lmc@denelcor.UUCP (Lyle McElhaney) (01/15/85)
> I discovered another new (to me) author on that same trip ... > Robert L. Forward. His first novel, DRAGON's EGG, was published five > years ago and is a real treat. Forward's latest book, "The Flight of the Dragonfly" has been released in a trade edition. Like "Dragon's Egg", the science is absolutely first rate (as you would expect); very solidly based and yet imaginative in the style of Hal Clement's planets. The engineering of the spacecraft and especially the Christmas Bush robot(s) is unique. The characterizations of the scientists in Dragonfly is, like his first book, very stilted. To a man (and woman), the characters are *absolutely* dedicated to their arts-science (all are multiply talented), and are extremely well-adjusted to each other and their fates (they cannot have children, will never return from their voyage, and experience relativitic alienation). They have no faults. The story would be very boring if it had to depend only on the characters and their interactions. Buy it to read a world-class scientist speculate on inter-stellar travel. The plot, in this case, is not the thing, nor the style. I've certainly paid a lot more (than the trade price) for books that taught less without half of the interest. Lyle McElhaney ...denelcor!lmc -- Lyle McElhaney {hao, stcvax, brl-bmd, nbires, csu-cs} !denelcor!lmc
@RUTGERS.ARPA:milne@uci-icse (01/20/85)
From: Alastair Milne <milne@uci-icse> > > I discovered another new (to me) author on that same trip ... > > Robert L. Forward. His first novel, DRAGON's EGG, was published > > five years ago and is a real treat. > Forward's latest book, "The Flight of the Dragonfly" has been > released in a trade edition. Like "Dragon's Egg", the science is > absolutely first rate (as you would expect); very solidly based and > yet imaginative in the style of Hal Clement's planets. The > engineering of the spacecraft and especially the Christmas Bush > robot(s) is unique. Thank you. Having read and enormously enjoyed Dragon's Egg, I take that as a strong recommendation. I'll have to try to find "... Dragonfly". I agree completely about Forward's science. After the disappointments, gaps, and need for massive suspension of disbelieve so common with most sf, the solidity and excitement of Forward's ideas is a great relief. > The characterizations of the scientists in Dragonfly is, like his > first book, very stilted. To a man (and woman), the characters are > *absolutely* dedicated to their arts-science (all are multiply > talented), and are extremely well-adjusted to each other and their > fates (they cannot have children, will never return from their > voyage, and experience relativistic alienation). They have no > faults. The story would be very boring if it had to depend only on > the characters and their interactions. I have to contend with you about the characterisations on 2 points: 1 - the explorer type is often like that -- witness Thor Heyerdahl, or the people who are not content until they've walked to the South Pole or dog-paddled the Pacific (I am *not* mocking; I am using hyperbole to emphasise a point): without that kind of oneness of purpose, they couldn't do it. 2 - I think you're only talking about the human characters. What about the various characters throughout the history of the Egg (just now I can't remember what they called themselves)? Quite a variety of range and colour there -- recall the "messiah" who was the first to feel the probe laser on his topsides. And of course, that was the focus of the story: the evolution of the neutron creatures and their society, and the most notable characters in their history. > Buy it to read a world-class scientist speculate on inter-stellar > travel. The plot, in this case, is not the thing, nor the style. > I've certainly paid a lot more (than the trade price) for books that > taught less without half of the interest. > > Lyle McElhaney > ...denelcor!lmc > {hao, stcvax, brl-bmd, nbires, csu-cs} !denelcor!lmc Agreed on all counts. Alastair Milne
cem@intelca.UUCP (Chuck McManis) (01/28/85)
Wasn't TFotD published as a three part series in Analog not to long ago?
(Not to long = ~2yrs) Or was the book made up of the articles? Seems a
lot of multiparters are ending up as books these days (Witness D. Palmers
Emergence) and had thought this was just one more such. The Analog story
concerned the investigation of a remarkable double planet system with
floating intellegent blobs that lived in a big bubble of water that got
moved between planets, etc. It had a ship called the Dragon Fly, and
a christmas bush. Is this the same story?
--Chuck
--
- - - D I S C L A I M E R - - -
{ihnp4,fortune}!dual\ All opinions expressed herein are my
{qantel,idi}-> !intelca!cem own and not those of my employer, my
{ucbvax,hao}!hplabs/ friends, or my avocado plant. :-}mwm@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA (01/31/85)
["That's DISGUSTING! I think I like it."] Yes, the new Forward book TFotD is an expanded version of the serial that appeared in Analog. At a rough guess, 50% of the material in the book is new: covering preparations for the flight, the flight, and the Gargantua flybys (sorta useless material, that). An appendix giving technical details of the flight, including illos. If you liked (or haven't read & like Forward and/or Clement) the serial, the paperback is probably worth your $'s. The tradeback probably isn't. Now, I want to by a Christmas Bush for my Vaxen. Anybody selling 'em? <mike