Scan barcode
dee9401's review
5.0
This was psychologically chilling: solitude, sleeping crew mates, advancing fascism, descent into madness or only a dream of it. Wonderfully written.
The politics are shockingly relevant for today though it also was perfect for 1969 as well. The times, they are a changing’ but not that much at all… The world he describes is like life in US today, esp under Trump and Republicans denials of crises. (pp 36-7).
I haven’t had a read lately that I immediately thought needed to go onto my favorites list. This novel felt that way after I was halfway through and it never faltered. So enjoyed.
The politics are shockingly relevant for today though it also was perfect for 1969 as well. The times, they are a changing’ but not that much at all… The world he describes is like life in US today, esp under Trump and Republicans denials of crises. (pp 36-7).
I haven’t had a read lately that I immediately thought needed to go onto my favorites list. This novel felt that way after I was halfway through and it never faltered. So enjoyed.
jameshaus's review
3.0
I was looking for a little escape in the year of our lord 2017, and then dropped into this fresh hell of all our fears made real. Which isn't to say I didn't like it.
The Black Corridor, not to spoil too much, is the chronicle of the world's descent into madness, mirrored in the experience of one man. The entire world is swept by a wave of racism and paranoia and proceeds to tear itself apart, leading one small band of refugees to flee to outer space. Have they really escaped, or have they been followed by the madness destroying the Earth?
The most intriguing part of the story is why? The story leaves it ambiguous. There is an uptick in UFO sightings and rumors of aliens at work in human culture, it's left unresolved whether aliens are too blame or it's just another delusion suddenly gripping human society. It's not at all important to the story, but I thought a lot about it.
All in all it's a fairly chilling look at a human society that goes all in on xenophobia, racism and paranoia. Some lovely light reading!
The Black Corridor, not to spoil too much, is the chronicle of the world's descent into madness, mirrored in the experience of one man. The entire world is swept by a wave of racism and paranoia and proceeds to tear itself apart, leading one small band of refugees to flee to outer space. Have they really escaped, or have they been followed by the madness destroying the Earth?
The most intriguing part of the story is why? The story leaves it ambiguous. There is an uptick in UFO sightings and rumors of aliens at work in human culture, it's left unresolved whether aliens are too blame or it's just another delusion suddenly gripping human society. It's not at all important to the story, but I thought a lot about it.
All in all it's a fairly chilling look at a human society that goes all in on xenophobia, racism and paranoia. Some lovely light reading!
knapp106's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
arthurbdd's review
5.0
This standalone novel is a sort of inverted SF-horror story: whilst most space-themed horror tales are about people discovering something terrible out in space, here the horrid thing is the baggage we take out there. With the plot focused on a spoiled, privileged group attempting to go into space in order to abandon an Earth gone to seed, the novel is more timely than ever; the protagonist's fate, steeped in poetic justice, is the sort of thing one can easily imagine befalling Elon Musk. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2011/12/03/the-coming-of-the-standalones/
gwaihir's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Very good and slow story about a main character struggling with his sanity. Another one of high premise sci-fi.
smcleish's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog here in December 2001.
The wonderfully atmospheric first few paragraphs of The Black Corridor immediately make it clear what the purpose of the novel is to be. Science fiction of the fifties and sixties in particular treat space travel as a glorious adventure, mankind (almost always male) against the stars. Here, though, the pioneer is a selfish, paranoid man who wants to save himself from the worldwide descent into [b:1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313]-style dystopian states.
Ryan is the only member of his family not in hibernation as the ship travels to Earth-like planets around Barnard's Star; he carries out the checks needed by the ship's systems during travel. In the meantime, he experiences nightmares about the past, to the extent that the reader begins to doubt whether the spaceship is real or the hallucination of a lunatic in an asylum.
The Black Corridor is a clever psychological study, told in the form of a classic science fiction story like those which Robert Heinlein specialised in at the time. By the way it is written, it exposes the limited assumptions about people that such stories made (though that was not their purpose - their authors sought to share their enthusiasm about space travel).
The wonderfully atmospheric first few paragraphs of The Black Corridor immediately make it clear what the purpose of the novel is to be. Science fiction of the fifties and sixties in particular treat space travel as a glorious adventure, mankind (almost always male) against the stars. Here, though, the pioneer is a selfish, paranoid man who wants to save himself from the worldwide descent into [b:1984|5470|1984|George Orwell|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348990566s/5470.jpg|153313]-style dystopian states.
Ryan is the only member of his family not in hibernation as the ship travels to Earth-like planets around Barnard's Star; he carries out the checks needed by the ship's systems during travel. In the meantime, he experiences nightmares about the past, to the extent that the reader begins to doubt whether the spaceship is real or the hallucination of a lunatic in an asylum.
The Black Corridor is a clever psychological study, told in the form of a classic science fiction story like those which Robert Heinlein specialised in at the time. By the way it is written, it exposes the limited assumptions about people that such stories made (though that was not their purpose - their authors sought to share their enthusiasm about space travel).
More...