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A review by novabird
In the Ocean of Night by Gregory Benford
4.0
“A splendid, brilliant, overwhelming book. I wish I had written it. Best s-f novel I have read in years.” --- Robert Silverberg
It has been awhile since I ventured into the territory of sci-fi. The wait was worth it, as I have inadvertently stumbled on a truly great, hard science fiction writer. As both a physicist and a poet, Benford combines his delivery of the conventions of sci-fi with the prose of lyricism.
"In the Ocean of Night," is the first of five later books in that Galactic Center series. It took him 25 years to write them all. He gives us glimpses of the future from the vantage of the mid-1970s and even got some things right. Although one needs to transfigure some of the technologies used into their contemporary versions.
The only small problem that I had with this book is that I found Nigel’s character was voiced in a British dialogue colloquialism with which I had no reference point. It however did not detract from the overall ease of reading.
This gets a 4.5 from me because of the really good character development as Nigel ages and his philosophical viewpoint changes. The plot is one that transfixes the reader. The detail in hard science is not overly done and is readily managed by the reader.
Other reviewers have outlined the plot. I will just say that at the end I let out an involuntary deep sigh of contentment. A satisfying read for those of the hard sci-fi bend that also like some introspection.
“He stared down at the cinder world that had betrayed his hopes by being so substantial, so deadly.”
“…his sentences paraded out to display a new facet of lock jawed Latinisms, words converging like a pack of erudite wolves to devour some snippet of causation …”
“He had a sudden perception of death: a small thing moving in from the distance, winging slowly in the night air as she slept. Searching the house. Through a window. Into the shadowed bedroom. Silent now. Fluttering. Fluttering into her sagging mouth.”
“Fresnel made a steeple of his hands, his stone rings like gargoyles.”
“The looming presence sat astride the flood of perception and took it all. Before Nigel could apply the filters of his eyes, ears, skin, touch, smell – before all that, the being sponged up this new and strange world, and in the act altered it for Nigel as well.”
Now I want to read the next five books in this series and I hear that the next in line, "Across the Sea of Suns," is even better.
It has been awhile since I ventured into the territory of sci-fi. The wait was worth it, as I have inadvertently stumbled on a truly great, hard science fiction writer. As both a physicist and a poet, Benford combines his delivery of the conventions of sci-fi with the prose of lyricism.
“Perspective defies the innate order. The handiwork of man blinds even this awesome furnace that hangs in the sky.”
"In the Ocean of Night," is the first of five later books in that Galactic Center series. It took him 25 years to write them all. He gives us glimpses of the future from the vantage of the mid-1970s and even got some things right. Although one needs to transfigure some of the technologies used into their contemporary versions.
The only small problem that I had with this book is that I found Nigel’s character was voiced in a British dialogue colloquialism with which I had no reference point. It however did not detract from the overall ease of reading.
This gets a 4.5 from me because of the really good character development as Nigel ages and his philosophical viewpoint changes. The plot is one that transfixes the reader. The detail in hard science is not overly done and is readily managed by the reader.
Other reviewers have outlined the plot. I will just say that at the end I let out an involuntary deep sigh of contentment. A satisfying read for those of the hard sci-fi bend that also like some introspection.
“He stared down at the cinder world that had betrayed his hopes by being so substantial, so deadly.”
“…his sentences paraded out to display a new facet of lock jawed Latinisms, words converging like a pack of erudite wolves to devour some snippet of causation …”
“He had a sudden perception of death: a small thing moving in from the distance, winging slowly in the night air as she slept. Searching the house. Through a window. Into the shadowed bedroom. Silent now. Fluttering. Fluttering into her sagging mouth.”
“Fresnel made a steeple of his hands, his stone rings like gargoyles.”
“The looming presence sat astride the flood of perception and took it all. Before Nigel could apply the filters of his eyes, ears, skin, touch, smell – before all that, the being sponged up this new and strange world, and in the act altered it for Nigel as well.”
Now I want to read the next five books in this series and I hear that the next in line, "Across the Sea of Suns," is even better.