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Book Review: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

The Forever War by Joe HaldemanDuring the interstellar war with the Taurans, William Mandella climbs the ranks from private to major. While the war itself only lasts a few years from the perspective of the troops—since much of their time is spent traversing wormholes well beyond the speed of light—nearly 1,200 years passes on Earth.

While on a mission early in his career, Mandella falls in love with fellow soldier Marygay Potter and the feeling is mutual. After Potter is nearly killed during their final tour, the army grants the pair a discharge on Earth. However, Mandella and Potter soon discover that retirement is not an option. Only one job opportunity is made available to them—return to the war.

In their next campaign, both Mandella and Potter each lose a limb and are sent to a world known as Heaven to regenerate. Mandella is then promoted to Major and Potter to Captain—but each are assigned to separate companies.

After saying their final goodbyes, Mandella takes command of a Strike Force headed to Sade-138, while Potter was assigned to fight the Taurans elsewhere. Mandella fears that they will never see each other again.

In order to qualify for command, Mandella must undergo a deep-sleep learning process during which his mind is filled with facts and theories from Earth’s military history. What’s more, Mandella finds himself in command of a platoon comprised completely of homosexuals. Heterosexuals, while tolerated in human society today, are now considered queer.

ForeverWar is a satisfying hard-SF novel that presents a unique and often candid view of futuristic military life and the possible drastic changes that might occur in Earth’s culture given 1,200 years. While the Taurans are treated lightly and never developed as anything more than an alien menace, Haldeman does an admirable job detailing the battle scenes and showing how the enemy improves their tactics and weaponry with each successive confrontation.

Most of all, it was Mandella’s experiences with his fellow soldiers, his struggles with changing times (especially on Earth), and his ability to adapt and survive that kept me intrigued.

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Book Review: The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov

End of Eternity by Isaac AsimovWhen time travel was discovered in the 24th century, it became apparent that events could be manipulated both in the past and the future. The responsibility to make corrections and alter time fell under the purview of the Eternals, a group comprised of Computers, Life-Plotters, Technicians, Maintenance, Timers, and Cubs. The Computers are the highest-ranking members of Eternity and form the Allwhen Council.

The eldest among them, Computer Twissell, takes under his wing a prodigy named Andrew Harlan and promotes him from Cub to Technician, to the chagrin of certain others such as Computer Finge, who targets Harlan and attempts to thwart him whenever possible. At the same time, Finge takes a young, gorgeous woman named Noÿs from the 482nd century as his personal assistant, but Harlan suspects there is more to their relationship.

Meanwhile, Harlan is assigned a cub named Cooper and is tasked with training him on Earth history during the “Primitive” age just before time travel. Neither Harlan nor Cooper is immediately certain why the cub was directed by Computer Twissell to study under Harlan.

Despite his attempts to avoid Noÿs, Harlan begins to fall for her and attempts to save her from a change that the Allwhen Council has approved for her century—a change that threatens to remove Noÿs from history and replace her with an analogous version of herself that could be a completely different woman, one with no feelings at all for Harlan.

Desperate, Harlan begins to break the rules of Eternity by smuggling Noÿs to the 100,000th century, a time that the Eternals have barely explored and mankind seems to be mostly absent from Earth. Knowing that Finge and the council have probably discovered his plan, Harlan sets out to destroy the original discovery of time travel and the formation of Eternity before escaping into the future to be with Noÿs forever.

However, Twissell reveals a secret about Cooper that threatens to undermine Harlan’s machinations. Twissell convinces Harlan to help him undo the damage Harlan caused—until Noÿs reveals an even deeper plot that shakes the foundation of Harlan’s existence…

The End of Eternity is yet another splendid exhibit of Asimov’s remarkable worldbuilding talents. The detail involved in manipulating time and its effects were impressive.

While most of Asimov’s characters in general are afforded little in the way of development and background, at least Twissell reveals a tarnished past that puts him on common ground with Harlan. The tension and pace remain fairly tight once Harlan begins plotting and scheming against Finge and the plot contains sufficient twists to maintain suspense.

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Book Review: The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov

The Naked Sun by Isaac AsimovTo his chagrin, Detective Elijah Baley must leave Earth to investigate a murder on the sparsely populated outer world of Solaria where crime is practically nonexistent and robots far outnumber their human masters. In fact, humans on Solaria have evolved into isolationists, communicating with one another solely by holographic projection, otherwise known as “viewing.” The mere suggestion of physical contact or even close proximity is taboo—even for married couples.

This custom only complicates Baley’s investigation into the murder of biologist Rikaine Delmarre. Allegedly alone in his lab at the time, Delmarre was found bludgeoned to death with his wife, Gladia, lying unconscious beside him and a malfunctioning robot standing over them. Gladia is the prime suspect simply because she was the only person Rikaine would permit to see him. Certainly, the robot could not blamed, as robots cannot kill humans. Baley is not convinced, especially since no weapon has yet been found.

What of the robot? Solarian robots are constructed with positronic brains, programmed with the Three Laws of Robotics—a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Further inhibiting Baley’s investigation is his innate fear of the outdoors, resulting from a lifetime in the enclosed, underground cities of Earth. However, Baley forces himself to cope as he journeys across Solaria with his partner, R. Daneel Olivaw to interview various people in Delmarre’s life. A robot indistinguishable from a human, Olivaw was assigned to the investigation from the planet Aurora, another of Earth’s colonies.

With all of these impediments—and more—Baley must delve into Solarian sociology and psychology in his quest to compile the evidence needed to bring the murderer to justice.

The Naked Sun is the second of Asimov’s four robot novels starring Elijah “Lije” Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw (who also appears in Asimov’s Foundation series). The story’s title is derived from the fact that, in Asimov’s future, citizens of Earth live underground and have developed a dislike of the outdoors and have not set eyes on their own sun in many generations.

While Asimov has never been known for the depth of his characters, the human sociological idiosyncrasies of Baley, as juxtaposed against those of the Solarians, added another level of tension and complexity beyond a mere murder investigation.

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Book Review: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft

The Dream-Quest of Unknown KadathThis collection of six bizarre fantasy tales share a common theme of protagonists who dream of strange journeys to exotic places far more desirable than anything found in our reality—or so they think.

In some cases, such dreams lead the hero back to the very home from which they departed, allowing them to regard the familiar in a new light. For others, however, the unbridled pursuit of fantasy leads to a grim fate.

For Massachusetts native Randolph Carter, his dreams of a city bathed in the golden glow of eternal sunset lead him on a fantastic and perilous journey through a world of loathsome creatures and ancient evils to find the onyx kingdom of unknown Kadath where the gods from outer space reside. Despite obstacles and warnings, Carter intends to beseech the gods to show him the way to this fabled city in “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.”

In “Celephais,” a London native known only as Kurane experiences lucid dreams of an ancient and eternal city of eternal youth. So determined is he to return there each night—and ultimately forever—that he resorts to extreme measures.

Disenchanted with the world around him, Randolph Carter finds true solace and beauty only dreams. After finding “The Silver Key” passed down through generations of his family, Carter travels to the woods of his boyhood and into adventures of his own past.

Several years after the disappearance of Randolph Carter, four men meet in the home of a mystic to divide Carter’s estate. One of the men, a lawyer, believes none of the fables and legends espoused by the other three, including a Swami named Chandraputra who imparts the fate of Carter in surprising detail and asserts that the man is still alive—in alien form—after passing “Through the Gates of the Silver Key.”

When third generation lighthouse keeper Basil Eaton finally accepts the invitation from the captain of a ghostly sailing ship, he is given a tour of many legendary and tempting lands such as Thalarion, the City of a Thousands Wonders, and Xura, the Land of Pleasures Unattained. However, Basil soon learns that each place holds sinister fates for those who enter. He remains steadfast until reaching the heavenly Sona-Nyl where time and death wield no power. Basil eventually become restless there and yearns to find the fabled land of Cathuria farther to the north—ignoring the repeated warnings of the captain of “The White Ship.”

Atop the lofty, unscalable cliffs of Kingsport, there lies “The Strange High House in the Mist” that for generations has become a source of rumor and myth among the coastal town’s citizens. Shortly after moving to Kingsport with his family, Thomas Olney’s curiosity impels him to undertake the arduous climb to uncover the truth about the strange cottage, with its front door flush with the edge of the cliff. Shortly after his return, both Olney and the cottage are noticeably changed…

As always, Lovecraft’s writing is lush in opulent detail, but can become repetitive and tiresome. This was especially true in the novellas “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath” and “Through the Gates of the Silver Key,” both of which became a laborious read in the middle and could easily have been trimmed in half.  My two favorites from this collection are “Celephais” and “The White Ship,” the shortest of the six.

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Book Review: Murray Leinster’s Doctor to the Stars

Murray Leinster - Doctor to the StarsThis collection of three thoroughly enjoyable novellas by William Fitzgerald Jenkins (aka Murray Leinster) focuses on the characters of Calhoun, from the Interstellar Medical Service, and his diminutive furry companion Murgatroyd, a tormal. Together, they travel in the medical ship, Esclipus Twenty, to perform routine planetary health inspections—but the various crises they encounter are anything but routine.

Stories include “The Grandfathers’ War”, “Med Ship Man”, and “Tallien Three.”

In responding to an emergency call for medical assistance, Calhoun and Murgatroyd find themselves caught in the middle of an interplanetary war between generations. After their sun was predicted to explode in the near future, the Phaedrans sent their children to the Canis system to begin colonizing its third world. Afterward, the elders continued to ship out children and grandchildren until the new colony become overburdened and could no longer adequately feed or care for them, resulting in an outbreak of disease—and rebellion. As Calhoun works to manufacture a cure in his med ship, he must also stop a pending invasion by the elder Phaedrans in “The Grandfathers’ War.”

In “Med Ship Man,” Calhoun and Murgatroyd land in what appears to be an abandoned spaceport on the planet Maya and are later joined by an arrogant, wealthy businessman from an orbiting cargo vessel. As Calhoun pieces together the reason for the abrupt disappearance of the citizens of Maya City, he realizes that a technology imported from another planet might have frightened the people into abandoning their lands—and that the businessman knows more about the scheme than he’s willing to admit.

While attempting to land on the planet, “Tallien Three,” to perform a long overdue health inspection, Calhoun learns that an uprising is in progress committed by a growing group of mentally ill citizens called  “paras.”  While the government works to find a vaccine for this pathogen, Calhoun learns that the planet’s chief scientist might himself be a para. Can Calhoun make his way back to his ship and find a cure before he, too, succumbs to insanity?

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Book Review: Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Astrophysics for People in a HurryAstrophysics for People in a Hurry“The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

In between reading other books, I listened to this one on audio. I not an astrophysicist by any means, but I enjoy astronomy and planetary science. I am an admirer of Carl Sagan, Michio Kaku, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Amy Mainzer, Alex Filippenko, Carolyn Porco, and others. While some of the concepts described by Tyson in this book are familiar, many are certainly beyond my experience, but as a writer of speculative fiction, I enjoy learning and reviewing scientific concepts both for my personal edification and as research for current and future stories.

Tyson’s writing and narration—concise, enthusiastic, and humorous—make this book a joy to absorb, even if I had to stop and review some of the chapters to gain a better (or in some cases, even a glimmer of) understanding of some of the material.