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Further: Beyond the Threshold
Humankind is spread across three thousand light years in a myriad of worlds and habitats known as the Human Entelechy. Linked by a network of wormholes with Earth at its center, it is the world Captain RJ Stone awakens to after a twelve-thousand-year cryogenic suspension.
Stone soon finds himself commanding the maiden voyage of the first spacecraft to break the light speed barrier: the FTL Further. In search of extraterrestrial intelligence, the landing party explores a distant pulsar only to be taken prisoner by the bloodthirsty Iron Mass, a religious sect exiled from the Entelechy millennia before. Now Stone and his crew must escape while they try to solve the riddle of the planet’s network of stone towers that may be proof of the intelligence they’ve come to find.
The first in critically acclaimed author Chris Roberson’s scintillating new series, Further: Beyond the Threshold is a fascinating ride to the farthest reaches of the imagination.
Stone soon finds himself commanding the maiden voyage of the first spacecraft to break the light speed barrier: the FTL Further. In search of extraterrestrial intelligence, the landing party explores a distant pulsar only to be taken prisoner by the bloodthirsty Iron Mass, a religious sect exiled from the Entelechy millennia before. Now Stone and his crew must escape while they try to solve the riddle of the planet’s network of stone towers that may be proof of the intelligence they’ve come to find.
The first in critically acclaimed author Chris Roberson’s scintillating new series, Further: Beyond the Threshold is a fascinating ride to the farthest reaches of the imagination.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2012
48 people are currently reading
598 people want to read
About the author
Chris Roberson
552 books264 followersChris Roberson is the co-creator with artist Michael Allred of iZombie, the basis of the hit CW television series, and the writer of several New York Times best-selling Cinderella miniseries set in the world of Bill Willingham’s Fables. He is also the co-creator of Edison Rex with artist Dennis Culver, and the co-writer of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D, Witchfinder, Rise of the Black Flame, and other titles set in the world of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. In addition to his numerous comics projects, Roberson has written more than a dozen novels and three dozen short stories. He lives with a teenager, two cats, and far too many books in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
April 6, 2012
I’m torn on how to review this book. I think it is wildly imaginative. For instance, the premise is great—a deep space explorer is woken from cryogenic suspension later than he expected. Sure, that notion has been used before in everything from Rip Van Winkle to Buck Rogers to Aliens. But what sets this book apart is the amount of time involved. Not tens or even hundreds of years, but thousands.
The irony here is that the protagonist (Captain RJ Stone) went out looking for alien life, but by the time he awakes, humans are the aliens. And I don’t exaggerate when I say that. In the future this book describes (one 12,000 years hence) “human” is a nebulous term. There are human “beings” in mechanical bodies and in lab-grown biological (but not necessarily human in appearance) bodies. There are distributed intelligences (consciousness shared over more than one body), animals that have been “uplifted” to sentience, humans reconstructed from former memories…it has the makings of the cantina scene in Star Wars, except all the creatures can trace their origin to Earth. But even Earth has radically changed too.
Because the future is so very different from our own, the “Further” spends many pages in description and exposition. Much of that is probably necessary, given the foreignness of the surroundings. However, it means that about two-thirds of the book is spent touring around and talking to creatures, and discovering still more human-based creatures. To the book’s credit, I never felt like it was dragging. The new things were interesting enough to hold my attention. But if you’re looking for Star Wars style action, you won’t find it here until the end. And then it comes in a hurry.
The reason I have mixed feelings about the book stems more from the underlying themes. I have to admit, there were a couple times I almost put the book down. Don’t get me wrong, I’m used to secular humanism being the law of the land in science fiction. Any person of faith has to be able to take a few digs if they’re going to read it. But part of my consternation here is because I’m not sure what the author is trying to say. On the one hand, he has the main character slam creationism (calling it “antiscience”) and religious thought overall, painting it as something that holds humanity back and ultimately dooms the United States. Yet on the other hand he seems to glorify a form of future Hinduism. (Perhaps because that belief-system lends itself most easily to the “anything is intelligent” future he has created?) Then, shock of all, the main villains—teased early on to be religious zealots—ultimately are evolutionists seeking to direct life toward a future Deity.
It is all very strange. But maybe that’s okay. Maybe the theme in such a novel should be open to wild interpretation. I was entertained, I applaud the speculation, but I leave a little puzzled.
(One side note, I think the title of this book is terrible. It is too generic and a bit of riddle. Even after reading the book it seems woefully lacking.)
The irony here is that the protagonist (Captain RJ Stone) went out looking for alien life, but by the time he awakes, humans are the aliens. And I don’t exaggerate when I say that. In the future this book describes (one 12,000 years hence) “human” is a nebulous term. There are human “beings” in mechanical bodies and in lab-grown biological (but not necessarily human in appearance) bodies. There are distributed intelligences (consciousness shared over more than one body), animals that have been “uplifted” to sentience, humans reconstructed from former memories…it has the makings of the cantina scene in Star Wars, except all the creatures can trace their origin to Earth. But even Earth has radically changed too.
Because the future is so very different from our own, the “Further” spends many pages in description and exposition. Much of that is probably necessary, given the foreignness of the surroundings. However, it means that about two-thirds of the book is spent touring around and talking to creatures, and discovering still more human-based creatures. To the book’s credit, I never felt like it was dragging. The new things were interesting enough to hold my attention. But if you’re looking for Star Wars style action, you won’t find it here until the end. And then it comes in a hurry.
The reason I have mixed feelings about the book stems more from the underlying themes. I have to admit, there were a couple times I almost put the book down. Don’t get me wrong, I’m used to secular humanism being the law of the land in science fiction. Any person of faith has to be able to take a few digs if they’re going to read it. But part of my consternation here is because I’m not sure what the author is trying to say. On the one hand, he has the main character slam creationism (calling it “antiscience”) and religious thought overall, painting it as something that holds humanity back and ultimately dooms the United States. Yet on the other hand he seems to glorify a form of future Hinduism. (Perhaps because that belief-system lends itself most easily to the “anything is intelligent” future he has created?) Then, shock of all, the main villains—teased early on to be religious zealots—ultimately are evolutionists seeking to direct life toward a future Deity.
It is all very strange. But maybe that’s okay. Maybe the theme in such a novel should be open to wild interpretation. I was entertained, I applaud the speculation, but I leave a little puzzled.
(One side note, I think the title of this book is terrible. It is too generic and a bit of riddle. Even after reading the book it seems woefully lacking.)
May 27, 2012
This is, on balance, just on the edge between 'not recommended' and 'meh'.
The general concept and ideas Roberson toys with here are promising in potentia. The downfall is the absolutely nothing is being done with them.
There is no character development, no personal arcs. People are introduced, and never ever stray outside their single-paragraph archetypical characterizations.
There are no events happening throughout the first half of the book. Literally nothing.
There is exactly one single conflict situation - near the very end. That's it.
The potentialy great ideas (for example, how far would the definition of "human, humanity" stretch in far future? What lifeforms would you class as human, and where would you stop?) are barely mentioned as background elements, with absolutely 0 follow-up. This book will not make you think about anything.
As it stands, this is, I suppose, the definition of supremely light coffe-table Sci-Fi. Uncontroversional, unengaging, uneventful, unfulfilled and uninteresting. There is nothing, nothing at all, that would make the reader care about anything that's written there.
The general concept and ideas Roberson toys with here are promising in potentia. The downfall is the absolutely nothing is being done with them.
There is no character development, no personal arcs. People are introduced, and never ever stray outside their single-paragraph archetypical characterizations.
There are no events happening throughout the first half of the book. Literally nothing.
There is exactly one single conflict situation - near the very end. That's it.
The potentialy great ideas (for example, how far would the definition of "human, humanity" stretch in far future? What lifeforms would you class as human, and where would you stop?) are barely mentioned as background elements, with absolutely 0 follow-up. This book will not make you think about anything.
As it stands, this is, I suppose, the definition of supremely light coffe-table Sci-Fi. Uncontroversional, unengaging, uneventful, unfulfilled and uninteresting. There is nothing, nothing at all, that would make the reader care about anything that's written there.
Read
June 17, 2012Hah. This is like Doctor Who or Hitchhiker's Guide. Deceptive cover. The cover should have a lot of crazy-looking creatures.
Nice vocabulary. Ebook is probably the ideal way to read this. It's nice to be able to quickly look up the occasional exotic word.
59/343: Like science fiction candy. Future earth is cool.
Old interview on Functional Nerds. http://functionalnerds.com/2010/09/ep...
He wrote the Fables Cinderella comic too. John Annealio says the science in his books doesn't get in the way of caring for the characters.
78/343: Ok, let's get the story going here.
107/343: Hmm, not much going on with the plot. Mostly Stone is touring the future or reminiscing about science fiction. I'm tempted to stall. Lots of futuristic ideas though. There's also an editing mistake where the main character uses an earpiece before he gets it. This is published by Amazon?
Nice vocabulary. Ebook is probably the ideal way to read this. It's nice to be able to quickly look up the occasional exotic word.
59/343: Like science fiction candy. Future earth is cool.
Old interview on Functional Nerds. http://functionalnerds.com/2010/09/ep...
He wrote the Fables Cinderella comic too. John Annealio says the science in his books doesn't get in the way of caring for the characters.
78/343: Ok, let's get the story going here.
107/343: Hmm, not much going on with the plot. Mostly Stone is touring the future or reminiscing about science fiction. I'm tempted to stall. Lots of futuristic ideas though. There's also an editing mistake where the main character uses an earpiece before he gets it. This is published by Amazon?
June 11, 2012
Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers
In the 22nd century, Captain Ramachandra Jason ("RJ") Stone and a small crew of five others embarked on a perilous but hopeful journey to the stars - spending the 10 light-year journey in cryogenic sleep en route to Alpha Centauri B. When RJ awakens, however, he is not surrounded by his fellow travelers on the surface of a new Earth-like planet four decades later, as planned. Instead, the Captain finds himself the sole survivor of Wayfarer One's unlucky fate, but approximately 12,000 years later. Early in its mission, the Wayfarer was hit by a micrometeoroid, which damaged the primitive ship's internal logic and neglected to wake up its crewmembers. Now, twelve millennia later, RJ Stone is a man out of time and thrust into a world that is nothing like the one he left behind.
In his long, long sleep, humanity has changed drastically. Earth - ravaged by environmental change, overcrowding, and still suffering from the aftershocks of a devastating asteroid impact - has changed in composition and size. The very definition of humanity has changed, to include all sentient creatures of Earth-life origin - no longer limited to biological homo sapiens bipeds. With advanced technology and the creation of a threshold connecting star systems formerly tens and hundreds of light years away by a network of portals (wormholes), humanity has grown peaceful, but somewhat complacent. RJ Stone's arrival changes all that - and a daring project to reach across the galaxy and find non-Earth origin sentience on the first-ever FTL starship, the Further, will finally be undertaken, with Stone at the helm.
I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of Chris Roberson's prose work prior to Further (though I have thoroughly enjoyed iZombie and Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love), but I now see that there is a deficiency in my speculative fiction diet - because this first novel in a new SF series? Yeah - it's pretty awesome.
Further begins with a very familiar staple in the SF canon - the good ol' Rip Van Winkle caper, with a hero that has Slept!Too!Long! only to awaken to a world that has drastically changed. It is the manner of the changed world, the definition and evolution of humanity, and the fun ease with which Roberson writes, however, that makes Further such a compelling read. Introducing readers to a far-future iteration of humanity, where definitions have shifted to include any form of sentience - animal-based, mechanical, or otherwise - I found myself instantly captivated by this vision of future civilization. Through the lens of a somewhat relatable contemporary character (for, though Ramachandra Stone is from the twenty-second century, post-devestating asteroid impact, his views and interpretations are close enough to our own contemporary world), we witness how these perceptions of what defines intelligent life change over the millennia. And there's something very natural and acceptable about this evolved perspective of sentient life. Ramachandra's own views, his quickness to label fellow sentients as robots, chimps, or birds instead of human is offensive to all those in this distant future but perhaps more in-tune with our own current perceptions and prejudices. (I also appreciated the juxtaposition of Ramachandra's own Indian and American background leveraged against this future vision of discrimination.)
From a writing and science perspective, Further also does a solid job. While the story's pacing is a tad uneven and tends towards heavy exposition, especially in the early chapters,I do appreciate Roberson's attempt to integrate some scientific explanation for his future world - in which humans have taken to adopting animal features and robot, bird-watching space probes are considered human. And while some of the harder science elements are there (the use of the ship Further's working Alcubierre Bubble/Drive, for example), Roberson isn't as detailed as a Larry Niven or Stephen Baxter. Rather, Further focuses more on character and the personal journey of Ramachandra as he tries to adjust to his new time and role in the Human Entelechy. The novel's main conflict is perhaps a bit muddy and comes late in the book - featuring a few one-note villains - but I don't hold that against the novel. The exposition and world, the character of Ramachandra, and the introduction to this very strange future is the meat of the story, and I truly enjoyed it all.
In the vein of Roddenberry's classic USS Enterprise, the Further and her intrepid crew have many, many adventures ahead of them on their ongoing mission to explore strange new worlds and boldly go where no member of the Human Entelechy has gone before.
And I, for one, am very excited to continue to ride.
In the 22nd century, Captain Ramachandra Jason ("RJ") Stone and a small crew of five others embarked on a perilous but hopeful journey to the stars - spending the 10 light-year journey in cryogenic sleep en route to Alpha Centauri B. When RJ awakens, however, he is not surrounded by his fellow travelers on the surface of a new Earth-like planet four decades later, as planned. Instead, the Captain finds himself the sole survivor of Wayfarer One's unlucky fate, but approximately 12,000 years later. Early in its mission, the Wayfarer was hit by a micrometeoroid, which damaged the primitive ship's internal logic and neglected to wake up its crewmembers. Now, twelve millennia later, RJ Stone is a man out of time and thrust into a world that is nothing like the one he left behind.
In his long, long sleep, humanity has changed drastically. Earth - ravaged by environmental change, overcrowding, and still suffering from the aftershocks of a devastating asteroid impact - has changed in composition and size. The very definition of humanity has changed, to include all sentient creatures of Earth-life origin - no longer limited to biological homo sapiens bipeds. With advanced technology and the creation of a threshold connecting star systems formerly tens and hundreds of light years away by a network of portals (wormholes), humanity has grown peaceful, but somewhat complacent. RJ Stone's arrival changes all that - and a daring project to reach across the galaxy and find non-Earth origin sentience on the first-ever FTL starship, the Further, will finally be undertaken, with Stone at the helm.
I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of Chris Roberson's prose work prior to Further (though I have thoroughly enjoyed iZombie and Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love), but I now see that there is a deficiency in my speculative fiction diet - because this first novel in a new SF series? Yeah - it's pretty awesome.
Further begins with a very familiar staple in the SF canon - the good ol' Rip Van Winkle caper, with a hero that has Slept!Too!Long! only to awaken to a world that has drastically changed. It is the manner of the changed world, the definition and evolution of humanity, and the fun ease with which Roberson writes, however, that makes Further such a compelling read. Introducing readers to a far-future iteration of humanity, where definitions have shifted to include any form of sentience - animal-based, mechanical, or otherwise - I found myself instantly captivated by this vision of future civilization. Through the lens of a somewhat relatable contemporary character (for, though Ramachandra Stone is from the twenty-second century, post-devestating asteroid impact, his views and interpretations are close enough to our own contemporary world), we witness how these perceptions of what defines intelligent life change over the millennia. And there's something very natural and acceptable about this evolved perspective of sentient life. Ramachandra's own views, his quickness to label fellow sentients as robots, chimps, or birds instead of human is offensive to all those in this distant future but perhaps more in-tune with our own current perceptions and prejudices. (I also appreciated the juxtaposition of Ramachandra's own Indian and American background leveraged against this future vision of discrimination.)
From a writing and science perspective, Further also does a solid job. While the story's pacing is a tad uneven and tends towards heavy exposition, especially in the early chapters,I do appreciate Roberson's attempt to integrate some scientific explanation for his future world - in which humans have taken to adopting animal features and robot, bird-watching space probes are considered human. And while some of the harder science elements are there (the use of the ship Further's working Alcubierre Bubble/Drive, for example), Roberson isn't as detailed as a Larry Niven or Stephen Baxter. Rather, Further focuses more on character and the personal journey of Ramachandra as he tries to adjust to his new time and role in the Human Entelechy. The novel's main conflict is perhaps a bit muddy and comes late in the book - featuring a few one-note villains - but I don't hold that against the novel. The exposition and world, the character of Ramachandra, and the introduction to this very strange future is the meat of the story, and I truly enjoyed it all.
In the vein of Roddenberry's classic USS Enterprise, the Further and her intrepid crew have many, many adventures ahead of them on their ongoing mission to explore strange new worlds and boldly go where no member of the Human Entelechy has gone before.
And I, for one, am very excited to continue to ride.
March 19, 2014
At around 50% through this book I felt there had been no plot progression, there was too much explanation, brought on by how widely different this future is from the present. At 70% through there was at last movement through a plot, though it was basically just that, movement, still no real story arcs.
The story itself really happened in the last 30% of the book, and at times could be exciting in it's own right. However, I feel that the most interesting part of this book could have been an exploration of a culture that was forcibly cut off from the rest of civilisation, which unfortunately did not really happen. the iron mass, the chief villains in the story, were instead 2 dimensional killing machines that had not really changed in character over 5000 years, despite not extending their lifespan like the rest of the civilisation.
All in all, the story part of the book was exciting, but it was flat and such a minor part of the book that I was left feeling disappointed.
The story itself really happened in the last 30% of the book, and at times could be exciting in it's own right. However, I feel that the most interesting part of this book could have been an exploration of a culture that was forcibly cut off from the rest of civilisation, which unfortunately did not really happen. the iron mass, the chief villains in the story, were instead 2 dimensional killing machines that had not really changed in character over 5000 years, despite not extending their lifespan like the rest of the civilisation.
All in all, the story part of the book was exciting, but it was flat and such a minor part of the book that I was left feeling disappointed.
December 18, 2017
It's a bit of a shame. For a book with such a great opening line, it really doesn't live up all that well to it's potential.
There's a good story in here somewhere, but he first half of the book has the main character spending a whole lot of time learning the backstory of the culture they've suddenly woken up in, only to be unceremoniously thrust into a Star Trek-esque voyage of exploration.
It's almost written as if it was begging to be put on a film screen, full of lots of jargon, science fictiony characters, a comically evil civilization, and a tropey plot.
I mostly finished it because it was a pretty easy read, and by the time I realized the book wasn't really going anywhere, I was already halfway through it.
There's a good story in here somewhere, but he first half of the book has the main character spending a whole lot of time learning the backstory of the culture they've suddenly woken up in, only to be unceremoniously thrust into a Star Trek-esque voyage of exploration.
It's almost written as if it was begging to be put on a film screen, full of lots of jargon, science fictiony characters, a comically evil civilization, and a tropey plot.
I mostly finished it because it was a pretty easy read, and by the time I realized the book wasn't really going anywhere, I was already halfway through it.
July 8, 2015
Not a particularly deep book but it's lots of fun. A good portion of the book, we are following the main character around looking at cool futuristic things or ideas. Roberson's description of these objects are incredible but it doesn't make for much of a story. Only in the last 3rd of the book does anything happen. If you like Buck Rogers in the 25th century, give this book a try.
April 2, 2020
I first heard of this book on Winchell Chung's Atomic Rockets website. It's an adventure in a thrilling new universe reminiscent of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
In the 22nd century, Ramachandra Jason Stone enters cryosleep, the captain of a four-person crew on an expedition to an earthlike planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B.
Their ship never arrives.
Stone, sole survivor of his expedition, awakens to a strange and alien world--the world of the Human Entelechy, 12,000 years later. Not one week after his awakening he is tapped by the eldritch AIs of the Entelechy to captain their most advanced starship, the first one capable of faster-than-light travel. They want him to lead its diverse and talented crew to investigate signs of the one thing the Entelechy's science has yet to find--alien intelligence, a civilization not descended from Earth.
Like Buck Rogers, he is a man out of his time, yet one bringing unique gifts to a world both human and post-human, highly advanced and incredibly diverse.
Roberson makes a few obvious mistakes--he mistakes Delta Pavonis for Beta Pavonis for one thing, but overall an enjoyable read. I hope he comes back to this universe again.
In the 22nd century, Ramachandra Jason Stone enters cryosleep, the captain of a four-person crew on an expedition to an earthlike planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B.
Their ship never arrives.
Stone, sole survivor of his expedition, awakens to a strange and alien world--the world of the Human Entelechy, 12,000 years later. Not one week after his awakening he is tapped by the eldritch AIs of the Entelechy to captain their most advanced starship, the first one capable of faster-than-light travel. They want him to lead its diverse and talented crew to investigate signs of the one thing the Entelechy's science has yet to find--alien intelligence, a civilization not descended from Earth.
Like Buck Rogers, he is a man out of his time, yet one bringing unique gifts to a world both human and post-human, highly advanced and incredibly diverse.
Roberson makes a few obvious mistakes--he mistakes Delta Pavonis for Beta Pavonis for one thing, but overall an enjoyable read. I hope he comes back to this universe again.
April 15, 2019
This kind of felt like a juvenile. A decent story but one-dimensional. Human space explorer suffers an accident that causes him to stay in suspended animation for 12,000 years. There's a Rip Van Winkle scenario as he takes in the awesome progress of future humanity. This takes up a good two thirds of the book before they embark on an adventure, which fills the remainder of the book. The bad guys are basically Nazis so there's no grey areas or anything.
August 26, 2024
Really cool world building, but a whole lot of nothing happening.
I really enjoy the universe Chris Roberson built, and for the beginning of the story I was happy just sight seeing the world through the eyes of the dismayed protagonist who's experiencing this all for the first time as well. His descriptions are really vivid and even having read this book a few years ago I have a lucid picture of the futuristic world and earth in my head.
That being said, the plot... takes awhile to get moving. And then when it does, you realize the books almost over. And when it does get started there's so little of the story left it feels like a separate short story just crammed onto the end.
Still a cool read if you're a sci fi nerd or a sucker for world building.
I really enjoy the universe Chris Roberson built, and for the beginning of the story I was happy just sight seeing the world through the eyes of the dismayed protagonist who's experiencing this all for the first time as well. His descriptions are really vivid and even having read this book a few years ago I have a lucid picture of the futuristic world and earth in my head.
That being said, the plot... takes awhile to get moving. And then when it does, you realize the books almost over. And when it does get started there's so little of the story left it feels like a separate short story just crammed onto the end.
Still a cool read if you're a sci fi nerd or a sucker for world building.
December 27, 2025
I like the different take on sci-fi, having a person accidentally in stasis for 12,000 years and what the galaxy may be like at that point in the future. Some good ideas and interesting characters. The book needs a better proof-reader, lots of little problems throughout.
October 7, 2017
Interestin
Interesting concept on space travel and culture. I really didn't know what to expect from the description on Amazon. Hoping there is a second book.
Interesting concept on space travel and culture. I really didn't know what to expect from the description on Amazon. Hoping there is a second book.
May 26, 2020
Ok but not super engaging
May 21, 2013
This is a book that I've had in my Kindle for a while, and being that I'm becoming more and more of a fan of Chris Roberson by the day, I finally bumped this one into the front.
There are two great things about this book:
1) It is solid, five-star, classic science fiction worldbuilding. In a sense, half the book is worldbuilding, and it's glorious. We spend a ton of time establishing everything around us, it's not hard science but feels like it, and so on. It's great fun.
2) In the same classic sense, this book feels like a throwback. It's modern pulpy in a sense, feeling really populist and light and accessible. It's a good time.
There is one somewhat negative thing about this book:
1) It is very light on plot beyond the worldbuilding. The story is more a vehicle for what's going on around the main character for at least half of the book, and that may be charitable. This isn't too negative given how high quality the plot surrounding the story is, but if you're looking for a grand epic, or even a sizable adventure, this might not be it for you.
All things considered, though, this was a fun read. It's almost like an episodic miniseries in print form, which is not what I expected but definitely enjoyed. Possibly one of my favorite Roberson books so far. Definitely worth it if you're into this kind of escapism.
There are two great things about this book:
1) It is solid, five-star, classic science fiction worldbuilding. In a sense, half the book is worldbuilding, and it's glorious. We spend a ton of time establishing everything around us, it's not hard science but feels like it, and so on. It's great fun.
2) In the same classic sense, this book feels like a throwback. It's modern pulpy in a sense, feeling really populist and light and accessible. It's a good time.
There is one somewhat negative thing about this book:
1) It is very light on plot beyond the worldbuilding. The story is more a vehicle for what's going on around the main character for at least half of the book, and that may be charitable. This isn't too negative given how high quality the plot surrounding the story is, but if you're looking for a grand epic, or even a sizable adventure, this might not be it for you.
All things considered, though, this was a fun read. It's almost like an episodic miniseries in print form, which is not what I expected but definitely enjoyed. Possibly one of my favorite Roberson books so far. Definitely worth it if you're into this kind of escapism.
June 20, 2012
This started well and built a well rounded main character transported so far into the future due to cryogenic stasis that lasted 12,000 years. The future is, as expected, a myriad of "human" intellegence in various forms, this is portrayed well. Energy is the currency and transportation is instantaneous to all the now known worlds via portals, though the destinations all have to be travelled to first by sub light transport to build the other end of the portals. The science behind these is plausible and at this point you are half way through the book.
It starts to fall apart a bit when the unknown and pre-historic Captain RJ Stone is the unlikely pick for the Captain of the first Faster than Light Ship "Further." Off the eclectic crew go on a shakedown trip (uneventful) and then on to their first mission where they run into the "Iron Mass." At this point with less than a quarter of the book to go, they have an eventful scirmish and defeat of their foe.
This is where its disappointing, as if this is a stand alone book then the exciting bit (and it was not bad at that point) then it ends rather abruptly. If there was a second or extended tete a tete with the "Iron Mass" then I would have been more satisfied.
Maybe there is a series to come from this and if so it may tempt me back.
It starts to fall apart a bit when the unknown and pre-historic Captain RJ Stone is the unlikely pick for the Captain of the first Faster than Light Ship "Further." Off the eclectic crew go on a shakedown trip (uneventful) and then on to their first mission where they run into the "Iron Mass." At this point with less than a quarter of the book to go, they have an eventful scirmish and defeat of their foe.
This is where its disappointing, as if this is a stand alone book then the exciting bit (and it was not bad at that point) then it ends rather abruptly. If there was a second or extended tete a tete with the "Iron Mass" then I would have been more satisfied.
Maybe there is a series to come from this and if so it may tempt me back.
March 3, 2013
I have to give this one 5 out of 5!
From beginning to ind this book had my attention and kept it.
I love that in a book! I really hope he writes a sequel to this. I would really love to learn more about Captain RJ Stone and his travelling mates.
I love books that explore a unique way of looking at things. Trust me when I say the Chris Roberson has quite the imagination and would truly love to hear his thoughts on a few subjects.
I loved his approach to RJ Stone and RJ's thoughts when thrown into such a unbelievable position, but yet believable.
Chris Roberson's views of the future are insightful and imaginative. One thing about the future is that since it is unknown, it could be what ever you want it to be. His future world is so believable and I enjoyed his thoughts on everyday things and how someone from the past would react. Even down to how the future miss represents the past. Like our thoughts on drinking before dinner to what cloths to where.
If you are into Science Fiction, you have to read this book.
It is funny but it is so will written I can picture the Further and most of the characters.
Would love to see this as a movie but one done as close as possible to the book as they can.
Without cutting out the funny stuff, I swear they take away from a book when they take out the humor.
I will have to check out more of his books.
From beginning to ind this book had my attention and kept it.
I love that in a book! I really hope he writes a sequel to this. I would really love to learn more about Captain RJ Stone and his travelling mates.
I love books that explore a unique way of looking at things. Trust me when I say the Chris Roberson has quite the imagination and would truly love to hear his thoughts on a few subjects.
I loved his approach to RJ Stone and RJ's thoughts when thrown into such a unbelievable position, but yet believable.
Chris Roberson's views of the future are insightful and imaginative. One thing about the future is that since it is unknown, it could be what ever you want it to be. His future world is so believable and I enjoyed his thoughts on everyday things and how someone from the past would react. Even down to how the future miss represents the past. Like our thoughts on drinking before dinner to what cloths to where.
If you are into Science Fiction, you have to read this book.
It is funny but it is so will written I can picture the Further and most of the characters.
Would love to see this as a movie but one done as close as possible to the book as they can.
Without cutting out the funny stuff, I swear they take away from a book when they take out the humor.
I will have to check out more of his books.
July 13, 2012
Found this book at a book sale, and it had a cover note from John Scalzi saying he'd been "reading Chris Roberson for years ... Welcome. Enjoy."
Well, I couldn't pass that up. And it turned out to be a great book.
I particularly liked Roberson's concept of the Human Entelechy that exists 12 thousand years in the future. Not only do AI's coexist with humans but so do uplifted apes, lions, killer whales and just about anything else, because sentience can inhabit any form — and for any of them not to be considered "human" would be discriminatory. This provides for some wild speculative fiction with interesting character interactions and fantastical imagery. Very fun reading. All the more so with Roberson's wit.
As the book progresses, it becomes more familiar. The plot and scenarios take on a Star Trek-like quality. Roberson's wit and some edgy villains are the only things that keep it fresh. Still, all in all, I liked it to the end, and agree with Scalzi. I'll read Roberson again; probably for years, and enjoy.
Well, I couldn't pass that up. And it turned out to be a great book.
I particularly liked Roberson's concept of the Human Entelechy that exists 12 thousand years in the future. Not only do AI's coexist with humans but so do uplifted apes, lions, killer whales and just about anything else, because sentience can inhabit any form — and for any of them not to be considered "human" would be discriminatory. This provides for some wild speculative fiction with interesting character interactions and fantastical imagery. Very fun reading. All the more so with Roberson's wit.
As the book progresses, it becomes more familiar. The plot and scenarios take on a Star Trek-like quality. Roberson's wit and some edgy villains are the only things that keep it fresh. Still, all in all, I liked it to the end, and agree with Scalzi. I'll read Roberson again; probably for years, and enjoy.
February 6, 2015
I had a lot of fun reading this book. It reminded me of a futuristic Rip Van Winkle story. I liked the author's approach to technology in the future, and the story was just right in weight for my taste. However, I would have liked to have had a few surprises along the way!
I haven't looked into the author's other books, but this could easily be the first book of a series. The ends are mostly tied up at the end, but I could definitely see more 'adventures' to come, as it's really only getting started, in my opinion!
There was a lot of religion in the book, but not in large quantities so much as sprinkled so you encounter it many times over again. I am not sure which religion it is, but I think it's perhaps Hindu? While this gives the character an interesting viewpoint on some things, I felt like it came up a bit too often for what was needed in the story. It felt strange at times for it to appear.
I haven't looked into the author's other books, but this could easily be the first book of a series. The ends are mostly tied up at the end, but I could definitely see more 'adventures' to come, as it's really only getting started, in my opinion!
There was a lot of religion in the book, but not in large quantities so much as sprinkled so you encounter it many times over again. I am not sure which religion it is, but I think it's perhaps Hindu? While this gives the character an interesting viewpoint on some things, I felt like it came up a bit too often for what was needed in the story. It felt strange at times for it to appear.
April 5, 2012
I rolled my eyes when I read the description, a man wakes up in the far far future... how trite and over used! Well, it is, but it's well written and within that plot outline a little odd enough to keep my interest. It sort of has a feel of several ideas mashed together, a man wakes up into the far future, barely has time to orient himself and is suddenly the captain of a starship... weird. BUT it is well written, I had a good time, definitely escapist literature. The end part IS almost space operatic, lots of action and tension to make up for the slow beginning.
I've given up hoping for a classic to be written, this day and age marketing is more important than quality of writing, but this book isn't bad as long as you know that it's not going to be a classic, you can enjoy it for the escapist literature that it is.
I've given up hoping for a classic to be written, this day and age marketing is more important than quality of writing, but this book isn't bad as long as you know that it's not going to be a classic, you can enjoy it for the escapist literature that it is.
April 30, 2014
A very interesting take off on the Planet of the Apes time shift plot. Roberson does not try to overwhelm you with all of the possible advances that could be made in 12,000 years of human advancement and to the associated future shock. He leaves himself plenty of room to explore the world for future books in a possible series. But this story screams "I'm the start of a series!" I feel too many authors focus on developing series and trilogies without properly "setting the hook" to get me addicted to the hero and the setting. I prefer more action and greater detail in a complete first story. Then let it take me into the rest of the tale(s). I don't know where this series will lead, and I don't know if I will be looking really hard to find it. I'm not really sure if I care enough to look for the next book. If I see it, I'll probably read it.
Have a GoodReads.
Have a GoodReads.
January 28, 2014
Such a fun read!
Set 12,000 years into the future, Roberson is at complete liberty creating a universe all his own. Recreating his vision can be mind boggling at times and that's what makes it such a fun read. I was often left with the thought: "how does he come up with this?!" That, along with a solid storyline with many underlying themes and witty dialogue that is downright hilarious at times easily makes this one of my favorite books.
Granted, he frequently used vocabulary that seemed unnecessarily... elevated, for lack of a better term, but seeing as the story was a science fiction work set millennia in the future, it strangely seemed to work in its own way. Plus, being able to be instantly presented with definitions on my kindle fire was a huge help and made it less of a bother.
All in all, I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment!
Set 12,000 years into the future, Roberson is at complete liberty creating a universe all his own. Recreating his vision can be mind boggling at times and that's what makes it such a fun read. I was often left with the thought: "how does he come up with this?!" That, along with a solid storyline with many underlying themes and witty dialogue that is downright hilarious at times easily makes this one of my favorite books.
Granted, he frequently used vocabulary that seemed unnecessarily... elevated, for lack of a better term, but seeing as the story was a science fiction work set millennia in the future, it strangely seemed to work in its own way. Plus, being able to be instantly presented with definitions on my kindle fire was a huge help and made it less of a bother.
All in all, I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment!
March 29, 2014
Hmmmm what to say about this book. It was an enjoyable read and I blew through it in a couple of days. When it comes to giving it a star rating I settled on a 3 stars and it just didn't have enough going for it to merit a 4 star review. That being said it is still a strong 3 star review from me.
The author has created a interesting vibrant universe and populated it with a vast array of humans however as much as I enjoyed the book it left me feeling like there should have been more. To many things just seem to happen to the main protagonist without any sort of a struggle or reaction. A bit like it was written in a history book and only detailing the things that happen and not the emotions behind them.
That being said if Chris Roberson decides to revisit this universe in a future book sign me up for the ride.
The author has created a interesting vibrant universe and populated it with a vast array of humans however as much as I enjoyed the book it left me feeling like there should have been more. To many things just seem to happen to the main protagonist without any sort of a struggle or reaction. A bit like it was written in a history book and only detailing the things that happen and not the emotions behind them.
That being said if Chris Roberson decides to revisit this universe in a future book sign me up for the ride.
March 4, 2016
Other views have surmised the failings of the book pretty well.
The characters are flat. They barley are 2 dimensional. Their ability for character growth is as flat as the plot.
The premise of this book is for the author to go "oh lookie I can imagine this" without thinking if imagining it was a good idea. The whole story is just to place the author in a place to write about something he thinks is "shiny". I found much of imagination to be unbelievable and fairly pedantic.
The only character growth that happen was a light switch. The main character went from boring, stupid, with an ability to ask the same question over and over again, to someone who acted. It was basically two separate characters with no transition.
I have no plans to read any more of this authors books and feel my time on this was a waste.
I would not recommend this book.
The characters are flat. They barley are 2 dimensional. Their ability for character growth is as flat as the plot.
The premise of this book is for the author to go "oh lookie I can imagine this" without thinking if imagining it was a good idea. The whole story is just to place the author in a place to write about something he thinks is "shiny". I found much of imagination to be unbelievable and fairly pedantic.
The only character growth that happen was a light switch. The main character went from boring, stupid, with an ability to ask the same question over and over again, to someone who acted. It was basically two separate characters with no transition.
I have no plans to read any more of this authors books and feel my time on this was a waste.
I would not recommend this book.
May 1, 2013
Some good popcorn sci-fi. Not to sell the book short calling it popcorn. It does a great job of world building. Roberson creates 2 futures. One the near future after a global disaster. The other 12000 years later. It is a unique take on culture and identity as sentience evolves. It does introduce many new culture/species which don't feel fully explored/presented before abandoning them for space action-adventure. The fish out of water, first act could have filled the whole book and it would have satisfied me. It feels like the start of a series but I don't know if any more has been written. I would read more books in the same universe.
March 22, 2014
I was entertained throughout the whole book. What did trouble me is the amount of details involved in almost every aspect, which in the end lead to nothing. I missed more action, more depth, insight, etc.
I am impressed, however, with the imaginative capacity, execution, and creativity of the author. The overabundance of details was enjoyable most of the times, partly because it makes you wonder of how the future's actually gonna turn out.
When it comes to the diversity of intelligent beings, I have my doubts that a killer whale designing a space-ship in a day's time is something feasible. It was creative, I guess, but at times irrelevant and far-fetched in regards to the story-line.
I am impressed, however, with the imaginative capacity, execution, and creativity of the author. The overabundance of details was enjoyable most of the times, partly because it makes you wonder of how the future's actually gonna turn out.
When it comes to the diversity of intelligent beings, I have my doubts that a killer whale designing a space-ship in a day's time is something feasible. It was creative, I guess, but at times irrelevant and far-fetched in regards to the story-line.
September 2, 2019
A pretty interesting premise and entertaining characters.
I actually quite liked this book, and would have given it 4 stars if not for one glaring error in timeline control on the author's part, which annoyed me on both ends of the timelapse.. both on the front end when I didn't understand, and then on the ass-end when I found the fault.
It's a worthwhile read, albeit short, and a good start to the series I assume it's supposed to spearhead, but as a stand-alone book it's lacking a little bit of flesh on it's bones.
None the less, just because it's a bit skinny it isn't bad, and I'll recommend this book to any SciFi fans looking for a quick and entertaining read.
I actually quite liked this book, and would have given it 4 stars if not for one glaring error in timeline control on the author's part, which annoyed me on both ends of the timelapse.. both on the front end when I didn't understand, and then on the ass-end when I found the fault.
It's a worthwhile read, albeit short, and a good start to the series I assume it's supposed to spearhead, but as a stand-alone book it's lacking a little bit of flesh on it's bones.
None the less, just because it's a bit skinny it isn't bad, and I'll recommend this book to any SciFi fans looking for a quick and entertaining read.
May 16, 2014
I was entertained throughout the whole book. What did trouble me is the amount of details involved in almost every aspect, which in the end lead to nothing. I missed more action, more depth, insight, etc.
I am impressed, however, with the imaginative capacity, execution, and creativity of the author. The overabundance of details was enjoyable most of the times, partly because it makes you wonder of how the future's actually gonna turn out.
When it comes to the diversity of intelligent beings, I have my doubts that a killer whale designing a space-ship in a day's time is something feasible. It was creative, I guess, but at times irrelevant and far-fetched in regards to the story-line.
I am impressed, however, with the imaginative capacity, execution, and creativity of the author. The overabundance of details was enjoyable most of the times, partly because it makes you wonder of how the future's actually gonna turn out.
When it comes to the diversity of intelligent beings, I have my doubts that a killer whale designing a space-ship in a day's time is something feasible. It was creative, I guess, but at times irrelevant and far-fetched in regards to the story-line.
January 19, 2015
The story drags. I tried to finish it, honest I did. Too much time was spent in world building and not enough time on the plot. The author has an amazing imagination. The book reads like he tried to cram every single idea he has ever had into Further: Beyond the Threshold. I have to wonder if he thinks this is the only book he will ever write.
I give Further two stars instead of one because Roberson does such a good job of making the world come alive. That stated, without a steady progression of the story, the reader is left doing a lot of the what the characters do—wandering around and waiting for something to happen.
I give Further two stars instead of one because Roberson does such a good job of making the world come alive. That stated, without a steady progression of the story, the reader is left doing a lot of the what the characters do—wandering around and waiting for something to happen.
May 22, 2012
I loved this book! Not just saying that because I love future Oregonian Chris Roberson, think his wife Allison is the coolest person on Twitter, and his kid Georgia will be a have a great future in comics. It was a great old school type sci-fi novel...when I have access to a computer other then at work, I will post a complete review of the novel on my blog (nerdygeekwife.cafepress.com). You must go straight to Amazon, do not pass go, and buy this book! Otherwise the Chimp in a silk robe may poke you with his Cuban. (read the book for the reference)
July 5, 2012
This book starts with an interesting premise: a 22nd century astronaut, placed in cryogenic hybernation for a trip to an extra solar planet, awakes twelve millennia later to find that the galaxy is a very different place. Intriguing right? What would the world of 12,000 years in the future be like?
The answer, sadly, is "full of stilted exposition and sci-fi cliches." I guess if this was one of the first sci-fi books you had ever read it would be interesting. As a longtime veteran of the genre, I abandoned it a short way in. YMMV.
The answer, sadly, is "full of stilted exposition and sci-fi cliches." I guess if this was one of the first sci-fi books you had ever read it would be interesting. As a longtime veteran of the genre, I abandoned it a short way in. YMMV.
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