@RUTGERS.ARPA:Susser.pasa@Xerox.ARPA (05/10/85)
From: Susser.pasa@Xerox.ARPA >From: sampath@topdoc.DEC (Superman 3.2 under field test) >Can some one post/email brief reviews of Gregory Benford novels ? As luck would have it, I was ill this past weekend, and had a wonderful chance to re-read Gregory Benford's /In the Ocean of Night/. I first read this about five or six years ago, and was strongly impressed by Benford's writitng style. Today, my impression is the same: excellent. /In the Ocean of Night/ is set in the near future, and involves humankind's first contacts with alien intelligence. As science fiction, this book is very believable. As a novel, this book is a work of art. While I was slightly annoyed at the way Benford chose to end this book, I think that has to do mostly with the way I like to see a book end. Anyway, the book is a joy to read. Benford has a fantastic appreciation of what captures and binds a reader to a story. He freely switches from prose to verse in his writing, with no apology but with great effect. Benford's attention to minutae brings his characters into sharp focus and fills their lives with a richness that I find enviable. The flow of the story is fast and full. I was surprised when I reached the halfway point and found more book, for I had already read a good novel. As a Pasadena resident, I was tickled a few times by Benford's description of Pasadena in the 2010s. I hope the smog doesn't really get that bad. /In the Ocean of Night/ is a good read. I recommend it highly. -- Josh Susser <Susser.pasa@Xerox.arpa>