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John Brunner A Maze of Stars
Del Rey 1992 0345375548 / 9780345375544 Paperback Very Good
0345375548 From Publishers Weekly The latest novel from award winner Brunner ( The Crucible of Time ) reads like a series of short stories loosely linked by a framing narrative and a potentially intriguing plot device: a sentient spaceship. Called simply the Ship, this technologically superior vessel placed human colonies 500 years ago on the hundreds of hospitable worlds in the densely packed Arm of Stars. Programmed to return periodically and monitor the colonies' progress, the Ship is permitted to rescue endangered settlements--or individuals--and carry them to a more suitable planet. Since the Ship was developed with the capacity to think, Brunner depicts it striving to understand its own ultimate purpose and evolving personality. As it visits the various colony worlds, Brunner chooses several of these planets for closer inspection, producing a largely self-contained short story in each case before the Ship moves on. These sections display the author's impressive imaginative powers as he creates detailed, unique cultures and histories for each of his worlds. These independent narratives do not, however, add up to a successful novel. The passengers become little more than talking heads, asking the Ship questions that allow Brunner to fill in background details. The final section, in which Brunner explains the origins and purpose of the Ship, is flat and hurried. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Library Journal Trapped in an endless progression through time and space, a sentient ship visits and revisits the 600 planets it once seeded with human life, occasionally picking up passengers for enlightenment and entertainment and always questioning its purpose in a universe where human adaptability has too often proven its undoing. As is often the case in metaphysical meditations disguised as sf novels, this ambitious work by the author of Stand on Zanzibar (1968) suffers from too much philosophy and too little continuity, as intriguing characters appear and disappear in a few short chapters. Libraries with large sf collections may want to consider. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Price:
4.87 USD
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