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Starstream #1
From a Changeling Star
Across the galaxy, tensions are rising between the authoritarian Tandesko Triune and the free-marketers of the Auricle Alliance. Nevertheless, scientists of both sides have come together in Project Starmuse to observe the giant star Betelgeuse as it goes supernova. At the space station embedded inside the roiling star, the team anxiously awaits the return of the one man essential to the success of the project. Astronomer Willard Ruskin must discover why someone has infected him with nano-agents--artificially intelligent microscopic computers, which alter his appearance, his memory, his very DNA. Drawn in to a conflict from which not even death will free him, Ruskin must find a way to reach Betelgeuse before his enemies sabotage Starmuse...and humankind's future among the stars. This is a harrowing journey from inside the human cell to the mind of a dying star.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 20, 2021
Hard-SF is science fiction with concern for scientific and technical accuracy, and appeals especially to readers professionally or personally interested in scientific concepts. It demands more than internal consistency, although that is necessary, but also plausible realism. Hard-SF writers may speculate beyond known science, but may not mis-use known concepts. In magnetic resonance imaging, K-space is multi-dimensional frequency and phase domain, related to conventional coordinates through Fourier transform – a mathematical representation used to make certain data calculations more manageable. K-space is not an exotic substance or field in the physical universe. It is not a thing to be generated by shielded satellites orbiting within the photosphere of a star. Strings are a mathematical model for explaining behaviors of subatomic particles and waveforms, enormously smaller yet. Strings are not connections between black holes that speedily wave through the galaxy. They are not things to be captured and utilized as faster-than-light tunnels. When an SF writer borrows the vocabulary of science but without correspondingly accurate concepts, that is not Hard-SF, but Technobabble.
Jeffrey A. Carver’s 1989 novel From A Changeling Star is a technobabble adventure. I long ago read his novel Clypsis, part of Roger Zelazny’s Alien Speedway project, which I vaguely remember to be of a similar classification. In this, Willard Ruskin is the perspective character, and at the beginning of the story, his perspective is extremely uncertain and incomplete. There are scientists on board Starmuse, a station orbiting within the photosphere of Betelgeuse, desperately awaiting his arrival. At the same time, an unidentified man is victim of an assassination attempt in the backcountry of Kantano’s World. But apparently, his body contains nanoware that rapidly repairs physical and psychological damage, restoring him for successively more destructive attempts at assassination. As he finally comes alive again, he does not know who he is, where he is, or even what happened to him. Memory does not just snap back at some point, because the cause lies in the competing forces of psychological nanoware inhabiting his brain. For almost the entire duration of the novel, the mystery of his identity, his memories, and the multiple layers of conspiracy that he seems to be part of, drive the suspense even more than the action. Has he participated in deception of himself? The ending is cosmically superlative, but I had long abandoned suspension of disbelief, so it was kind of without impact to me.
Jeffrey A. Carver’s 1989 novel From A Changeling Star is a technobabble adventure. I long ago read his novel Clypsis, part of Roger Zelazny’s Alien Speedway project, which I vaguely remember to be of a similar classification. In this, Willard Ruskin is the perspective character, and at the beginning of the story, his perspective is extremely uncertain and incomplete. There are scientists on board Starmuse, a station orbiting within the photosphere of Betelgeuse, desperately awaiting his arrival. At the same time, an unidentified man is victim of an assassination attempt in the backcountry of Kantano’s World. But apparently, his body contains nanoware that rapidly repairs physical and psychological damage, restoring him for successively more destructive attempts at assassination. As he finally comes alive again, he does not know who he is, where he is, or even what happened to him. Memory does not just snap back at some point, because the cause lies in the competing forces of psychological nanoware inhabiting his brain. For almost the entire duration of the novel, the mystery of his identity, his memories, and the multiple layers of conspiracy that he seems to be part of, drive the suspense even more than the action. Has he participated in deception of himself? The ending is cosmically superlative, but I had long abandoned suspension of disbelief, so it was kind of without impact to me.
September 19, 2013
Willard Ruskin has survived being killed twice, nearly killing his girlfriend before he recognizes her, and having his memory seriously compromised by the nanobots warring for control of his mind.
And that's just for starters.
Ruskin is an astronomer, part of a project studying the star Betelgeuse, which is about to become a supernova. But that project, Starmuse, is a cover for the real project, Breakstar--a project with a far darker purpose. But with much of his memory missing, Ruskin doesn't know who he is, or was, working for, or who, if anyone, he can trust.
Ruskin's struggle to recover his memory and identity is well developed and nicely claustrophobic, while the external contest with his unknown enemies makes a fast-paced, exciting story.
And then there's another important character, besides Ruskin and his friends and enemies--Betelgeuse, or, as she calls herself, Bright. This is another interesting challenge of characterization, and Carver pulls it off.
Altogether, this is a fun and satisfying read, and well worth the time.
I borrowed this book from a friend.
And that's just for starters.
Ruskin is an astronomer, part of a project studying the star Betelgeuse, which is about to become a supernova. But that project, Starmuse, is a cover for the real project, Breakstar--a project with a far darker purpose. But with much of his memory missing, Ruskin doesn't know who he is, or was, working for, or who, if anyone, he can trust.
Ruskin's struggle to recover his memory and identity is well developed and nicely claustrophobic, while the external contest with his unknown enemies makes a fast-paced, exciting story.
And then there's another important character, besides Ruskin and his friends and enemies--Betelgeuse, or, as she calls herself, Bright. This is another interesting challenge of characterization, and Carver pulls it off.
Altogether, this is a fun and satisfying read, and well worth the time.
I borrowed this book from a friend.
January 7, 2009
I read this book when I was pretty young, and really thought the beginning was the coolest thing I had ever heard. I have a vague memory that I was confused throughout the rest of the book. Rereading it, I found this to be a pretty good book. I could have done with a little more action near the middle of the story, but it was good enough. I'm glad that I went back and read this book again. I certainly got a lot more out of it this time.
April 11, 2015
very solid science fiction. i dinged it for merely adequate character development; there are really only three solid characters in the book, and the only *truly* solid one is the protagonist, and his girlfriend is a lot like a cardboard cutout of what a "girlfriend" is supposed to be until about the last 20 pages, at which point she suddenly gains a reasonable amount of individual complexity. but the ideas this story is playing with are *fantastic,* and Carver does a great job handling them in a complex, well-paced, well-developed plot. i am quite certainly moving on to the second book in the series.
April 7, 2022
Già l'idea è un po' meh, poi la traduzione terribile rende la lettura una fatica.
June 15, 2012
From a Changeling Star by Jeffrey A. Carver is a mystery in a science fiction setting. It opens with Willard Ruskin running for his life, dying and coming to, with no memory of what has happened to him.
As Ruskin recovers physically and pieces together the facts of his life, he uncovers his involvement in a huge project to observe Betelgeuse going supernova. Somewhere along the way, Ruskin uncovers evidence of sabotage.
The novel has a great, dramatic start. The overall plot is something right out of Hitchcock if he were to have written science fiction.
Unfortunately the book is padded with extensive blackouts by Ruskin as he fights the nanobots he's been infected with. The nanobot mystery competes to heavily with the sabotage mystery. For me it made the book too confusing and disjointed.
As Ruskin recovers physically and pieces together the facts of his life, he uncovers his involvement in a huge project to observe Betelgeuse going supernova. Somewhere along the way, Ruskin uncovers evidence of sabotage.
The novel has a great, dramatic start. The overall plot is something right out of Hitchcock if he were to have written science fiction.
Unfortunately the book is padded with extensive blackouts by Ruskin as he fights the nanobots he's been infected with. The nanobot mystery competes to heavily with the sabotage mystery. For me it made the book too confusing and disjointed.
December 24, 2020
The opening scene of this novel has stuck with me for years and years. I first read this in high school, near when it came out. I’ve never really heard of nanotech agents that could rebuild bodies, or non-binary assassins who were frustrated by them. I’d long since given the book away, forgotten the name and title, but every once in a while I’d search “hir assassin nanotech” or something similar to try to find it again. Eventually I did - and here we are.
I enjoyed this re-read - still a lot to like in this novel. There’s probably 1 too many stars in my review due to nostalgia, but worth checking out if you’re interested.
I enjoyed this re-read - still a lot to like in this novel. There’s probably 1 too many stars in my review due to nostalgia, but worth checking out if you’re interested.
December 19, 2022
Starstream Book 1
I can honestly say that I have never read a book as intricately written and with such expansive depth. Mr Carver has created a space opera of incalculable complexity and breadth. In its simplest form it is about the creation of an intergalactic gateway by connecting the death of the supergiant Betelgeuse to an hyper-string anchored at the galactic core. It is also a complex thriller regarding the various factions political ideals and motivations. It will be interesting to see where and how this series progresses.
I can honestly say that I have never read a book as intricately written and with such expansive depth. Mr Carver has created a space opera of incalculable complexity and breadth. In its simplest form it is about the creation of an intergalactic gateway by connecting the death of the supergiant Betelgeuse to an hyper-string anchored at the galactic core. It is also a complex thriller regarding the various factions political ideals and motivations. It will be interesting to see where and how this series progresses.
April 11, 2023
Incredibly imaginative yarn about blowing up a sun to make a gateway through the stars. Amazing. The technical jargon was incomprehensible to me but I could follow its intent.
As you would expect, various factions wanted to own the gateway and the mapping and thus compromised the person necessary to effect the death of the sun and creation of the gateway. One faction just wanted to know if the sun itself had consciousness. Fascinating.
As you would expect, various factions wanted to own the gateway and the mapping and thus compromised the person necessary to effect the death of the sun and creation of the gateway. One faction just wanted to know if the sun itself had consciousness. Fascinating.
December 9, 2022
Good book but a lot of threads to the story
This was a good book with a lot of plot and character threads that intermingled throughout the story. Thee was a lot of action, some adventure, and some interesting locations. It will be fun to see what future books may expand on and explore what the main characters changed into I this book. I recommend this book.
This was a good book with a lot of plot and character threads that intermingled throughout the story. Thee was a lot of action, some adventure, and some interesting locations. It will be fun to see what future books may expand on and explore what the main characters changed into I this book. I recommend this book.
October 4, 2025
Ruskin has been killed… three times in an hour…in a forest. but has mysteriously healed within a few hours and struggled back to the lode with his memory scrambled. Apparently, through remarks from colleagues and friends he was working on 'Starmuse'- the project to observe Betelgeuse's demise - and he has pieced together that opposing political interests have targeted him because of a plan to trigger the supernova and at the same time generate a stargate. He has been infected with nanobots that turn him into a morphing killer and saboteur and only the introduction of friendly nanobots to counter the infecting ones has enabled him to regain some control of his mind and body. But on his way to the Starmuse observatory around the red supergiant his would-be assassin joins the ship, and a mysterious race thinks the star may be sentient... Jeffrey Carver has tried to juggle a lot of balls with this novel and manages to keep most of them in the air. It is entertaining but inevitably the complexity of the individual plot elements tends to get in the way of the story.
September 28, 2024
A little rocky in the beginning. A lot of politics and spacial orientation to fit together. But if you stick with it, the premise of the story is well thought out and emotionally appealing. C.J Cherryh and F. Pohl writing styles come to mind. I look forward to reading the sequel. Thanks for sharing!
July 28, 2017
Delightful piece of fantasy/sci-fi/poetry - a captivating story which grabbed me from the first pages and made me wonder what was going on. The story develops well, and the characters are good. I wouldn't say the science is plausible, but it's fun, and the book overall is well worth a read.
March 16, 2025
Different but good
It took me a while to join in on the journey, maybe a few (chapters). I joined in with the story and never looked back, enjoying the read, and pondering the stars.
It took me a while to join in on the journey, maybe a few (chapters). I joined in with the story and never looked back, enjoying the read, and pondering the stars.
July 14, 2020
Great story!
August 21, 2020
I feel like Jeffrey A. Carver is highly underrated. I love the universes he builds and the characters he fills them with.
November 18, 2022
awesome
This is not an ordinary story. As expected, I found this to be a challenging adventure that I did not always understand, but still found it fascinating.
This is not an ordinary story. As expected, I found this to be a challenging adventure that I did not always understand, but still found it fascinating.
January 17, 2023
What if stars are conscious?
April 8, 2023
Great ideas let down by writing
Great ideas, but poor character development and way too much elaboration on imagined future science.
His other works are definitely better
Great ideas, but poor character development and way too much elaboration on imagined future science.
His other works are definitely better
December 26, 2025
Interesting mishmash of ideas
Nano-tech, black holes, strings and intragalactic superhighways. There’s a lot going on here. Willard has his head blown off by an alien assassin. Then the story begins.
Turns out he’s some sort of genius that has figured out how to construct a superhighway to the center of the galaxy. With strings and K-Space. Throw in classic late stage capitalism versus hive mind communism and you have a tried bunch of tropes.
Technobabble to rival Star Trek is thrown in, but considering no one had a clue in popular culture in 1989 what any of these terms meant I’m not overly surprised. A memento like plot (though less time confused) keeps the guessing going. In the end it was readable and kind of fun.
Nano-tech, black holes, strings and intragalactic superhighways. There’s a lot going on here. Willard has his head blown off by an alien assassin. Then the story begins.
Turns out he’s some sort of genius that has figured out how to construct a superhighway to the center of the galaxy. With strings and K-Space. Throw in classic late stage capitalism versus hive mind communism and you have a tried bunch of tropes.
Technobabble to rival Star Trek is thrown in, but considering no one had a clue in popular culture in 1989 what any of these terms meant I’m not overly surprised. A memento like plot (though less time confused) keeps the guessing going. In the end it was readable and kind of fun.
November 28, 2022
I think this novel suffers from trying to do too much. The protagonist is suffering from a form of amnesia and his memories have been tampered with so it’s a classic unreliable narrator situation. This is fine when you know the world the characters inhabit. It’s much more challenging when you don’t understand the character’s world (and even at the end of the novel, I still can’t say I understand it). There are multiple factions but not enough information on the politics to know if you should be rooting for one or care who came out on top. It’s not terrible. There are def some cool concepts in it. But I found it hard to get emotionally invested.
May 31, 2016
I read this book because Rosemary Kirstein (author of the Steerswoman books) recommended it - so many thanks to her.
Ruskin faces problems with an enemy who is trying to kill him, and his own body and mind which have been invaded and stripped of memories. The book chronicles his recovery of them, and his abilities to engineer a major change in the political and technological landscape. It's a satisfying and suspenseful book with a great sense of pace and timing. Recommended.
Ruskin faces problems with an enemy who is trying to kill him, and his own body and mind which have been invaded and stripped of memories. The book chronicles his recovery of them, and his abilities to engineer a major change in the political and technological landscape. It's a satisfying and suspenseful book with a great sense of pace and timing. Recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2022
Supernova beyond reason. This story started with great promise. The protagonist bravely facing impossible odds and losing repeatedly at first. But the author has been too ambitious imho attempting to merge science based ideas with the spiritual. Frankly the constant confusion and repetition overwhelmed the ideas. Not doubt everything is resolved at the end of the series but I will pass I’m afraid.
July 11, 2019
This book grabbed me at page one and never let me go. A man with a severely fragmented memory tries to discover who he is, what happened to him, and what role he plays in scientific project dealing with up-close observation of a supernova. All this is happening while he's on the run from an assassin and trying to determine which, if any, of his friends he can trust.
December 26, 2014
EMOTIONALLY ENGAGING AND INTERESTINGLY INFORMATIONAL
With characters involved in science as well as their advanced living circumstances and prospects in the future, this book provides satisfaction. Interaction with others of differing beliefs and desires produces other considerations, as well as engrossing points of view.
With characters involved in science as well as their advanced living circumstances and prospects in the future, this book provides satisfaction. Interaction with others of differing beliefs and desires produces other considerations, as well as engrossing points of view.
February 18, 2015
From a Changeling Star wraps a mystery inside a "sort of" murder mystery. I say "sort of" since the victim miraculously recover from clearly lethal injuries, through means even he doesn't understand. The race to understand why someone wanted Willard Ruskin dead, and why he survived, is intertwined with a plan to greatly expand mankind's reach across the galaxy.
June 5, 2016
Mind bending.
Fun science fiction with all kinds of dimensions. Wrapped around the mystery of Willard Ruskin and what has happened (been done?) to him. As he struggled to regain/retain his memories, the story takes you into and beyond the heart of a dying star. A very nice contrast to more conventional space opera.
Fun science fiction with all kinds of dimensions. Wrapped around the mystery of Willard Ruskin and what has happened (been done?) to him. As he struggled to regain/retain his memories, the story takes you into and beyond the heart of a dying star. A very nice contrast to more conventional space opera.
June 30, 2025
I have loved reading Carver’s Chaos Chronicles which I have found convincing and believable but this and another earlier book from him I have found rather less plausible. His big science ideas are still interesting and pull me in, but his characters, motivations and plot all feel that bit more contrived and unconvincing.
October 8, 2014
Another book I read a long time ago and can't remember at all.
November 17, 2014
Really more like 3.5. I enjoyed this...Good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews