion and drugs too, thus making the novel an unround mix of “Best-of-Seventies-Science-Fiction-Ideas”. On religion, the opinion of the author seems to be clear: In the end, the priest gets munched by fish of prey. Not a masterpiece – but if you are interested in the history of Science Fiction, the book is no waste of time either.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

"I purchase Michael G. Coney’s SF, often highly unusual (see the fantastic short stories in the 1973 collection Friends Come in Boxes) and deeply affective (the 1975 novel Hello Summer, Goodbye), on sight. Unfortunately this was a miss…. It reminded me of the sinking feeling I felt reading John Brunner’s miserable Double, Double (1969) after reminiscing fondly on Stand on Zanzibar (1968).

At first glance, Syzygy‘s premise [...]"

[Raresaturn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small undiscovered gem. Not flawless, but a gem all the same

[Ian Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Syzygy is part of the contact-with-alien sub-genre of science fiction stories. It is set in an unimportant village in a relatively recently colonised but not particularly important planet, with a small cast of ordinary people and focuses on one problem. It feels like a small story and, like a lot of good science fiction, only requires one major leap of faith. It is constructed like a mystery story, which like good detective stories allows the reader to try and anticipate the next step in the cat-and-mouse game between the humans and what is around them. While the underlying premise is one that I normally think is totally ridiculous Michael G. Coney handles it in a way that kept me reading.

There are a couple of sub-texts to the novel that are as relevant today as they were 40 odd years ago, including the obvious one about not upsetting the ecology of the planet that you live on.

[Thee_Dragonfly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically a New England fishing village tale with sci-fi embellishments. Semi-sentient creatures in the ocean can manipulate human thought and emotion. Mob mentality violence erupts when things get out of hand as the creatures peg humans as enemies during a rare confluence of the planet's moons. Fast paced, easy to read, entertaining.

[SciFiOne · Rating 5 out of 5]

1986 grade A