The Florians

Daedalus Mission #1

by Brian M. Stableford

They call them the "rat-catchers." They're the crew of the spaceship Daedalus, which an economically destitute Earth has dispatched on a mission to re-establish contact with its far-flung, long-lost space colonies. Alex Alexander, ship's biologist, must help solve the mysteries of human and alien ecosystems that he encounters light-years from home. The planet Floria initially appears to be one of the few Earth colonies that's actually prospered since its initial settlement. But underneath the surface of the society, the "Planners" keep a strict, repressive rule over the Florians, while the police are apparently attempting to assert their own authority. But is either group actually what they seem? Daedalus Mission, Book One.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, 20th Century

158 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Brian Michael Stableford was a British science fiction writer who published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped the middle initial and appeared under the name Brian Stableford. He also used the pseudonym Brian Craig for a couple of very early works, and again for a few more recent works. The pseudonym derives from the first names of himself and of a school friend from the 1960s, Craig A. Mackintosh, with whom he jointly published some very early work.

Reviews

[Paulo (not receiving notifications)]

Brian Stableford was an English writer with a university degree and postgraduate research in biology and sociology. He earned his PhD with a thesis on "The Sociology of Science Fiction", which I would love to read one day.

I discovered Stableford through his standalone novel "The Empire of Fear," a magnificent alternative history fantasy epic set in a brilliantly imagined alternative world ruled by vampires, where Richard (Lion Heart) is the big boss and Van Helsing didn't kill Vlad Tepes. I hope to write a review someday.

This book, "The Florians", is the first of the "Daedalus Mission" series, which consists of six novels: "The Florians", "Critical Threshold"," Wildeblood's Empire", "City of the Sun", "Balance of Power" and "The Paradox of the Sets".

Being a scientist who became a writer or a writer who started as a scientist, Brian Stableford was a prolific author with a background in science. Whether you're a fan of science fiction, horror, or historical fiction, you'll find that his books are always well-written. Regardless of whether he started his career as a scientist or a writer, Stableford's imaginative storytelling and unique perspective make his work stand out. His books are always worth reading.

In my opinion, "The Florians" is not one of the strongest books he has written. The issues addressed are so vast and daunting that they certainly deserve a much deeper and more comprehensive narrative. Being a scientist by education with an acute and straightforward view of problems, either mechanical, biological or sociological, the themes are taken by Stableford with his "straight arrow", predominantly scientific mind, leaving the book dry in style and lacking in mystery, intrigue and deeper speculation or argumentation.
The theme depicted in the book definitely deserves a multiple-book project because of the many ramifications and consequences that Stableford only briefly mentions in passing, "flying low".
The narrative consists mostly of lectures, taking on subjects like biology and ecology on a planetwide scale and sociology or justice and pacifism versus dictatorial force, which are the best parts of the book, with the clinical, sharp mind of Stableford explaining and exposing subtly how repetitively stupid the human species is.

It is a most interesting read; a book written with great intelligence, even if not very cohesive. In fact, I found the main plot or the biology bits more compelling and absorbing than the characters, which are, all of them, far from memorable or even interesting.

To me, Brian Stableford is one of those writers always worth reading, even at their weakest efforts.

[Otherwyrld · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is the first of a series by the author concerning a mission by the scientific spaceship Daedalus and its crew of seven to recontact former Earth colonies who have been isolated for hundreds of years after the home world effectively abandoned them due to environmental collapse, amongst other woes. The book therefore has to put in the worldbuilding, introduce the main characters and have an adventure, all within the confines of 176 pages.

The first part is achieved with the expedient of a 20 page exposition dump in the prologue. The second part is pretty much skimmed over in this book, beyond a very few broad brushstrokes that give little more than names and specialisations for the crew at least.

This leaves much more space for the story itself, which spends a long time as a good old fashioned romp set around the idea that the arrival of newcomers into a seemingly idyllic society can open up unseen cracks in that society to the point of civil war or revolution.

If that was all that this story was about it would be a solid 3 stars, but the whole point of this series is to look at the ecological and societal ramifications of humans colonising and living on alien planets, and what it might do to them over generations. This is where the authors biological and sociological expertise comes into play (I believe he has advanced degrees in both areas), and where the book earns an extra star.

Given that this novel was first published in 1976, it makes a lot of points about the environment and ecology that is still relevant today. It plays quite a lot into the new environmental movements of the 1970s, particularly the Gaia hypothesis. It also delves into ongoing arguments over space travel, with the protagonists son arguing that we have to fix our own planet before we move on to making the same mistakes on other worlds.

To be fair, the Florians (the people of the new world) have tried to make themselves a better world, but by limiting the knowledge of how Earth got it wrong they themselves fell into a trap of their own making by creating an unequal society. Any time you have haves and have nots you are always going to have an engine of change on your hands and this is what happens here. It also means that most of the populations doesn't have the information to recognise that their planets own ecology is working against them. It takes the crew of the Daedalus to show them that this is an issue that will only get worse with time.

It's been a good many years since I read this series first, and these books are one of the few where I have kept them to reread at some point. Alas, it will probably be the last time as well as the book fell apart during my reread. Maybe one day the series will be reprinted or appear as an eBook because it would be a shame to lose these stories to future generations.

[Sol · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Star Trek-like premise: hundreds of years after extrasolar colonies were founded and lost, they have been rediscovered in dire straits, and a single ship, Daedalus, has been sent to re-contact and aid them.

The colony of The Florians seems to be utopic: no strife, and the inhabitants happy and healthy. Too healthy, in fact: they grow to seven feet on average and tend towards putting on a lot of muscle and fat. Lead scientist Alexis must not only discover what is causing this gigantism, but convince the Florians it is not a benign phenomenon.

Complicating matters is the political crisis caused by the arrival of outsiders, raising tensions between the aloof Planners, who hoard and ration knowledge, and those who wish to use the Daedalus' knowledge for their own ends.

A very didactic story, with characters going on long speeches to explain their aims and points of view (though only the prologue felt strained in its length), creating a feeling of artificiality, heightened by the book's shortness, and the extent to which every detail has a clockwork role to play in solving the biological mystery and resolving the political problem.

There is little real drama or overt emotion despite the high stakes (Alexis believes at several points he and others on the mission are likely to be killed). Characters likewise are thin. Alexis is idealistic, and, while not exactly brave, willing to put his money where his mouth is. The diplomat Nathan sees himself as a pragmatist, with the success of the mission paramount. Karen is cynical and abrasive, but brave and ultimately compassionate. This is a series, so they could theoretically be more deeply explored, but given the other books are about the same length and there are several more characters that have only bit parts here, I'm not holding my breath.

The biology mostly passed the sniff test from my took-bio-101-and-read-a-lot-of-Dawkins non-education, certainly moreso than the similarly-premised (but much more artistic) Star Mother's magic lamarckianism. Stableford also put some thought into the material and educational basis of the Planner's dictatorship of the technocracy, and the threats to its existence. Alexis' evolving conception of the Planners and their utopic dream (to the point of almost dying for their cause), and the descriptions of Floria's biosphere adds some interest to an otherwise sterile tale.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Stableford told this story through Alex’s eyes using his endless hope, his keen intellect, and his sometimes rash decision-making abilities to keep me very entertained. Watching Alex peel apart this mystery, exploring the odd native flora and fauna of Floria, was a treat for the biologist in me.

The Florians presented a nice quandary about a society kept intentionally ignorant of certain lines of science, such as those leading to firearms. Having the Daedalus, ignorant, unexpected strangers, set down in the midst of an ongoing power struggle between two components of that society provided an engaging background for Alex to do his thing: figure out if the Florian society is viable long-term. Imagine being surrounded by giants, in a situation where your physical resistance is futile, leaving you to rely on your wits. I am so glad it was Alex’s wits, and not my own, that uncovered the mystery of the Florians.

If you are conflicted about spending money on the Space Program, this book has great arguments on both sides, all wrapped in an engaging story.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book to fill an otherwise unremarkable afternoon. I have read some Brian Stableford before and I quite liked it, so I saw this as a relatively risk free way of engaging further with his writing. I quite liked it.

The premise of the book is interesting. In the distant past, Earth sent out a number of expeditions to colonise the stars. Then other priorities took over and space exploration came to a halt. Earth then progresses to a point where supplementary expeditions are sent to re-establish contact with the colonies. Some colonies had failed, but the Florian, apparently, hadn't. The story starts as an exploratory mission from Earth on the Daedalus arrives on Floria to find out why.

It is possible to view this work from many levels. On the political level, the Florians fear that Earth is teeming and over-crowded and that the purpose of the expedition is to scope out the ability of Floria to absorb large numbers of Earthen refugees. We are led to believe that there is an element of truth in this. It reflects the whole issue of climate refugees that we currently face. It is an interesting use of fiction to explore that prticular issue.

The Florians have restricted the development and dffusion of broader technologies in the development of their economy. As we sit on the verge of a more general wave of automation, robotics, and AI, I do wonder if we might not be better served by restricting the use of these technologies ourselves. The book raises a number of interesting points about our relationship with technology and whether it should be more the servant than the master.

At the core of the book is the relatonship between the periphery and the centre. Ought the Florians to do what the Earth authorities tell them to? To what extent does the authority of Earth hold over
Floria? On the one hand, Earth abandoned Floria when the relationship became too difficult. On the other hand, Floria represents an investment of Earth assets. The story rather ducks the issue. Earth still contains a source of knowledge that the Florians find useful, which serves to re-establish the connection. However, I do wonder how things might have gone had the Earthen knowledge proved to be of little use?

I quite enjoyed reading the book. It is well written and the narrative flows at a good pace. There is a nice balance between having enough material to keep or interest whilst not being too challenging to make the book hard work. It is a nice piece of bedtime reading.

[Lonnie Veal · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adult read.

I saw this book on the shelf when I was still in high school...The DAW cover pic was enticing but when I read a bit of the back synopsis and the first couple of pages...it did not fit my desire for adventure, like say: Gate of Ivrel

Nor did it fit with the normal Sci-Fi notion of once star travel is discovered: then BOOM! Earth is suddenly surrounded by successfully colonized Star systems numbered in the HUNDREDS...

But now as an adult, I was moved to revisit some of the older books that the Kid passed over as too boring. And I must say that when you have an appreciation for good writing the Daedalus Series should be given a try.

No space battles. No Alien Empires. No Ancient mysteries. No Laser blasting...

And Most of all-- No sprawling Star Empire of Man.

Instead, the writer touches and delves into the unspoken social, technological and biological issues that underlie the whole simplistic 'Colonize the Stars' scenario.

What REALLY happens after a 'can' of colonists and materials is unloaded on a planet? What problems could evolve from humans, who are now the ALIENS, trying to transplant themselves on a world that is not Earth? What are the realistic policy issues behind the Colonizing agencies back on Earth?

A Team of 'specialists' set out to re-establish contact with colonies that went out a century before. They must ascertain the colony's current condition and possibly help correct some problems the colonists may not be aware of... Is the colony thriving or failing? Are the colonists still HUMAN or are they being changed by the planet?

...but first the Daedalus team must overcome internal disagreements as well as local hostility or worse, local politics as they go from world to world.

But most of all, the writer soberly explores the intellectual thought experiment: Exactly how HARD is it to colonize another World?

Sober, skilled writing. Technologically timeless so it avoids being 'dated'. Not as flashy or fantastic as I would have wanted when I was 17-- but a solid, contemplative read half a century later...

[Steve Rainwater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good used bookstore find.

This is the first of a 6 novel series and a moderately entertaining short book. The overall story arc concerns the mission of the Earth starship, Daedalus, and its small crew of scientists. Their mission includes one visit to each of six planets colonized 100 years ago by Earth ships. The colony ships were early starships designed for one-way missions to dump a load of humans on an Earth-like planet. The colonists arrived with a handful of Earth plants and animals as well a store of technical information but little else in the way of supplies. Each group would have to reboot civilization from scratch and the Daedalus is finally visiting to find out how they fared and offer help if possible. Each novel in the series covers their visit to one planet.

The first novel, The Florians, is the story of their visit to the planet Floria. They find a fairly well-developed, if low-tech, civilization. They have horse drawn carts and wagons but are beginning to re-invent steam railroads. However, the planet has induced an odd effect in most Earth-based life. Their plants, animals, and even the humans themselves are growing larger. After 100 years, the average height of a human is about seven feet. Those who stay very active like farmers and dock workers retain usual human proportions but anyone who becomes inactive begins gaining mass quickly. Bureaucrats weigh hundreds of pounds and the oldest are completely immobile blobs of flesh.

The scientists aboard the Daedalus have to solve the biological mystery and restore some balance to the population. But their work is complicated when they're drawn into emerging political unrest that threatens to turn violent.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in the Daedalus series. In the series, a starship visits human colonies in other star system settled 100+ years ago. The starships that settle those colonies could only take limited supplies, so the colonies had to start with information but limited tech / equipment. Since then, crises on Earth prevented contact with the colonies. Now, the Daedalus, is coming to provide more recent knowledge to share, but only 7 crew members and no supplies to give.

This book deals with the first colony (on the planet Floria.) Floria's settlers wanted to build a better, less violent society than Earth's. So, the "Planners" there decide how much of what knowledge to share with the population. (The arrival of an Earth ship is not welcomed for this reason.) Floria has achieved an 18th - 19th century level society. The Planners have anticipated that Floria's growing affluence would lead to divisions in society, but Daedalus' arrival has made it happen sooner.

The crew find themselves in the middle of a power struggle between two groups of colonists. They also find that something on Floria has made the colonists taller, bigger and shorter-lived than humans on Earth.

Before humans start trying to colonize other worlds, it makes sense to explore: What humans might find on different worlds. How lifeforms from Earth might interact with those on exoplanets. How humans raised on a heavily-populated, hi-tech Earth would adapt to a low-population, low-tech, foreign-ecosystem world. Etc. The Florians is a short book, but a significant part is spent on traveling from on location on Floria to another, etc. I think we could explore this story and other possible colonies in a short story collection / anthology.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set several hundred years in the future, Earth had a bit earlier established colonies in distant worlds light years away. Because of problems on Earth, contact had not been maintained, but eventually a starship had been sent out to check up on them. Led by a guy named Kilner, the colonies were not flourishing; one of them had disappeared. Now a new voyage on the starship Daedalus is sent out, to a planet named Floria. The story is told from the viewpoint of Alexis Alexander, the crew's biologist, Nathan Parrick is its diplomat. They land on Floria and it seems to be flourishing, but its people in the seven generations since the colony's founding are now growing seven feet tall. The earth species they brought with them - pigs, horses and others - have also increased in size. Floria has been ruled by its "Planners", sort of an intellectual oligarchy, which has tried to create a society that is pacifistic, without the problems that have plagued the Earth for centuries. Alex discovers that there is rebellion brewing, exemplified by men like Arne Jason, Carl Vulgan and others. As a biologist, he observes the native life forms that have evolved. Very different from Earth. For one thing, Floria has no moon, so its oceans have no tidal waves to influence the evolution of life forms. He figures out that the planet is also changing the colonists - as in their height and general sizes, but not all in a benign way. So, how can they help the Florians, when the Florians don't think they need help, and some of them are suspicious of Earth's designs on their world? This a science fiction book that raises both scientific and political issues that may need facing if humanity ever does reach and colonize other worlds.

[Jack (Sci-Fi Finds) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many generations ago, humanity sent out colony ships to establish new settlements on several new worlds. These trips were one-way, with no possibility of communication with Earth. Since technology has developed significantly since then, a ship called the Daedalus has been constructed as a mobile laboratory to visit the colonies and help them with any potential problems.

In this novel we follow a relatively small crew aboard the Daedalus, visiting a planet called Floria. When they arrive, they discover that the Florians have seemingly flourished in their growing civilization. They have become enormous in stature, standing at an average of nine feet tall and are beginning to develop a network of railways connecting the mostly pastoral communities. Floria has no moon, meaning no tides and a lack of variety in the native flora and fauna. As the crew of the Daedalus begins to establish communications with the Florians, it becomes clear that things aren't quite as utopian as they appear.

Within the prologue, there is some clumsy and unnatural dialogue which made me worry for the rest of the book. Fortunately, it gets better as it progresses even if the middle portion of the book is a little uneventful. Stableford muses on the beauty and nuance of evolution, the inevitability of human conflict and the viability of expanding civilisation beyond Earth. There is a well-realised antagonist character and the final confrontation is quite well-written.

The Florians is a bit uneven overall but I enjoyed it in the end, leaving me with some curiosity as to the other Daedalus missions that take place in the following books in this series.

[Brent Winslow · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife picked this up for me in a used book store in Maui. Stableford clearly has a strong science background, and uses it to describe recontact with a group of Terran colonists left on their own for centuries.

"The sensation of being completely helpless is—at least so far as I am concerned—one of the most painful in the range of human experience. It is one with which, perhaps, I was always overfamiliar. Those who allow themselves to perceive the everyday tragedies that occur perpetually in the world around them live in a constant state of excited awareness, and when the wheel of chance brings such tragedies so close as to make personal contact the fury of impotence can become overwhelming."

[James Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stableford continues to be an entirely reliable author for good, high-quality science fiction. Yes, it may appear a bit trashy and old-school to some, but (and this is the highest of compliments from me) this book just reminded me of a classic old-fashioned Star Trek episode. Starship and crew land on a colonized planet and meet the locals...and things that initially seem promising take a sudden turn and hijinks abound! Stableford always delivers with his fascination with microbiology and ecosystems and he does enjoy exploring basic human urges and societal tendencies. Stableford does such a great job of telling a sci-fi story that somehow makes me think about deeper themes as well. Very happy I read this, will continue to seek out Stableford!

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...

"Even after the underwhelming Journey to the Center (1982) I decided to give Brian M. Stableford a second chance. Unfortunately, The Florians (1976), the first in a six novel series about the adventures of the starship Daedalus, is even less impressive. Both works contain a potentially fascinating premise around which the barest framework of a story is cobbled. At least Journey the Center maintained some sense of wonder and excitement despite its incredible brevity, poor prose, disappointing ending, and dull [...]"

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book very much. After humans send ships to five different Earth-like planets to start up settlements the Earth is torn apart by wars and disease. Some time later the mission is to re-establish contact with these planets. On the first one to be made contact with, the Florians have been transformed into humans that are over seven feet tall and built like the incredible hulk. Why? That is the task to find out how this happened. The author has a real fondness for the English language, something that is not always noticeable in sc-fi.

[Andy Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Florians is a thoughtful, provocative science fiction novel. Brian Stableford has created a gripping team of protagonists who grapple with a perplexing mystery on a space colony that is ostensibly successful yet exists on a world where every life form is gigantic. The resident humans have grown to huge proportions and are proud of it, not suspecting that something might be wrong.

And it is . . . the reader journeys with the characters to a startling discovery.

Throughout the story there are many insightful discussions and observations on human nature.

The book is hard to put down. Start it when you have time to consume it cover to cover!

[Caio · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not Sci-FI.

[Jaiden Edelman · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars: feels like sitting in a meeting that should have just been an email

[hellix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, talk about a lazy ending!

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10
I quite liked this book. It was an easy, quick read, but it was also creative and thought-provoking.
It’s interesting to think about how living on another planet might change humans, not only genetically but also mentally. It’s also interesting to think about how we have such fixed views about conflict resolution. The neo-Christian attitude in this bool was very appealing to me.
I don’t know if the biology in the book was right on or not, but it was also super interesting to think about how a world without tides might affect the evolution of animal life.
Anyhow, good read.

[Leif · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
A great first installment. I like the concept of the series. I like Stableford. I liked.

[Jorgon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reminder of how science fiction used to be written: cerebral, chock-full of ideas, and with plenty of hard science , which only softened a little bit in the 40 years since this book's publication. Despite several flaws (occasionally clunky writing, technological conservatism, exposition through dialogue), this is still an engaging and properly constructed scientific puzzle and a good entry to the series (which runs to 6 books; I am re-reading all of them now). Space-travel setting is really just a framework to support some interesting speculation on ecology, evolutionary biology, and a dose of political philosophy thrown in for good measure. Stableford went on to write "better" books, but even then, he was quite excellent.

[Henrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mine is a different edition. Without ISBN.

A good read. I really enjoyed it.

There were situations, however, where the biologist's skills and insight in the new planet's structure is too impressive, straining credibility. Especially since it happens more or less overnight and without any laboratory tests etc. Come on.

Even so it was interesting and generally well-paced, and with a healthy dose of philosophical reflection. I look forward to reading the other in this series of examining new worlds and strange cultures on colonized planets. It is interesting: how would humans fare, if given the chance?

[Thee_Dragonfly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Action sci-fi. Ambassador scouts make contact with distant colonies for the first time. Conniving and disillusion follow. The ambassadors ("rat catchers") skirt the edge of active meddling while the recontacted natives try to plot and ingratiate themselves for advantage. Fast, easy read.

[David Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read. Alex reminded me very much of Grainger of the Hooded Swan but maybe that's just me. After all I did read through the whole Hooded Swan series, one after another. I commend all of them to you.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well plotted and paced book. The planet heaves into the imagination with its original vermigeous inhabitants and identical flora.

[Helen Stocks-morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story arc, with a well constructed science fiction world and interesting political aspect. Overall very good classic sci-fi

[Curtis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Bad

[Pascal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book. Nothing special about it but it quite pleasant to read.

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1979 grade B
2010 grade B+

series book D1

[Richard Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great example of its era; I read it in a couple of days. A shame that some of the characters weren't developed more, but as this seems to be the first in a series, I'm guessing that this happens in subsequent books.