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Great Ship
Katabasis
Novella first published in Fantasy & Science Fiction 11/12/2012 issue.
Unknown Binding
First published November 12, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 11, 2014
Meta: ISFDB. I've read it in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirtieth Annual Collection
This novella is set in the Great Ship Series which is some handful of stories and novels published since 1994. The eponymous Great Ship is a hollow planet travelling through the galaxy, inhabited by different races of biologically immortals. This BigDumbObject remembers me of Clarke's Hard SF Rendezvous with Rama or even more of John Varley's Science Fantasy Titan.
Known from previous stories are Quee Lee and Perri, but the main protagonists and better developed characters are the non-human guide Katabasis, and one human Varid. They are taking on a journeyin a high-gravity region of the Great Ship, causing daily broken bones which heal nearly instantenous. But the mental hardships are worse which leads to reflections on the perils of immortality. The story is told with flashbacks of Katabasis' history which reveals some very human traits in this alien creature. She develops a relationship to Varid who shows opposite traits making him more inhuman.
Excellent characteristic, a touching narration but a somewhat boring, lengthy story.
More like ★★★1/2
This novella is set in the Great Ship Series which is some handful of stories and novels published since 1994. The eponymous Great Ship is a hollow planet travelling through the galaxy, inhabited by different races of biologically immortals. This BigDumbObject remembers me of Clarke's Hard SF Rendezvous with Rama or even more of John Varley's Science Fantasy Titan.
Known from previous stories are Quee Lee and Perri, but the main protagonists and better developed characters are the non-human guide Katabasis, and one human Varid. They are taking on a journeyin a high-gravity region of the Great Ship, causing daily broken bones which heal nearly instantenous. But the mental hardships are worse which leads to reflections on the perils of immortality. The story is told with flashbacks of Katabasis' history which reveals some very human traits in this alien creature. She develops a relationship to Varid who shows opposite traits making him more inhuman.
Excellent characteristic, a touching narration but a somewhat boring, lengthy story.
More like ★★★1/2
January 8, 2014
Contrasts an alien woman's current job as a porter for a future fad for extreme trekking (people are immortal, thanks to technology, so they can take a lot of abuse in alien landscapes), with her past experience making nearly the same trek as part of her tribe's last, desperate act (a trek that makes the Trail of Tears look like an afternoon stroll). Some good stuff here, but it dragged a bit (something that often happens when characters are going through boring and agonizing experiences.)
September 1, 2023
A Novella (a long story but too short to be labelled as a novel) set in the "Great Ship" series.
I recommend reading this after having run a marathon. You won't feel so tired. :)
I've read this before in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. I've found that as I've aged I am better able to read Reed's stories because my brain can sit still without skimming for a good action sequence or maybe some interesting dialogue. Reed's stuff can be very cerebral at times, often with hidden depths that I can catch on now that I'm older and appreciate. Not every science fiction story has to be Star Wars zoom-excitement!-zap zap-etc. Reed's novel "Marrow", which I think was the first instance of the "Great Ship", is one of my all-time favorite novels. One of those I would definitely want with me if I was stuck on a deserted island and could only have 5 books. The sheer awe and wonder of this ginormous alien ship that's bigger than a planet, that no one has even fully explored centuries after it's discovery, full of weird alien passengers and their unusual habitats makes my brain explode. Add in self-healing humans who can live for millions of years and my mind just hit the stratosphere. So, not terribly exciting but very interesting.
I recommend reading this after having run a marathon. You won't feel so tired. :)
I've read this before in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. I've found that as I've aged I am better able to read Reed's stories because my brain can sit still without skimming for a good action sequence or maybe some interesting dialogue. Reed's stuff can be very cerebral at times, often with hidden depths that I can catch on now that I'm older and appreciate. Not every science fiction story has to be Star Wars zoom-excitement!-zap zap-etc. Reed's novel "Marrow", which I think was the first instance of the "Great Ship", is one of my all-time favorite novels. One of those I would definitely want with me if I was stuck on a deserted island and could only have 5 books. The sheer awe and wonder of this ginormous alien ship that's bigger than a planet, that no one has even fully explored centuries after it's discovery, full of weird alien passengers and their unusual habitats makes my brain explode. Add in self-healing humans who can live for millions of years and my mind just hit the stratosphere. So, not terribly exciting but very interesting.
October 27, 2026
Robert Reed has a remarkable ability to take an intriguing science-fiction premise and turn it into something much deeper. Katabasis is another excellent example.
Aboard the enormous Great Ship, wealthy tourists pay for the privilege of undertaking an extraordinarily difficult journey through a high-gravity alien environment. Even with extensive training and biological enhancements, completing the journey is far from guaranteed. Fortunately, they can hire powerful porters to assist them—or carry them if necessary.
One of these porters is Katabasis, an exceptionally strong and capable woman with a mysterious past. Among her clients are familiar Great Ship characters Perri and Quee Lee. There’s also a rather unsettling tourist named Varid, whose strange behavior raises questions of its own.
On the surface, this is a compelling survival adventure. Reed does an excellent job conveying the physical challenges of the journey and the extraordinary endurance required simply to keep moving.
But the real strength of the story lies in its characters and the gradual revelations about their histories.
I’ve noticed that Reed frequently writes extraordinarily strong female characters—not simply physically strong, but women who have endured devastating circumstances and somehow persevered. Katabasis certainly belongs among them.
I was particularly struck by the contrast between the tourists, who voluntarily subject themselves to hardship, and Katabasis, whose past involves suffering on an entirely different scale. What one person considers an adventure may be another person’s struggle for survival.
The story also reminds us how little we sometimes understand about the people around us. Someone who initially seems strange, unpleasant, or difficult may have a history we know nothing about. That doesn’t necessarily excuse their behavior, but it can change how we understand them.
And perhaps that’s what I appreciated most about Katabasis. Beneath its imaginative setting and gripping survival narrative is a thoughtful exploration of strength, endurance, empathy, and the burdens we carry.
Another excellent addition to Robert Reed’s Great Ship universe, and a story that rewards reflection long after the journey ends.
Aboard the enormous Great Ship, wealthy tourists pay for the privilege of undertaking an extraordinarily difficult journey through a high-gravity alien environment. Even with extensive training and biological enhancements, completing the journey is far from guaranteed. Fortunately, they can hire powerful porters to assist them—or carry them if necessary.
One of these porters is Katabasis, an exceptionally strong and capable woman with a mysterious past. Among her clients are familiar Great Ship characters Perri and Quee Lee. There’s also a rather unsettling tourist named Varid, whose strange behavior raises questions of its own.
On the surface, this is a compelling survival adventure. Reed does an excellent job conveying the physical challenges of the journey and the extraordinary endurance required simply to keep moving.
But the real strength of the story lies in its characters and the gradual revelations about their histories.
I’ve noticed that Reed frequently writes extraordinarily strong female characters—not simply physically strong, but women who have endured devastating circumstances and somehow persevered. Katabasis certainly belongs among them.
I was particularly struck by the contrast between the tourists, who voluntarily subject themselves to hardship, and Katabasis, whose past involves suffering on an entirely different scale. What one person considers an adventure may be another person’s struggle for survival.
The story also reminds us how little we sometimes understand about the people around us. Someone who initially seems strange, unpleasant, or difficult may have a history we know nothing about. That doesn’t necessarily excuse their behavior, but it can change how we understand them.
And perhaps that’s what I appreciated most about Katabasis. Beneath its imaginative setting and gripping survival narrative is a thoughtful exploration of strength, endurance, empathy, and the burdens we carry.
Another excellent addition to Robert Reed’s Great Ship universe, and a story that rewards reflection long after the journey ends.
December 26, 2023
I enjoyed this Greatship novella. There's something pretty great about long treks on inhospitable terrain, especially when the people can withstand quite THAT much damage and are effectively immortal.
Of course, I've read some with a lot more pain tolerance, but this kind of Hard-SF is always pretty fascinating.
Of course, I've read some with a lot more pain tolerance, but this kind of Hard-SF is always pretty fascinating.
March 4, 2020
Very solid science fiction, I liked it the most from “The year’s best science fiction” by Gardner Dozois.
I am absolutely happy about the fact this book was translated to Russian in 2018, five years after original publication.
I am absolutely happy about the fact this book was translated to Russian in 2018, five years after original publication.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews