milen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
4.0
As every year, one of my bookish New Years resolutions is to try and read more classics. Especially those in the 'SF and Fantasy Masterworks' series.
So how did this 50 year old sf novel compare to it's modern brethren? I must admit, quite good. In less then 200 pages, Poul Anderson manages to do what Neal Stephenson did on 800+ pages in [book:Seveneves|22816087]. And Poul Anderson did it better.
Tau Zero follows a crew of a spaceship on one journey and the troubles they get into.
+ Short and precise book. No word is wasted.
+ Intense plot. Especially after 40% when the problems start to pile up.
+ Human drama. Not the boring tele-novella kind.
+- Large cast of characters. (The whole crew basically.) But characterisation is very well done and usually it's easy to follow who is who.
- You need good sf background to follow scientific terms in the book. I had to stop multiple times and Google what are Bussard ramjet, Scoopfield webs, ...
Even after 50 years, Tau Zero is a must read for hardcore science fiction fans. Recomended if you are the fan of the genre.
So how did this 50 year old sf novel compare to it's modern brethren? I must admit, quite good. In less then 200 pages, Poul Anderson manages to do what Neal Stephenson did on 800+ pages in [book:Seveneves|22816087]. And Poul Anderson did it better.
Tau Zero follows a crew of a spaceship on one journey and the troubles they get into.
+ Short and precise book. No word is wasted.
+ Intense plot. Especially after 40% when the problems start to pile up.
+ Human drama. Not the boring tele-novella kind.
+- Large cast of characters. (The whole crew basically.) But characterisation is very well done and usually it's easy to follow who is who.
- You need good sf background to follow scientific terms in the book. I had to stop multiple times and Google what are Bussard ramjet, Scoopfield webs, ...
Even after 50 years, Tau Zero is a must read for hardcore science fiction fans. Recomended if you are the fan of the genre.
madmissmedic's review
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
sammilynnebob's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
avalon111's review against another edition
2.0
Dated, and for a novel written in 1970 (though from two shorter works dated 1967, so a 'fix-up') Tau Zero reads like a 'hard' science-fiction book written in the 1960s or before.
It bears some similarities with the final Cities In Flight novel - The Triumph of Time, … And All the Stars a Stage by James Blish, though Tau Zero's has a rather more upbeat ending than either of these.
Yet, considering that Kubrick's 2001 was being filmed in 1967, Tau Zero seems like it belongs to a previous age. That same year Harlan Ellison saw the first Dangerous Visions published and Anderson contributed 'Eutopia' to it. Yet Anderson's style and influence diminished significantly throughout the 1970s and beyond and it isn't difficult to see why.
And frankly, Tau Zero is just preposterous.
It bears some similarities with the final Cities In Flight novel - The Triumph of Time, … And All the Stars a Stage by James Blish, though Tau Zero's has a rather more upbeat ending than either of these.
Yet, considering that Kubrick's 2001 was being filmed in 1967, Tau Zero seems like it belongs to a previous age. That same year Harlan Ellison saw the first Dangerous Visions published and Anderson contributed 'Eutopia' to it. Yet Anderson's style and influence diminished significantly throughout the 1970s and beyond and it isn't difficult to see why.
And frankly, Tau Zero is just preposterous.
chrylo's review against another edition
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? No
2.0
cajunliterarybelle's review against another edition
2.0
Soap operas aren’t really my taste of tv or literature, and I’ve learned that includes space operas as well. The story was decent, and I was eager to know if or how the crew would survive.
Anderson did a great job with explaining the scientific concepts of space travel in terms of tau (maybe not accurate science, I couldn’t say). Without his brief explanations via the narrator, I would’ve been utterly lost on those core concepts in the story.
Anderson did a great job with explaining the scientific concepts of space travel in terms of tau (maybe not accurate science, I couldn’t say). Without his brief explanations via the narrator, I would’ve been utterly lost on those core concepts in the story.
wadeypie's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
fast-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
4.0