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creadsagain's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
majkia's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: Despite its age it holds up for me.
I've always remembered this series as one of my favorites from when I was young. I finally found an ebook edition, so wanted to re-visit it.
It held up. It is upbeat, despite portraying an Earth which is a mess, torn by upheaval and despair, politically a mess. Yet visionaries look for ways to change the paradigm, and reach for the stars.
I'm tired of depressing books, and want ones that uplift us, that give us hope and remind us that we can achieve fabulous things so long as we believe we can. We can't just give in to despair. We have to strive against it.
I've always remembered this series as one of my favorites from when I was young. I finally found an ebook edition, so wanted to re-visit it.
It held up. It is upbeat, despite portraying an Earth which is a mess, torn by upheaval and despair, politically a mess. Yet visionaries look for ways to change the paradigm, and reach for the stars.
I'm tired of depressing books, and want ones that uplift us, that give us hope and remind us that we can achieve fabulous things so long as we believe we can. We can't just give in to despair. We have to strive against it.
scytale's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
markyon's review
3.0
After the recent completion of the re-read of the Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov, this is a suitably appropriate follow-up, though the series’ publication is complicated.
These days, the series, Cities in Flight, is published as an omnibus, with the four books in internal chronological order. However, rather like Triplanetary in E.E. Doc Smith’s Lensman series, the first book published is not the first one to read in the series (although Adam Roberts suggests that you might want to start with it.) Here, that’s the sequence of short stories fixed-up to make Earthman, Come Home (1953), the third book in this set of four.
But They Shall Have Stars sets up the background to those events, so that is where we start. The tale begins in 2013 in a world of repression and constant observation, rather like that suggested by Charlie Stross in his more recent Merchant War series. We quickly discover that scientists, after years of repression and declining funding, have become less willing to take risks.
As a result, the scientific process is in decline, with ever diminishing results. There is no entrepreneurial figurehead, no Elon Musk (or for those of you old enough to remember, no Heinlein’s Delos D. Harriman from The Man Who Sold the Moon) to kickstart space exploration, although politically the Machiavellian actions of Senator Bliss Wagoner keep all of the elements in play. Like Foundation, much of the book is about indirect political actions rather than direct actions.
Instead, we are in a McCarthy-esque scenario here, called the “Age of Defence”, with people being closely scrutinised by the FBI and their leader Francis X. MacHinery and put to trial. Although this is a clear nod of recognition to the McCarthyism of the 1950’s, it may be worth a pause here to realise that this was written sixty-odd years ago and not a current news report.) The Cold War is developing quickly, with clear references to the war between America and the Soviets.
Nevertheless, upon the advice of scientist Dr. Corsi in the first chapter to look at the more extreme science out there (but not too extreme), They Shall Have Stars shows us the consequences of this, which, when put together, bring the book to an appropriate conclusion.
The first of these innovations is the development of an anti-agathic drug, which potentially means near-immortality, or at least an extension of the average human lifespan. Secondly, new construction techniques, initially used to build a ‘bridge’ in the hellish conditions of Jupiter’s atmosphere, lead to the construction of buildings capable of withstanding enormous strain. Lastly, the development of the ‘spindizzy’, a faster-than-light energy drive gives the heroes the means of propelling themselves away from Earth.
There are places where the book threatens to spin away into Foundation-esque diatribe, but overall it is reined in pretty well. Having said that, there’s the odd lapse into elements seen as rather inappropriate today. Most noticeable to me were comments made (more than once) about a main female character being plain-looking, although to be fair, she puts up a spirited defence in return, and I suspect that the original point was that she is not the archetype of the s-f pulps, but a woman quite capable of making her own choices.
What I had forgotten most about is the book’s various ruminations on faith, though I should not have been surprised from the author of A Case of Conscience (1958). This adds a further dimension to the otherwise hard-science discussion of the novel. We have the rise of religious groups called ‘The Believers’, who are quite aggressive in their marketing of religion, otherwise in decline (something else sounding familiar at the moment!), but at the same time we have a belief in science and the determination of super-science to solve engineering miracles and mathematical problems.
The culmination of this super-science is the creation of ‘The Bridge’ on Jupiter. This was always something I thought far-fetched on reading – it’s not even really a bridge! - and even though its purpose is clearer here on re-reading – it’s a means of developing new engineering techniques in extremely hostile conditions, to show that as humans ‘we can’, and to also throw the Soviets off the scent of the real work going on behind the scenes – I’m still not convinced. Thinking literally (as we perhaps should be here!), it is actually more of a thought-construct, allowing the author to present ideas and their consequences, as well as to illustrate the cumulative effect of people working under stress.
Strangely, most troubling to me in this reread was the suggestion that the people working there have had to be ‘conditioned’ to work in such circumstances – a sign that in this future both the Americans, and presumably the Soviets, are not beyond brainwashing to get what they want.
In the end though, They Shall Have Stars (a quote from the final part of the novel) is a story of disparate outsiders, willing to push boundaries and extend the frontiers, succeeding against a background of repression and victimisation. The echoes between this and American history, if not it’s values, are deliberate and is in no doubt part of the novel’s endurance.
But there is more to this than a ‘feel-good’ story. Comparing this with the dialogue of The Foundation Trilogy, the writing here is less stilted and more mature, more sensible and perhaps even more realistic. Whilst there are moments of Asimov-like pontificating, it does not jar quite as much as it did in the Foundation books. Instead, its concepts are thoughtfully presented and the epic consequences exciting to follow, which makes it, in the main, a page-turner.
In tough times, it is perhaps understandable that some will turn to more optimistic fiction to salve their despair. Originally written after WW2, with the Cold War in its chilly grasp, They Shall Have Stars is a rallying call to the dreamers, to those encouraged to think outside the box, despite all the odds. It shows a fresh start for Mankind and the enduring challenge of a new frontier and, as written by a skilled author, is a memorable one. It’s not entirely for contemporary tastes, and yet I am surprised how, unlike some less worthy efforts, this classic has become rather forgotten these days. Blish may be better known for his early Star Trek novelisations these days, but his own fiction shows much of merit. They Shall Have the Stars is worth a read, as long as the reader is aware, like with Foundation, that the series gets better. Personally I don’t think it’ll be too long before I read the next book in the series.
These days, the series, Cities in Flight, is published as an omnibus, with the four books in internal chronological order. However, rather like Triplanetary in E.E. Doc Smith’s Lensman series, the first book published is not the first one to read in the series (although Adam Roberts suggests that you might want to start with it.) Here, that’s the sequence of short stories fixed-up to make Earthman, Come Home (1953), the third book in this set of four.
But They Shall Have Stars sets up the background to those events, so that is where we start. The tale begins in 2013 in a world of repression and constant observation, rather like that suggested by Charlie Stross in his more recent Merchant War series. We quickly discover that scientists, after years of repression and declining funding, have become less willing to take risks.
As a result, the scientific process is in decline, with ever diminishing results. There is no entrepreneurial figurehead, no Elon Musk (or for those of you old enough to remember, no Heinlein’s Delos D. Harriman from The Man Who Sold the Moon) to kickstart space exploration, although politically the Machiavellian actions of Senator Bliss Wagoner keep all of the elements in play. Like Foundation, much of the book is about indirect political actions rather than direct actions.
Instead, we are in a McCarthy-esque scenario here, called the “Age of Defence”, with people being closely scrutinised by the FBI and their leader Francis X. MacHinery and put to trial. Although this is a clear nod of recognition to the McCarthyism of the 1950’s, it may be worth a pause here to realise that this was written sixty-odd years ago and not a current news report.) The Cold War is developing quickly, with clear references to the war between America and the Soviets.
Nevertheless, upon the advice of scientist Dr. Corsi in the first chapter to look at the more extreme science out there (but not too extreme), They Shall Have Stars shows us the consequences of this, which, when put together, bring the book to an appropriate conclusion.
The first of these innovations is the development of an anti-agathic drug, which potentially means near-immortality, or at least an extension of the average human lifespan. Secondly, new construction techniques, initially used to build a ‘bridge’ in the hellish conditions of Jupiter’s atmosphere, lead to the construction of buildings capable of withstanding enormous strain. Lastly, the development of the ‘spindizzy’, a faster-than-light energy drive gives the heroes the means of propelling themselves away from Earth.
There are places where the book threatens to spin away into Foundation-esque diatribe, but overall it is reined in pretty well. Having said that, there’s the odd lapse into elements seen as rather inappropriate today. Most noticeable to me were comments made (more than once) about a main female character being plain-looking, although to be fair, she puts up a spirited defence in return, and I suspect that the original point was that she is not the archetype of the s-f pulps, but a woman quite capable of making her own choices.
What I had forgotten most about is the book’s various ruminations on faith, though I should not have been surprised from the author of A Case of Conscience (1958). This adds a further dimension to the otherwise hard-science discussion of the novel. We have the rise of religious groups called ‘The Believers’, who are quite aggressive in their marketing of religion, otherwise in decline (something else sounding familiar at the moment!), but at the same time we have a belief in science and the determination of super-science to solve engineering miracles and mathematical problems.
The culmination of this super-science is the creation of ‘The Bridge’ on Jupiter. This was always something I thought far-fetched on reading – it’s not even really a bridge! - and even though its purpose is clearer here on re-reading – it’s a means of developing new engineering techniques in extremely hostile conditions, to show that as humans ‘we can’, and to also throw the Soviets off the scent of the real work going on behind the scenes – I’m still not convinced. Thinking literally (as we perhaps should be here!), it is actually more of a thought-construct, allowing the author to present ideas and their consequences, as well as to illustrate the cumulative effect of people working under stress.
Strangely, most troubling to me in this reread was the suggestion that the people working there have had to be ‘conditioned’ to work in such circumstances – a sign that in this future both the Americans, and presumably the Soviets, are not beyond brainwashing to get what they want.
In the end though, They Shall Have Stars (a quote from the final part of the novel) is a story of disparate outsiders, willing to push boundaries and extend the frontiers, succeeding against a background of repression and victimisation. The echoes between this and American history, if not it’s values, are deliberate and is in no doubt part of the novel’s endurance.
But there is more to this than a ‘feel-good’ story. Comparing this with the dialogue of The Foundation Trilogy, the writing here is less stilted and more mature, more sensible and perhaps even more realistic. Whilst there are moments of Asimov-like pontificating, it does not jar quite as much as it did in the Foundation books. Instead, its concepts are thoughtfully presented and the epic consequences exciting to follow, which makes it, in the main, a page-turner.
In tough times, it is perhaps understandable that some will turn to more optimistic fiction to salve their despair. Originally written after WW2, with the Cold War in its chilly grasp, They Shall Have Stars is a rallying call to the dreamers, to those encouraged to think outside the box, despite all the odds. It shows a fresh start for Mankind and the enduring challenge of a new frontier and, as written by a skilled author, is a memorable one. It’s not entirely for contemporary tastes, and yet I am surprised how, unlike some less worthy efforts, this classic has become rather forgotten these days. Blish may be better known for his early Star Trek novelisations these days, but his own fiction shows much of merit. They Shall Have the Stars is worth a read, as long as the reader is aware, like with Foundation, that the series gets better. Personally I don’t think it’ll be too long before I read the next book in the series.
vintonole's review against another edition
3.0
From "Cities In Flight"; Four Novels in One; Part 1 of 4
count_zero's review against another edition
3.0
The book is okay. It does a decent job of setting up its characters, and establishing the technologies that will appear in future books in the series. However, always skates on the edge of turning into the Exciting Adventures Of Nothing Happening.
internpepper's review against another edition
3.0
Solid premise and well-written exposition, but the characters were lacking. We are told who these people are, but not shown. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the next books.
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