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The Nitrogen Fix
The family is allied with an alien, an octopus-like being who can survive in the new atmosphere. Humans must live in shelters with oxygen-generating plants, or use suitable breathing equipment. Some of Earth's original life forms have mutated to survive in the changed atmosphere. Since almost no metals can exist in the corrosive atmosphere, any technology is based on ceramics or glass.
Some humans are suspicious of the aliens, and even blame them for the change to the atmosphere, since they seem to be adapted for it. The family have an almost fatal encounter with a group of such people, who are holding another alien hostage. However, the two aliens are able to pool memories biochemically, so that they become the same personality in two bodies. Their combined knowledge and skills help the humans to escape.
Some humans are suspicious of the aliens, and even blame them for the change to the atmosphere, since they seem to be adapted for it. The family have an almost fatal encounter with a group of such people, who are holding another alien hostage. However, the two aliens are able to pool memories biochemically, so that they become the same personality in two bodies. Their combined knowledge and skills help the humans to escape.
289 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
2 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
About the author
Hal Clement
178 books115 followersHarry Clement Stubbs better known by the pen name
Hal Clement
, was an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre.
Further details at Wikipedia.
Further details at Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 18, 2020
This novel from the middle/late period of Clement's career was one of his best. It's a hard-science romance that examines the problem and consequences of climate change, a topic as relevant now as it was forty years ago, perhaps more so. The aliens seem as realistic as the main human characters, and the setting is fascinating. Clement discusses the scientific process of addressing problems in depth, which dilutes the character development and plot flow a bit at times, but Bones is one of his characters. It's a great hard-science puzzle, a true -science- fiction story. My Ace edition includes many fine illustrations by Janet Aulisio.
April 29, 2019
In the Earth of the future, humans are the last native animal species on a planet fully depleted of freely floating oxygen. What civilization is left is isolated and separated in what many would call a doomsday scenario, but Hal Clement has somehow made the resulting Earth appear far more enticing than it at first seems.
Clement's trademark hardest-of-the-hard science fiction style explains nearly every aspect of this new world in a fully believable way. Everything about the setting is perfect -- or as near to perfect as the science of Clement's time allows.
However, as usual with Clement, his portrayal of characters is not nearly as strong as his exactitude with setting. The humans of the future act wildly different than how we might expect them to in such a harsh environment. Yet at the same time, the sheer immensity of the realistic future world Clement describes is more than enough to make up for his minor defects in portraying human actions well, especially since not all characters are human. The alien species he describes in the story from the first page is utterly captivating, not just in terms of biology, but also of psychology and philosophy.
While the weak point of this story is definitely Clement's idealism which bleeds through to the human characters in the story, Clement does a superb job with the alien characters and most especially the setting which serves as the backdrop for the entire story. I'm giving this five stars despite its flaws because the perfection of setting Clement provides is that good.
This is a must read for anyone who likes hard science fiction, though those who dislike too much science in their pleasure reading will dislike the depth of technical details Clement uses throughout the book.
Clement's trademark hardest-of-the-hard science fiction style explains nearly every aspect of this new world in a fully believable way. Everything about the setting is perfect -- or as near to perfect as the science of Clement's time allows.
However, as usual with Clement, his portrayal of characters is not nearly as strong as his exactitude with setting. The humans of the future act wildly different than how we might expect them to in such a harsh environment. Yet at the same time, the sheer immensity of the realistic future world Clement describes is more than enough to make up for his minor defects in portraying human actions well, especially since not all characters are human. The alien species he describes in the story from the first page is utterly captivating, not just in terms of biology, but also of psychology and philosophy.
While the weak point of this story is definitely Clement's idealism which bleeds through to the human characters in the story, Clement does a superb job with the alien characters and most especially the setting which serves as the backdrop for the entire story. I'm giving this five stars despite its flaws because the perfection of setting Clement provides is that good.
This is a must read for anyone who likes hard science fiction, though those who dislike too much science in their pleasure reading will dislike the depth of technical details Clement uses throughout the book.
January 3, 2023
An interesting little ecological fable from the dawn of the modern environmental concerns. Not much has changed since then: you've got the people who deny that things have ever been different, the people who doubt that anything can be changed, the people whose privilege insulates them from the issue, the people who waste resources for their own temporary pleasures, and the people who blame outsiders for the problem.
The promotional material for the book advertises Clement's ability to breathe life into alien species, and while the aliens here are interesting and nicely written, I wouldn't sell this book on the merits of its biological worldbuilding. I would, however, sell it on being a solid, briskly-paced adventure.
(Also, on a personal note, this is my 1000th book logged on Goodreads!)
The promotional material for the book advertises Clement's ability to breathe life into alien species, and while the aliens here are interesting and nicely written, I wouldn't sell this book on the merits of its biological worldbuilding. I would, however, sell it on being a solid, briskly-paced adventure.
(Also, on a personal note, this is my 1000th book logged on Goodreads!)
November 14, 2023
A novel set in the far future where humans have destroyed the planet, and the result is a very interesting and unique world where humanity treats oxygen as a finite resource. The main focus of the novel is a creature known as the “observer” as he follows a young family of nomads trying to navigate the barren landscape.
I really enjoyed the main characters, especially Bones. I loved learning about humanity through the eyes of the curious alien entity and seeing how self destructive humanity is, even when we’ve lost it all. Aside from the main characters, all other characters felt very flat and the pacing was a bit slow, I felt the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I hoped but it was overall a very easy book to read and helped reignite my love for sci-fi.
I really enjoyed the main characters, especially Bones. I loved learning about humanity through the eyes of the curious alien entity and seeing how self destructive humanity is, even when we’ve lost it all. Aside from the main characters, all other characters felt very flat and the pacing was a bit slow, I felt the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I hoped but it was overall a very easy book to read and helped reignite my love for sci-fi.
March 12, 2010
Hal Clement can be an intimidating author, as his science is so hard you could crack a tooth on it. I was pleasantly surprised, as the anticipated science was joined to a methodical sociologicial exploration and told from the perspective of interesting characters. This is not a dry recitation.
While the entire premise might be doubtful, the scientific rigor shown in the ramifications--mildly nitric acid seas, the behavior of 'fire' in the nitrogen atmosphere--is extremely well-considered and thoughtful, and not so overwhelming that the novel grinds to a halt. It is fortunately told from the perspective of interesting characters (human and non-human) who keep things going, even though their story is not exactly earth-shaking. This in itself is refreshing, as many high-concept novels want a high-concept plot.
In addition, the book is an exploration of the social effects of this darkly postapocalyptic environment. Humans huddle in their enclosed cities, bound by strict rules of behavior and a religious hatred of scientific progress, which they blame for the condition of the planet (to the point where words like "experiment" and "science" are actually swears.) The characters' disgust for violence is especially noteworthy, as many post-apocalyptic novels dwell on the Darwinian brutality of the setting.
I'm not sure I buy the proposed cause of the catastrophe as mentioned in the tail end of the book, a tacked-on and unnecessary thing.
While the entire premise might be doubtful, the scientific rigor shown in the ramifications--mildly nitric acid seas, the behavior of 'fire' in the nitrogen atmosphere--is extremely well-considered and thoughtful, and not so overwhelming that the novel grinds to a halt. It is fortunately told from the perspective of interesting characters (human and non-human) who keep things going, even though their story is not exactly earth-shaking. This in itself is refreshing, as many high-concept novels want a high-concept plot.
In addition, the book is an exploration of the social effects of this darkly postapocalyptic environment. Humans huddle in their enclosed cities, bound by strict rules of behavior and a religious hatred of scientific progress, which they blame for the condition of the planet (to the point where words like "experiment" and "science" are actually swears.) The characters' disgust for violence is especially noteworthy, as many post-apocalyptic novels dwell on the Darwinian brutality of the setting.
I'm not sure I buy the proposed cause of the catastrophe as mentioned in the tail end of the book, a tacked-on and unnecessary thing.
March 1, 2013
This was a great, hard, science fiction story by Hal Clement, who's on his way to being one of my favorite authors! For a book published in 1980, it's held up quite well to scientific discoveries. The biological science in the book is sound, and a little scary, too. The nature of the alien is quite believable, too.
The one aspect of the book I was put off by was the compulsive honesty and other "hangups" that the various humans had. I felt like this prevented them from being fully rational i.e. believable. I think it hindered the plot more than it helped. At least it was a unique character trait. The anti-science religion of the townsfolk was also unpleasant, but served the purpose of making the bad guys bad. That part was done well, but again, dwelt on more than I cared for.
Clement has a knack for story telling, giving the reader just enough information to stay interested, while holding plenty of mysteries back. As an aspiring science fiction writer, myself, I paid close attention to this. He made use of several words with special meanings, but not too many that the reader might lose track. He used foreshadowing, with the comet, in a way that gave me goosebumps. It was subtly thrown in there, in mention with the Sun and Moon, as part of the "setting" if you will. I thought this was particularly clever; hiding an important clue in plain site.
The one aspect of the book I was put off by was the compulsive honesty and other "hangups" that the various humans had. I felt like this prevented them from being fully rational i.e. believable. I think it hindered the plot more than it helped. At least it was a unique character trait. The anti-science religion of the townsfolk was also unpleasant, but served the purpose of making the bad guys bad. That part was done well, but again, dwelt on more than I cared for.
Clement has a knack for story telling, giving the reader just enough information to stay interested, while holding plenty of mysteries back. As an aspiring science fiction writer, myself, I paid close attention to this. He made use of several words with special meanings, but not too many that the reader might lose track. He used foreshadowing, with the comet, in a way that gave me goosebumps. It was subtly thrown in there, in mention with the Sun and Moon, as part of the "setting" if you will. I thought this was particularly clever; hiding an important clue in plain site.
May 12, 2017
Very nice hard sf, this. I have no idea if it is actually scientifically plausible, but it does look like it. I loved the worldbuilding: the city inside a hill with its top covered by enhanced oxygen-producing organisms, the warm sea of dilute nitric acid, the short, brutish, but surprisingly well-structured family life of the Nomads, who survive on their ingenuity and on the legacy of human biotechnology from the past.
The characters do sometimes seem less than believable in their non-violent, absolutely honest ways, and the secondary characters in particular are mostly like so many cardboard models, but one cannot help, in the end, empathizing with the couple of adult Nomads and to adore their little child; and Bones, with its absorbing curiosity and its complete selflessness, is an extremely interesting portrait of a truly alien being.
The characters do sometimes seem less than believable in their non-violent, absolutely honest ways, and the secondary characters in particular are mostly like so many cardboard models, but one cannot help, in the end, empathizing with the couple of adult Nomads and to adore their little child; and Bones, with its absorbing curiosity and its complete selflessness, is an extremely interesting portrait of a truly alien being.
September 4, 2017
An odd little novel, with a wonderful backdrop and a foreground best viewed a little out of focus.
It's Hal Clement, the science is awesome, and the big picture completely captivating. Unfortunately most of the characters just didn't make me care.
The best character is a precocious little girl, but she's pretty much window dressing.
The rest of them are so much just one thing.
It's kinda like Asimov's psycho history, it works wonderfully with societies, and fails looking at a single small group of people.
It's Hal Clement, the science is awesome, and the big picture completely captivating. Unfortunately most of the characters just didn't make me care.
The best character is a precocious little girl, but she's pretty much window dressing.
The rest of them are so much just one thing.
It's kinda like Asimov's psycho history, it works wonderfully with societies, and fails looking at a single small group of people.
April 25, 2023
Hal Clement has been a favourite author of mine for decades. However, on re-reading this, it is obvious that this just isn't one of his best. Far too much exposition, too little plot and action. I believe this one is going in this year's yard sale.
May 13, 2021
I want my own Observer Unit! 🐙
July 28, 2022
The science was over my head, but it was fun! Alliterating chapter names!
August 17, 2015
Hal Clement is my king of hard science fiction. "Mission of Gravity" is perhaps the paradigmatic "hard sci-fi" novel - in that he creates a fascinating planet, people, and problem from scratch based on his view of the immutable laws of physics - but "Nitrogen" has more dynamic characters and a more engaging narrative. His world (a post-apocalyptic earth where oxygen is severely limited) is very cool, but more fantastic, and he introduces some larger issues here like faith in tradition vs. progress in a way that is not overdone, but also unnerving.
February 22, 2010
Classic Clement, as usual. This science was fascinating. I had never considered that there is enough nitrogen around to completely fix all of the oxygen in the atmosphere given the right catalysts. Is it inevitable, especially now that we are mucking with genetic engineering?
My problem with this Clement novel is that although it has many intriguing concepts, I did not find the story or the characters very interesting.
My problem with this Clement novel is that although it has many intriguing concepts, I did not find the story or the characters very interesting.
September 22, 2014
This one's a bit of classic science fiction, a tale set on a future Earth where the chemical composition of the atmosphere has shifted to contain more nitrogen and less oxygen. Humanity is reduced to living indoors, only venturing forth with necessary oxygen masks. The story revolves around a low-caste trading couple and their alien business partner who get wound up with a group of young rebels. The book was entertaining enough, though hardly a page-turner.
January 26, 2011
Far from his best work (which was Cycle of Fire). His books are never fast-paced, but this took it to an extreme. I felt like there was very little resolution; just not very much happened.
November 22, 2011
Interesting, but kind of felt more like a short story than a novel. You do have to credit Clement in that he can present VERY hard core sci-fi in such a way that it's understandable, AND the story is compelling. I do have to say I liked his Mission of Gravity better.
November 6, 2014
1982 grade A-
2006 grade A
2006 grade A
August 13, 2012
Read it on a whim to pass the time. I absolutely love this!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews