Nightwatch

by Andrew M. Stephenson

The Golem Master — Dan Frome knew more than any living man about the Golems -- self-programming robots designed to "man" the Jupiter probe. He was not surprised to be drafted to Dvornik Moon base, site of the Jupiter launch. Once he was there, the picture changed drastically. There was no probe. But there was an alien spaceship driving in toward the Solar System even as, on Earth, mankind prepared to destroy itself in a final war. With hundreds of experts, Frome had been brought to Dvornik for Nightwatch, a supersecret program of defense. The Golems were to intercept the invader -- but Frome knew they could not. He knew all too well who would go out -- alone -- to meet the alien in the depths of Dan Frome

Genres: Science Fiction

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Daniel Stainback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I really enjoyed this book and don't regret buying it, but it wasn't what I was expecting. Though I wasn't expecting an amazing space opera, I was expecting more alien interaction and some type of character development with the golems, which didn't really happen until the last quarter of the book.

This book could have started a great series...unless dragged out scenes and pointless love stories are the author's norm, then this being the first and last book is fine by me.

[Koen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nachtwacht, geschreven door Andrew Stephenson.
Er is een nieuwe ster aan de hemel ontbrand….. die nadert snel….

ISBN 90 290 1481 4
Vertaling Gerard Suurmeijer
Omslag Chris Foss
Copyright Nederlandse vertaling 1979 door Meulenhoff SF, nummer 151.

Start 12/8-2023
Finish 18/8-2023

Het verhaal start in 2006 en een grote groep mensen wordt vanaf de aarde naar de maanbasis Dvornik gebracht voor een geheim project. De maanbasis is gebouwd door de Russen in de Lansberg krater. Daniel heeft Golem-30-001 gemaakt, een AI Robot met de naam Ismaël en zijn expertise is gewenst op de maan. Op de maan wordt duidelijk dat er nieuwe ster gesignaleerd is, die een buitenaards ruimteschip blijkt te zijn. Op de maan wordt alles in werking gezet om zo goed mogelijk voorbereid te zijn voor de ontmoeting met deze buitenaardse wezens.

Goed geschreven verhaal geschreven in 1977 en de tijd is gezet op 2006 voor de start van het verhaal. Dit doet niets af aan de inhoud (en is eigenlijk wel heel leuk als je dit leest in 2023).
Onze aarde wordt bedreigd door overbevolking en een wereldomvattende oorlog en het gaat mis. Niet alleen wordt er een goed verhaal neergezet over een mogelijke toekomstige maanbasis maar ook hoe de bewoners geconfronteerd worden met een oorlog op aarde. Tegelijkertijd vindt er ook een politieke worsteling plaats op de maan: Wie is er loyaal aan welke principes? Dan lijkt het erop dat de Golems eigenlijk niet geschikt zijn voor het autonoom besturen van de ruimteschepen die vooruit gestuurd worden en uiteindelijk speelt het bezoek van de onbekende buitenaardse wezens ook een belangrijke rol.
Ik heb genoten van dit wat oudere Meulenhoff SF Boek en wat mij betreft 3,5 sterren.

Check trouwens ook de SF Art van Chris Foss, echt waanzinnig mooi! www.chrisfossart.com. Als ik zo zijn site bekijk, werkt hij ook mee aan Dune en Guardians of the Galxy. De cover van dit boek is een plaatje.

Lijst met de karakters en dan zal ik er vast een paar vergeten zijn:
Daniel Frome, cybernetisch ingenieur en bedenker en bouwer van het Golemproject.
Helen Lorraine, de verloofde van Daniel.
Byron Yale, las-specialist.
Shijo, Werner Ulm, Odette Galfoy en Guy Palmer. Het team waar Daniel aan toegevoegd wordt om 18 Golems in te bouwen in evenzoveel ruimteschepen.
Raoul Lobos, Astrofysicus.
Simon Dien, ruimteschip constructeur.
Amrik Chundilar, Laser specialist.
Steelyard Jones, antenne bouwer.
Gustavus Hochmann, ruimtepak reparateur.
Gamiel, piloot van de pendelraket.

Basiscommandant Boris Kallekjan
Terenence Denham.
Kapitein Lamov van de Veiligheidsdiens.
Kwartiermeester Georg Bouklis
Sergeant Topravin
Korporaal Smerz
Soldaten Prezekolov en Fiordowitsj

Joel Phom, voorzitter van het Nachtwacht-comité.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite the lurid cover, the all but tenuous threat of golem usage and the threat of approaching space aliens, this seems to be all mawkish emotionalism surrounded by a limited number of disconnected personalized events, interspersed with a sort of prelude to a blanket of DEI absurdity. So where are the aliens? Three quarters of the way through and not an alien in sight nor a golem, although in a brief aside possibly due to the abject embarrassment of being mentioned in this narrative, at least the earth has been self-immolated. The main protagonist is a scientist who acts more like an eight year old moron, otherwise there are no other fleshed out characters at all. Wouldn't be surprised if the author wrote this faster then I can read it - never a good sign. The one redeeming quality found are the bits of scholarly vocabulary found here and there.

[Lonnie Veal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice low-key tension thriller. Humanity is on the edge of extinction when a titanic ship starts it's deceleration burn into the Solar System. The last paranoid leaders dragoon a lone scientist into using his autonomous 'golems' to send a scout to determine if the ship is hostile.

[Patrick Scheele · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contains all the big ideas and plot points needed for a great story. Yet, it falls flat. The main problem I had with it is that the writer very obviously is making the plot up as he is going along. For example: the hero's relationship status is left a bit up in the air when he goes to the moon for two years. He then remains faithful to her for years and still remains faithful after he could safely presume her dead. But then he learns she got a job in a base on the bottom of the sea, so she may well be alive. But he apparently already knew that was an option. Then the nigh-omnipotent peaceful, but not friendly, aliens tell him she is dead anyway. Which makes no difference in his life, considering he never tried to find her or contact her anyway. So what was the point?

One more example: At some point it is revealed that the lunar colony had a deeper purpose, that of a place for humankind to survive the coming atomic war. That means people who had expected to return home to their families after two years are suddenly captives on the moon. But it's never made clear how the colony could hope to survive with limited food supplies.

There are also a few homicidal maniacs in the book, probably thrown in for added excitement, but since they have no sane reason for doing what they do and I know the hero is never really in danger anyway, it just annoyed me.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The year is AD2006 and Earth is on the brink of war and is near to a total collapse so thoughts turn with the imminent destruction of Earth to building a colony on the moon with the help of the Russia Dvornik moonbase.
But even there, things are not going as planned and there is a fear that an "alien" spaceship is heading straight for the moonbase but is it friend or foe?
Daniel Frome creator of the robotic forts intended to intercept the alien craft is aware of a flaw in the forts control systems.
So with the fate of Earth and also Dvornik hanging in the balance can Daniel do anything to help and save anything from such a bleak future?
A great and engaging first novel by this author, a must for fans of classic sci fi.

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

1982 grade C+