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dcommet's review
Was really excited to dive into a quick sci-fi book brimming with ideas, but Bob Shaw's writing of women was already grating on me and then a 3-year-old girl touched the main character's genitals and I had to stop. I need to read more Le Guin or something. Classic Sci-Fi is all fun and games until it's not.
mabigg's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A wonderful novel! This has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster: excellent pacing, a great protagonist, and exciting action sequences against formidable aliens. Yet it's more than that as Shaw is an excellent writer who presents a multitude of big ideas that make SF as a genre so special.
The toughest part of finishing my first Bob Shaw novel will be choosing the next.
Highly recommended.
The toughest part of finishing my first Bob Shaw novel will be choosing the next.
Highly recommended.
leeroyjenkins's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
I think I can appreciate what the author was trying to do and the story was OK. But I found it relied heavily on the old 1950s strong individualist archetype. He's a soldier, and an engineer, and latent artist - strong of will and body - who raised himself after his parents were slaughtered by aliens. He's at home in a fist fight or a tender moment with the ladies. Yeah, yeah. He's an uber mensch. Yawn. I'm not going to lie. This was a little tedious to get through - especially considering the story was published in 1969 when the "sensitive male" was starting to become a thing.
I'm somewhat torn because I liked the story in a way. It was pulpy but that's not necessarily bad on a dark and stormy night... But I also have some major problems with it. There were moments where I had to go back and re-read small sections because, "wait. What the heck just happened?" For me that's indicative of ham fisted writing. And the author's ambition may have exceeded his talent where the metaphysical is concerned. He studied as an engineer and probably should have stuck to the technical stuff, which was clearly where his strength lay.
But the biggest issue I had with it (by far) was the, if not outright sex, innuendo. It seems to touch upon the whole "old soul" argument to facilitate what I'm calling "inappropriate contact" between a grown man and a child. I want to preface this by saying there's nothing explicit in there but, dang! Message received, pal. Next time use a smaller club when you knock something on the head.
The protagonist likes young ladies. OK. That's not a necessarily a problem if the parties involved are adults and they're down. Depending on the age difference, society might give them the side eye but, whatever. They're grown ups. And by adults, I'm talking about folks who are, like, around 30. I'm not talking "age of consent" here. But there's an uncomfortable moment in this story where a 3 year old puts her hands on a grown man (to heal his wounds because, you know, she has that power) and that was really, really not cool. I almost put the book down after that. Again, nothing explicit but skeevy to the Nth degree and to the point where I told myself, "surely the author isn't condoning this." The protagonist did object to it, telling her it was inappropriate. But, just when I thought he was redeemed, he yielded to her healing power.
Gross.
Nothing explicit. But, gross nonetheless. It's also not cool when that man, in a different body because he's died and people's souls transcend the physical, meets up with that same girl as an adult and falls in love with her. Dude! You knew her when she was 3. And you want to smash that? Not cool! Again, gross.
And don't get me started on how that man became his own son. So, he had the experience of knowing his mother as a lover. OK. He was in a different body but he had the same spirit and the author is really intent on us knowing that's what matters. Oh. And he kills his father - well, not really his father because his father was killed by aliens. But he killed his other father -except that he wasn't really his father either because he was his own father. How Freudian can we get?
It was comical when he realized his new body was that of a 98 pound weakling. "Oh, no. what can I do with such a weak body? I'm such a rugged individualist, after all. At least I've retained my memories of military training." I almost forgot about that in the whole being his own father business.
All this is unfortunate because it was not at all necessary to the story. It started out as a regular old Sci-Fi "we're at war with our first contact" story. That's how it could have ended. But the weird, cringey, inappropriate stuff was too much for me. I finished it because it was short but I'm not going to rush out and read another Bob Shaw novel. He may be a "one and done" author for me. This story left an unpleasant aftertaste.
I'm somewhat torn because I liked the story in a way. It was pulpy but that's not necessarily bad on a dark and stormy night... But I also have some major problems with it. There were moments where I had to go back and re-read small sections because, "wait. What the heck just happened?" For me that's indicative of ham fisted writing. And the author's ambition may have exceeded his talent where the metaphysical is concerned. He studied as an engineer and probably should have stuck to the technical stuff, which was clearly where his strength lay.
But the biggest issue I had with it (by far) was the, if not outright sex, innuendo. It seems to touch upon the whole "old soul" argument to facilitate what I'm calling "inappropriate contact" between a grown man and a child. I want to preface this by saying there's nothing explicit in there but, dang! Message received, pal. Next time use a smaller club when you knock something on the head.
The protagonist likes young ladies. OK. That's not a necessarily a problem if the parties involved are adults and they're down. Depending on the age difference, society might give them the side eye but, whatever. They're grown ups. And by adults, I'm talking about folks who are, like, around 30. I'm not talking "age of consent" here. But there's an uncomfortable moment in this story where a 3 year old puts her hands on a grown man (to heal his wounds because, you know, she has that power) and that was really, really not cool. I almost put the book down after that. Again, nothing explicit but skeevy to the Nth degree and to the point where I told myself, "surely the author isn't condoning this." The protagonist did object to it, telling her it was inappropriate. But, just when I thought he was redeemed, he yielded to her healing power.
Gross.
Nothing explicit. But, gross nonetheless. It's also not cool when that man, in a different body because he's died and people's souls transcend the physical, meets up with that same girl as an adult and falls in love with her. Dude! You knew her when she was 3. And you want to smash that? Not cool! Again, gross.
And don't get me started on how that man became his own son. So, he had the experience of knowing his mother as a lover. OK. He was in a different body but he had the same spirit and the author is really intent on us knowing that's what matters. Oh. And he kills his father - well, not really his father because his father was killed by aliens. But he killed his other father -except that he wasn't really his father either because he was his own father. How Freudian can we get?
It was comical when he realized his new body was that of a 98 pound weakling. "Oh, no. what can I do with such a weak body? I'm such a rugged individualist, after all. At least I've retained my memories of military training." I almost forgot about that in the whole being his own father business.
All this is unfortunate because it was not at all necessary to the story. It started out as a regular old Sci-Fi "we're at war with our first contact" story. That's how it could have ended. But the weird, cringey, inappropriate stuff was too much for me. I finished it because it was short but I'm not going to rush out and read another Bob Shaw novel. He may be a "one and done" author for me. This story left an unpleasant aftertaste.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
misanthrope's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Serviceable science fiction.
lordofthemoon's review
3.0
It's the Future and Humanity is at war with an inscrutable alien species. A war which they're losing. The book focuses on one man, who had previously fought in the war and is now a mechanic on a remote planet far from the front.
Bob Shaw is an excellent writer with a great gift for words. I have to say that I saw the "twist" coming from the start of part two but it was nice seeing how it got there.
Bob Shaw is an excellent writer with a great gift for words. I have to say that I saw the "twist" coming from the start of part two but it was nice seeing how it got there.
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