princeofspace's review
2.0
This book felt like if Heinlein wrote young adult books. 12 year old me probably would have loved it but it’s just not for me anymore.
jennykeery's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
claycates's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
taseenmuhtadi's review
3.0
“Men get all the way to the sun, and they build a fire to stay warm”
-- David Brin
I read this as part of my attempt to read some of the classics of the SF genre. The premise seemed interesting. The plot was fairly good, the world building was passable. The characters were a bit stereotypical. The plausible scientific explanations were rather engaging. Those parts I really enjoyed. I liked the novel, but wasn’t blown away by it.
-- David Brin
I read this as part of my attempt to read some of the classics of the SF genre. The premise seemed interesting. The plot was fairly good, the world building was passable. The characters were a bit stereotypical. The plausible scientific explanations were rather engaging. Those parts I really enjoyed. I liked the novel, but wasn’t blown away by it.
readgreed's review
5.0
I originally read this book back in 1981 when it was a standalone and re-read it again to recall why I enjoyed it so much. While the prose may sound slightly dated, it still doesn't take away from the underlying theme of treachery and self-grandiose ambitions - never mind the consequences.
What I still like about reading David Brin is that his writing is very positive philosophically - akin almost to the 'Star Trek' optimism - about aliens we've yet to encounter.
What I still like about reading David Brin is that his writing is very positive philosophically - akin almost to the 'Star Trek' optimism - about aliens we've yet to encounter.
lizbusby's review
4.0
While the writing was a little unclear in portions, the world created is just so interesting that I don't care. The world may have been more interesting than the plot even.
warriorpickle's review
2.0
I have this book 220 pages and I just can't do it. not very interesting characters. not very enjoyable world. A somewhat interesting plot thread. And a less than interesting mystery. I wanted to like it, but I just don't.
thomcat's review
4.0
This is astrophysicist David Brin's first novel, and it is part hard SF and part mystery (murder and otherwise). A good deal of time is spent introducing a portion of his Uplift setting, explored further in his second (and much awarded) book. I liked it.
The author's background (he was also a NASA consultant) comes through in some fascinating hardware for "diving" towards the surface of the sun and coming safely home again. Outside the basic tech, Brin relies on "galactic tech" to take care of other things, such as artificial gravity.
Of what we learn about the extraterrestrial races, I love the idea of the galactic library. Another clever idea are the magnetovores, grazing the magnetic waves on our sun. And of course the basic idea of uplift is pretty cool, from raunchy dolphins to wisecracking chimpanzees.
First published in 1980, this is the kind of science fiction I read in my youth, though I missed this one at the time. This is also a very quick read. A solid 3½ stars.
The author's background (he was also a NASA consultant) comes through in some fascinating hardware for "diving" towards the surface of the sun and coming safely home again. Outside the basic tech, Brin relies on "galactic tech" to take care of other things, such as artificial gravity.
Of what we learn about the extraterrestrial races, I love the idea of the galactic library. Another clever idea are the magnetovores, grazing the magnetic waves on our sun. And of course the basic idea of uplift is pretty cool, from raunchy dolphins to wisecracking chimpanzees.
First published in 1980, this is the kind of science fiction I read in my youth, though I missed this one at the time. This is also a very quick read. A solid 3½ stars.
leftylucyprivateeye's review
2.0
Oof, really glad I followed my friend's recommendation and read the second and third books of this series before this one. Brin was clearly still finding his voice and his ability to write solid characters. The world building skills are there, but not much else. It's not bad for a first novel, I just know he's capable of much better!