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Grand Central Arena

(Grand Central Arena #1)

Ryk E. Spoor (Goodreads Author)

4.05 · Rating details · 635 ratings · 62 reviews

It was supposed to be a simple test flight, one that pilot Ariane Austin was on only as a last-ditch backup; intelligent, superhumanly fast automation would handle the test activation and flight of humanity's first faster-than-light vessel. But when the Sandrisson Drive activated, every automated system crashed, the nuclear reactor itself shut down, and only the reflexes a ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 671 pages

Published April 27th 2010 by Baen (first published 2010)

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Jun 03, 2010 Alan rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Sky jockeys and sensawunda junkies

Recommended to Alan by: rec.arts.sf.written

With Grand Central Arena, Ryk E. Spoor hits precisely the target he was aiming at. This paperback's lurid cover promises, and its sprawling 671 pages deliver, pulp science fiction: larger-than-life characters, jaw-dropping settings and super-science spectacle, both evocative of and explicitly dedicated to E.E. "Doc" Smith, the early sf giant and creator of the Skylark of Space.

And it's a page-turner. Spoor knows how to start a story— With Grand Central Arena, Ryk E. Spoor hits precisely the target he was aiming at. This paperback's lurid cover promises, and its sprawling 671 pages deliver, pulp science fiction: larger-than-life characters, jaw-dropping settings and super-science spectacle, both evocative of and explicitly dedicated to E.E. "Doc" Smith, the early sf giant and creator of the Skylark of Space.

And it's a page-turner. Spoor knows how to start a story— in medias res , that is—and keep it moving. From the single-seater rocket race that begins the book, to the launching of the first faster-than-light starship, to the discovery of the Arena itself and what the intrepid crew find there, Spoor gives us excitement first and drops in the exposition later. It wouldn't be pulp sf without some technobabble, of course, but the expository lumps are small and dissolve easily in all the headlong action.

The Holy Grail is the Earth's first starship, built and crewed by rugged individuals (no corporate drones or government flunkies need apply, thank you). Ariane Austin, the rocket racer we meet first, is Captain of this crew as they launch blindly into interstellar space on the Grail's first run... which takes them to the Arena of the title, a vast alien construct. The thing is, that's where every other starfaring species ends up too—neatly solving the Fermi Paradox, while simultaneously raising some pretty big questions of its own.

Grand Central Arena is a throwback, an unrepentant reconstruction of a bygone style—deftly updated for modern eyes (e.g., there's not a cigarette to be seen aboard the starship, and the women on its crew are by no means just there to cook). There's evidence of complex underpinnings to the superficial simplicity; the alien species have common traits but their individual members are not all alike, and the Holy Grail's crew shows a mature and open-handed acceptance of difference that suits them well. I also thought the treatment of AIs (artificial intelligences) deserved some consideration. Spoor shows AIs as powerful personal assistants, integrated with almost every human activity... but then treats them like the parents in a Disney movie: conveniently taken offstage when their continued presence would interfere with the action.

There's awkward, purple prose, to be sure, and the characters can seem awfully wooden even (or especially) while they're wooing each other... but that comes with the territory. If you've been looking for a pulp masterpiece whose plucky human heroes kick ass and take names against overwhelming odds, that's exactly what you'll find here. ...more

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Feb 12, 2010 Liviu rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-sf, 2010_release_read, top_25_2010_novels, read_2010

reread August 2013 as the earc of 2nd book Spheres of Influence was released; original thoughts below in the full FBC rv

update 2013 - on this reread I enjoyed the book even more than on the original read and now i am definitely classifying as a top 25 as it wore the 3 years and hundreds of read books much better than many other books that i may have rated better on first read; excellent stuff, old/new space opera and great characters

hope this series will go on for a while ...more

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Mar 27, 2014 Coyora Dokusho rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: short-list-2014-best-first-reads

I just finished reading... THE BRILLIANCE

stayed up till four

clapped my hands in glee after the end

fist pumped in victory whenever I took a break

it was that good

I want the next one... but if I start reading I won't sleep at all... but I wants it... but I have stuff to do!!! ARGH Why are you so good book?!? Whyyyyyyyyyyyy? ;_;

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Feb 01, 2014 Kelly rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, space-opera

This is so close to a five. Great book.

‘Grand Central Arena‘ by Ryk E. Spoor is exactly the sort of book I expect from Baen. Substantial, sweeping, sprawling, however you want to describe it. BIG! Big ideas, bold characters, mind-bending science and really cool aliens all packed inside a bright and colourful cover. Set in a future on the cusp of FTL travel, this novel takes an intrepid band of adventurers and thrusts them into the unknown. I love these sorts of books and this is exactly the rea This is so close to a five. Great book.

‘Grand Central Arena‘ by Ryk E. Spoor is exactly the sort of book I expect from Baen. Substantial, sweeping, sprawling, however you want to describe it. BIG! Big ideas, bold characters, mind-bending science and really cool aliens all packed inside a bright and colourful cover. Set in a future on the cusp of FTL travel, this novel takes an intrepid band of adventurers and thrusts them into the unknown. I love these sorts of books and this is exactly the reason I picked this one to read.

Dr. Simon Sandrisson has developed a drive that enables FTL travel. For his first manned test flight, he recruits his partner Dr. Mark DuQuesne, ace pilot Ariane Austin, and five other scientists and engineers. There is speculation that the human element (times eight) is unnecessary, but when the Holy Grail emerges from FTL with all automated systems off-line and the nuclear reactor not reacting, the human element saves the day. Ariane manages to steer the ship away from a mysterious wall in space and into the interior of the sphere surrounding them. Integrated AIs are offline, leaving the crew to think for themselves and at first the puzzle seems beyond them. They’re trapped in a bubble approximately twenty thousand kilometres across. The appearance of docking rings perfectly matched to their ship invites them to land and clearly sends the message that where ever they are, they are not alone.

After some exploration, the crew discovers they have arrived at the Grand Central Station of space, a set of interconnecting spheres that represent the home systems of every species. The scale of all of this is difficult to grasp even in the book, so I’m not going to try and convey it here. Suffice to say, it’s BIG and Spoor’s descriptions and the reaction of his characters do it justice. Within the sphere, the different species interact according to a set of rules set by the arena, itself. Yep, the arena has a voice, one of the creepy omnipresent sort and part of the fun of this book is speculation as to who or what the arena is, who built it and why.

In order to get home, the crew needs enough power to activate the Sandrisson Drive. In order to barter for that power, they need to increase the standing of their faction, Humanity. Challenges are issued and accepted, each win and defeat folding into a delicate pleat. Politics and motivation constantly shift as the crew strives to learn the rules and avoid making too many mistakes and enemies. This is a first contact situation, after all. Only instead of meeting just one species, they’ve met what seems like the entire universe, all at once.

‘Grand Central Arena‘ is a long book, but the 688 pages are jam packed with science, interesting dialogue, character development, exciting combat, world-building of the most extreme kind, politicking and adventure. It reads very quickly, even if you don’t skim the science, which I did, just a bit. Seeing as my version of science is baking in a domestic kitchen, I took it for granted the author knew his stuff or was sufficiently thrilled by it to make it sound good and moved forward to the action. The first challenge against the Molothos is really exciting. I loved DuQuesne’s role in it and how he developed as a character. His continued thoughts and obvious attraction to Ariane are a source of delight to me as a reader. The second challenge, the sky race, is equally thrilling. Ariane’s date with Simon Sandrisson made me giggle. They talked about science and both obviously enjoyed the discussion.

The difference between the factions is fascinating. Ariane’s conversations with Nyanthus, leader of the Faith, were packed full of philosophical religious comparison. The newly ascended Mandallon provides a lot of humour here as well. The extreme risk-averse nature of the aliens, in general, is equally interesting. As an underlying theme, it really ties together so many elements of the plot. The danger posed by many of the factions and their politicking is very real, however.

I didn’t expect such depth from these characters. I looked for fun, and found that and so much more. The characters tugged at my emotions, particularly Mark DuQuesne. His internal conflict is such a perfect echo of the situation they all find themselves in. I also didn’t expect the book to be so philosophical. I kept nodding and muttering as I read through certain conversations. I agreed with the author on so many points, yet I never felt as if I read an essay. ‘Grand Central Arena’ is always a novel, one that absorbs and entertains.

I really love Baen. They’re the sort of publisher where you really know what you’re getting when you pick up one of their books. They’re bloody consistent. I really liked this book, too. My only complaint would be the internal monologues each character indulged in. A couple of paragraphs of italics in the middle of a conversation often distracted and detracted. Trim those a bit and I’d be pinning five gold stars to the cover. Nevertheless, I’ve already got the sequel, ‘Spheres of Influence’, loaded up on my Kindle and I can’t wait to read it.

Written for SFCrowsnest. ...more

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Nov 12, 2010 J. rated it really liked it

Big silly fun space opera. Yes, this was reading for when I had absolutely no processing power to spare for something else, but it gave me exactly what I was looking for - did what it says on the tin. Lots of action, lots of aliens, "science" mysteries, new-world rules to learn, arena challenges, problems-solved-by-clever-application-of-speculative-technologies, characters in over their heads and emerging victorious anyway, and so on. Basically, a modern take on throwback pulp, but why would you ...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Andrew rated it liked it

This is not Doc Smith fanfic. No, it's fanfic of every SF work published in the 70s and 80s. (The author happens to be a Doc Smith fan, but that's irrelevant, except for the character named Marc DuQuesne. There's an explanation. The explanation is that the author is a Doc Smith fan.)

So humanity invents FTL, and the first starship lands smack in the middle of _Eon_ crossed with the Well World crossed with any given RPG milieu handbook. Then follows 600 pages of discovering the environ ...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Jeffrey Grant rated it really liked it

I didn’t review this back during my first read-through, but it had been a while since I read this so I forgot a lot of the details. After this second read-through I find myself agreeing with my initial four-star impression.

The book takes place in a far future human civilization where the solar system is largely colonized, semi-sentient AIs are ubiquitous, and some humans are pushing the envelope and starting to play around with consciousness transfers. Enter the first experiment into I didn’t review this back during my first read-through, but it had been a while since I read this so I forgot a lot of the details. After this second read-through I find myself agreeing with my initial four-star impression.

The book takes place in a far future human civilization where the solar system is largely colonized, semi-sentient AIs are ubiquitous, and some humans are pushing the envelope and starting to play around with consciousness transfers. Enter the first experiment into FTL travel along with an associated crew. However, upon attempting the transition, they arrive at a universally gargantuan artificial construct that is apparently housing every other species in the universe and regulating their interaction through assigned living habitats and rules-governed challenges.

Mr. Spoor gets full compliments for a well thought-out and crafted universe. The Arena is all powerful but never really acts as a MacGuffin or a deux-ex interference point. The humans go in totally blind and dumb, so the readers are learning about things at the same time as the characters are. There are lots of infodumps, but most of them make sense in context and are not prohibitively dense in content. The various different challenges are interesting as well. There is a point early in the book where it looks like this is going to be a “speculative fiction bait-and-switch” where the story starts out with futuristic technology and then artificial restrictions mean that the medieval history enthusiasts take over and suddenly we’re in fantasy land, but that doesn’t happen, despite there being a few gladiatorial moments. There are wizards and gladiators and priests around, but the book never gives up it’s sci-fi integrity completely, preferring to cite Clarke’s third law when something shows up that the (pseudo)science can’t explain.

The loss of a star is because this book seemed to be missing something. Despite being well written and a good page-turner, in a lot of cases it seemed like there were ideas floating around that the author never quite pulled the trigger on, as if he had authorial ADD. For instance, there is much time and energy spent on describing humanity’s AI systems, the various laws and regulations, and the interactions between them only to have the AIs completely excised from the story less than a quarter of the way in. Similarly, many of the scientific infodumps seemed unnecessarily detailed. This is mostly just my opinion, but it felt like much of the scientific information was in there solely to prove that the author had actually researched the scientific concepts he was citing as the basis for his technologies. I imagine it was done to appeal to the “hard sci-fi” fans who want the “sci” in “sci-fi” to mean something, but it seemed like it would be too little for them and too much for the people who are fine reading about FTL drives and don’t necessarily care how they work.

That said, it’s possible some of the larger infodumps that didn’t seem to go anywhere might have been setups for later books, since this volume now has a sequel. The universe created here certainly has a lot of potential, and I hope he continues to explore it at least as well as he did this time around.
...more

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Jun 27, 2017 Charles van Buren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Exciting action after a slow start, June 30, 2017

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This review is from: Grand Central Arena (Kindle Edition)

Grand Central Arena is a fast paced, action novel which begins slowly as Mr. Spoor goes into some detail as to how the FTL drive works, the backgrounds of the characters and the building of the world into which the characters are inserted. That world is much like a fantasy game in which various species compete for advancement ...more

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Jun 24, 2014 Don Priest rated it liked it

A decent first-contact story, though not a patch on titles like "Footfall" or "The Mote in God's Eye". The characters are interesting, and the setting is fun (not least because it justified the suspension of normal physics, allowing all sorts of tricks to play out). My only real complaint would be the inclusion of a bio-engineered superhuman. It can hardly feel fully like a story about how great and surprising humans are when one of the primary representatives for mankind is, by his own admissio ...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Ruby Hollyberry rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, not-owned, started-while-at-bookstore, borders-clearance, won-t-be-reading

Not sure I'm going to bother finishing this. Not very far in but it doesn't seem like the kind of science fiction I like. I like the sort where the author has deep thoughts and insights about humanity and society and chooses science fiction as a template to showcase how they work. This seems to be the kind where the characters and plot exist mostly to showcase the wow-holycrap-cool technology the author thought up. Which has little pizzazz for me as I do not understand or care about any non-biol ...more

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Apr 23, 2014 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

An interesting concept with very vivid and imaginative world building. While the arena was fascinating, I had a hard time getting through the book in parts due to the limited amount of action. I found it a little slow going in parts and had to struggle to keep going. The characters were interesting but I had a hard time imagining them as real people. The two main male protagonists seemed older than their ages and their wooing of the main character seemed awkward. I did like the main character an ...more

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Feb 27, 2014 John rated it really liked it

Shelves: sf-fantasy

Experimental starship takes human crew to a sort of pocket universe that has been set up for inscrutable reasons to trap thousands of would-be starfaring races and have them socialize and, sometimes, fight duels. Part RINGWORLD, part STAR WARS, and the prose reminded me of early Frank Herbert---books like WHIPPING STAR and UNDER PRESSURE. Cast is stocked with characters who have alien forms but understandable motives and psychologies. Very good fight scenes, but a little too much interior mullin ...more

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Aug 05, 2016 Andreas rated it it was ok

Pilot Ariane Austin joins the crew of the first manned ship to attempt to break the lightspeed barrier. The first "jump" takes them to a large enclosed space containing a model of the solar system.

The characters are bland and too quickly introduced. They are all great at their jobs except for the one who is blatantly foreshadowed to have a hidden agenda. The technobabble is grating.

I really tried but I couldn't finish this one.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1985 ...more

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Apr 15, 2012 John rated it really liked it

Surprisingly good, begs for a sequel. A bit too melodramatic in my mind, and the first part is a bit intimidatingly 'trans human gadgetry' focused. But that rapidly clears up and the adventure, fighting, and mystery works well.

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May 26, 2012 Ken Rhines rated it really liked it

Good ol' space opera, competent good guys overcoming overwhelming odds to emerge victorious. I'm usually ambivalent on the fight and battle scenes, but Spoor had my heart racing. Just what the doctor ordered!

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Aug 08, 2010 Christopher rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, sf-2010

This alien megastructure / alien diplomacy space adventure feels like a minor classic of 60s SF (comparing favorably with Laumer, White, Schmitz, etc.), though it includes more current AI/nanotech motifs as well. It's short on depth and long on exposition, but that aside, it's a blast.

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Jul 13, 2014 Tom rated it it was amazing

I had my doubts going in, but this turned out to be a fun read. It hearkens back to an older style of SF...pulpy, fast-moving, and fun. Plus, I have to admit a certain bias...any book that includes even a version of Marc C. DuQuesne has already gone a ways toward winning me over.

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Apr 09, 2012 Dave rated it really liked it

I've been reading Ryk Spoor since Digital Knight, and I thought GCA was his best book yet. As a big fan of the late "Doc" Smith, I loved the shout-out in DuQuesne, who was the character that really stole the show for me.

If you like old-school space opera give this one a shot. It's fun.

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Apr 18, 2010 Fiona rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

A grand sci-fi adventure in the spirit of the 'golden age' of sci fi to which it pays homage. I especially encourage any fans of E.E. 'Doc' Smith to give it a try. A very fun read with plenty of thrills and spills. I'm a big fan of Ryk Spoor's novels, and this latest was no exception.

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Dec 03, 2010 Alpha rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2010

A pulpy, fun read. Really wish more of the bigger questions were answered, though. Was also hoping that humanity had evolved to be 'lucky', like Teela Brown in the Ringworld series.

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Jun 21, 2014 Felicia rated it it was amazing

A great read. Classic space opera style.

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Sep 30, 2011 N. rated it it was amazing

boring beginning, AWSOME follow up

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Dec 25, 2011 Tom rated it it was amazing

Shelves: space-adventure

I haven't enjoyed a space adventure like this in a while.

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Jul 01, 2010 Geoff Schaeffer rated it really liked it

Good old-school sci-fi. I'd read another set in this universe.

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Jul 21, 2017 Dan'l Danehy-oakes rated it really liked it

This was read under less than ideal conditions: most of it on airplanes travelling from Amsterdam to Minneapolis, and from there to San Francisco; the rest was read at home, while slightly less exhausted.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the heck out of it. It's a hoot and a half.

Spoor wears his influences on his sleeve, naming a character Marc C. DuQuesne (and giving him an even stronger link than the name to the source character). This is old-fashioned space opera, except without any actual ...more

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Jul 23, 2018 L. Rambit rated it really liked it · review of another edition

- Where I first heard of it: Sursum Ursa's Review
- Where I (legally) downloaded it (for free): Baen Books

"My survival is not my body, Amas-Garao. My survival is my freedom. I do what I will, because I will it."
　
Golly, this one took me a long, long time to finish. I've been working on it in fits and starts since last year.
　
When I first tried to read this, it barely held my attention. That's at least partially my bad: in a world where you can speed youtube videos and audiobooks up, my atten/>"My - Where I first heard of it: Sursum Ursa's Review
- Where I (legally) downloaded it (for free): Baen Books

"My survival is not my body, Amas-Garao. My survival is my freedom. I do what I will, because I will it."
　
Golly, this one took me a long, long time to finish. I've been working on it in fits and starts since last year.
　
When I first tried to read this, it barely held my attention. That's at least partially my bad: in a world where you can speed youtube videos and audiobooks up, my attention span grows shorter by the day. I just didn't have it in me to tolerate page upon page of tech description and elaborate world-building.

I put it away as a 'did-not-finish', until I saw how cheap it was to add an audio-reader and gave it another chance. When I was between audiobooks, I'd listen to it while driving. Eventually, EVENTUALLY the story started to interest me, but it took a good long while.

I didn't find the characters memorable: I would now have a hard time naming them or telling you many distinct traits about them. Normally I'd see that as a Big Problem. After all, good characters can carry a bad story, but a good story can't carry bad characters.
　
However, in this one circumstance, I think that worked in the story’s favor. These were not BAD characters; just bland. And that's fine, because they serve as a tiny percentage of the world who literally represent humanity as a whole. They CAN be painted in such broad strokes for that reason alone.
　
To quote my good friend, "the quality of sci-fi is directly proportional to the number of different alien species depicted."
(And not just 'slap some paint on humans and call them aliens', but truly ALIEN aliens; with their own cultures and ecosystems and biologies that actually make sense based on the context of their planets… I can forgive some flat human characters for being our doorways into this world, because I was honestly fascinated to learn more and more about the alien characters. The tech didn’t really much interest me (sorry; I’m just not into that stuff), but that was alright.

I haven’t decided whether or not to continue the series yet. ...more

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Jun 05, 2018 Jason rated it it was amazing

Man, what a romp! This book is perfect for bedtime reading after grueling hours at work.

A small, diverse crew embarks on a flight in an FTL ship and finds itself fast approaching a wall upon reentry into 'normal' space. Fortunately the pilot is an experienced and highly skilled racer whose abilities are marshaled to avert collision.

The crew finds itself within a construct of the solar system, which is connected to constructs of all other star systems of all other alien races to have ...more

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Jun 10, 2018 Charl rated it liked it

Shelves: y2018

The author says that E.E. "Doc" Smith was a strong influence, and it shows throughout. But not in a bad way. I had some reservations when one of the most obvious references appeared, but it was redeemed thoroughly when we found out his origin.

Well worth reading for any fan of grand ideas and references to "Golden Age" Sci Fi.

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Feb 06, 2018 Kathy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Awesome!

So nice to read a full length, complete book for a change. And one that is actually a new twist on a space opera. New science, or at least old science with a new take. Even better when compared to the new ebooks that aren't really stand alone, but half, or less, of a whole story. Thanks Ryk. I'll be reading more of your books.

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Oct 30, 2018 John Davies rated it it was ok

Shelves: ebooks, did-not-finish

I might come back to this book once I've got through my to be read list, but at the moment, it's not a high priority to finish this book. I just couldn't get into the characters, or the plot. There was just too much going on and i couldn't take it in.

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