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Future History of the Polesotechnic League
Satan's World
A rogue planet...frozen for a billion years by the cold of interstellar space, now boiling with titanic energies. Mysterious beings had kidnapped David Falkhayn, the celbrated explorer of new worlds. Why were they trying to prevent him, at all costs, from exploiting the devil planet's resources? The stakes are nothing less that the survival of the human race, and the sentient beings allied with it.
220 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
About the author
Poul Anderson
1,670 books1,148 followersPseudonym A. A. Craig, Michael Karageorge, Winston P. Sanders, P. A. Kingsley.
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.
Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]
Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.
Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.
Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]
Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.
Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
August 16, 2014
A classic tale of SF adventure and aliens. Some allusions to the main characters' previous short story adventures. . .
But it opens with Captain David Falkayn, merchant explorer working for Nicholas van Rijn, going to a company called Serendipity that can hook up concepts and yield connections. There, their machinery comes up with a rogue world, not attached to a planet, about to pass by a blue giant and so warm up -- and then cool down as it goes back into interstellar space. This would enable the mass transmutation of elements, since you could build up your process as it cooled, and so dissipate the heat that made it unworkable.
The owners of the company, strange to the Moon and reclusive, want to talk to him. He agrees -- and does not return. His ship mates, the cat-like Chee Lan and the Buddhist dragon-like Adzel, are stymied in every effort, even though the messages from him are not his style at all. So they contact van Rijn.
The rest of the story involves security sophonts from primitive cultures with fierce honor codes, abducted children, kidnapping, hidding on a planet, space chases, much discussion about how biology affects xenopsychology, and much more. Great fun.
Even if the characters don't know why the dinosaurs became extinct. 0:)
But it opens with Captain David Falkayn, merchant explorer working for Nicholas van Rijn, going to a company called Serendipity that can hook up concepts and yield connections. There, their machinery comes up with a rogue world, not attached to a planet, about to pass by a blue giant and so warm up -- and then cool down as it goes back into interstellar space. This would enable the mass transmutation of elements, since you could build up your process as it cooled, and so dissipate the heat that made it unworkable.
The owners of the company, strange to the Moon and reclusive, want to talk to him. He agrees -- and does not return. His ship mates, the cat-like Chee Lan and the Buddhist dragon-like Adzel, are stymied in every effort, even though the messages from him are not his style at all. So they contact van Rijn.
The rest of the story involves security sophonts from primitive cultures with fierce honor codes, abducted children, kidnapping, hidding on a planet, space chases, much discussion about how biology affects xenopsychology, and much more. Great fun.
Even if the characters don't know why the dinosaurs became extinct. 0:)
August 7, 2016
For what this novel aims at being I give it a 4.5/5 for an entertaining adventure. The previous books were loaded to the brim with alien words and so much vernacular that they took longer to read. This books narrative was much smoother a read. The characters have also grown on me finally. This was a true adventure story. It doesnt try to be something which it is not.
I enjoyed the mystery of Satan, the planet. I also thoroughly enjoyed the slow reveal of the Dathynans, what they were, how they came to be, and the facinating descriptions of ruins from times past.
This is a late 1960s adventure story. Before you get upset by it not being what you expected, remember that. It has elements of adventure very much like Star Trek the original series. Sometimes corny, sometimes a trifle far fetched in one aspect or another. It simply aims to be a neat adventure tale. It isn't always fast paced either, but that doesnt matter. I was frankly hooked from the beginning so the slower bits didn't bother me.
Don't expect a literary masterpiece. be prepared for Van Rijns weird dialogue from time to time. Prepare for far fetched odd plots (which I frankly enjoyed). This book is about the story, the universe, the science fiction, and the science itself. This book doesnt focus hugely on character development, but there are characters, they are explored and extrapolated upon, but not remotely to the lengths one would see in something more... literary. But then, his isn't literature, it's science fiction.
I liked it because it was just a fun little tale of adventure which entertained me the whole time.
I enjoyed the mystery of Satan, the planet. I also thoroughly enjoyed the slow reveal of the Dathynans, what they were, how they came to be, and the facinating descriptions of ruins from times past.
This is a late 1960s adventure story. Before you get upset by it not being what you expected, remember that. It has elements of adventure very much like Star Trek the original series. Sometimes corny, sometimes a trifle far fetched in one aspect or another. It simply aims to be a neat adventure tale. It isn't always fast paced either, but that doesnt matter. I was frankly hooked from the beginning so the slower bits didn't bother me.
Don't expect a literary masterpiece. be prepared for Van Rijns weird dialogue from time to time. Prepare for far fetched odd plots (which I frankly enjoyed). This book is about the story, the universe, the science fiction, and the science itself. This book doesnt focus hugely on character development, but there are characters, they are explored and extrapolated upon, but not remotely to the lengths one would see in something more... literary. But then, his isn't literature, it's science fiction.
I liked it because it was just a fun little tale of adventure which entertained me the whole time.
November 7, 2020
This story, first published in 1969, is fairly standard stuff by Poul Anderson (1926-2001). Which means that I enjoy it. I first started reading Anderson as a kid, so reading this author is a kind of comfort food for me. It's an adventure story featuring handsome athletic hero David Falkayne. And, as in the best of Anderson, there is some interesting world-building. I think that's what I most like about Anderson--his descriptions of alien worlds, such as the "rogue" planet that Falkayne sets out on a mission to explore in this story.
This story is either 3rd or 4th in Anderson's Future History, the first part of which concerns the Age of the Polesotechnic League. This is a time when libertarian ideals seem to have been achieved, as merchants (exemplified by Nicholas Van Rijn) lead the way in exploring (and exploiting) other planets, beyond the control of any government or laws. As Falkayne explains the purpose of the League, "It organizes cooperative, mutual-benefit activities, and it mediates competition that might otherwise become literally cutthroat." This age leads to the age of the Galactic Imperium and the series that features the dashing James Bond-like Imperial operative Dominic Flandry.
This story is either 3rd or 4th in Anderson's Future History, the first part of which concerns the Age of the Polesotechnic League. This is a time when libertarian ideals seem to have been achieved, as merchants (exemplified by Nicholas Van Rijn) lead the way in exploring (and exploiting) other planets, beyond the control of any government or laws. As Falkayne explains the purpose of the League, "It organizes cooperative, mutual-benefit activities, and it mediates competition that might otherwise become literally cutthroat." This age leads to the age of the Galactic Imperium and the series that features the dashing James Bond-like Imperial operative Dominic Flandry.
March 29, 2019
Somewhat dated
October 20, 2014
I'm a bit conflicted on this one. Poul Anderson is a legend of the golden age of sci-fi fiction, and Satan's World is a great example of the classic sci-fi paperback circa 1965-75. If you know that's what you're getting, and you like the genre of the time, then it's a 3 star read.
However, I found this particular story slow and confusing to develop, and hard to get into for the first 70+ pages (and to be 1/3 of the way into a book before it really gets interesting does not instill confidence). Once in the "second act" the story was better, including character interaction, plot progression and a more identifiable villain.
Overall, I think this story suffers from limitations in character, insufficient and unclear plot development, and the overuse of futurisic dialog vernacular. Introdution of future terminology is part of a good sci-fi story, but in this work it's overdone and creates confusion rather than curiousity.
However, I found this particular story slow and confusing to develop, and hard to get into for the first 70+ pages (and to be 1/3 of the way into a book before it really gets interesting does not instill confidence). Once in the "second act" the story was better, including character interaction, plot progression and a more identifiable villain.
Overall, I think this story suffers from limitations in character, insufficient and unclear plot development, and the overuse of futurisic dialog vernacular. Introdution of future terminology is part of a good sci-fi story, but in this work it's overdone and creates confusion rather than curiousity.
July 6, 2014
A decent space-opera adventure story with some hard sci-fi concepts in the mix. A bit muddled in its first third, with the goals of the protagonists not always clear; interrupted occasionally by too-long talking-head expository passages; and a bit flat in its last pages with long stretches of xenobiology and xenopsychology that read like overgeneralized lectures; Satan's World is nonetheless a decently entertaining and diverting read with some nice passages of action and adventure, such as an assault on a fortified compound and an exploration of a rogue planet. It is very cool, too, that of the four main protagonists, two are very different types of non-humans. The book ultimately was up-and-down for me: very gripping in sections, a bit boring in others, but overall a decent effort by Mr Anderson and worth at least one read for the good stuff that is in there.
April 29, 2019
Unbridled capitalism wins , but the character of Nicholas van Rijn makes it marvellous. Favourite scene involves the government agent expecting Nicholas to gloat.
August 17, 2019
Mi sono trovata fra le mani un vero gioiellino, io che di fantascienza ne so poco, quando ho cominciato a leggere questo romanzo da cui ho fatto davvero difficoltà a staccarmi.
179 pagine per un'avventura con la A maiuscola dove le razze vengono descritte in modo verosimile; dove uno stile narrativo alterna dati scentificamente credibili (non chiedetemi di verificarli però) a momenti che strappano una risata, a un turbinio di eventi e combattimenti verbali e no, per rimanere inquadrati nello stile sci-fi in piena regola.
Poul Anderson ci regala un romanzo che fa anche riflettere sull'uso delle informazioni e chi ne fa scorta (fatto che alla fine degli anni '60 aveva già fatto partire le prime paranoie, ma che ora nel XXI secolo certe paure diventano quasi profezie), sull'evoluzione delle specie, sulle Leghe intese come assembramento di esseri spinti da uno stesso principio, sul concetto di "dominazione" dei popoli in senso pacifico.
Conquista, diverte, affascina e fa riflettere.
Consigliatissimo.
179 pagine per un'avventura con la A maiuscola dove le razze vengono descritte in modo verosimile; dove uno stile narrativo alterna dati scentificamente credibili (non chiedetemi di verificarli però) a momenti che strappano una risata, a un turbinio di eventi e combattimenti verbali e no, per rimanere inquadrati nello stile sci-fi in piena regola.
Poul Anderson ci regala un romanzo che fa anche riflettere sull'uso delle informazioni e chi ne fa scorta (fatto che alla fine degli anni '60 aveva già fatto partire le prime paranoie, ma che ora nel XXI secolo certe paure diventano quasi profezie), sull'evoluzione delle specie, sulle Leghe intese come assembramento di esseri spinti da uno stesso principio, sul concetto di "dominazione" dei popoli in senso pacifico.
Conquista, diverte, affascina e fa riflettere.
Consigliatissimo.
January 6, 2024
So I was not impressed with this story at all. If anything reading it was actually putting me to sleep so I guess it was the opposite of exciting. And to be truthful it was the cover that attracted me to pick this up to read. That cover image just looks so fascinating doesn't it?
So the back cover of the paperback actually doesn't give much about the plot at all, which I find odd. But this is a brief description of what this book is about (spoiler free).
So there is this human man named Falkayn and his is quite famous. He is part of the Polesotechnic League, a group of space traders. He is on Earth's moon (Luna) when he goes to meet up with the Serendipity. The Serendipity is this very neutral group that trades information and its mostly done by computer. And if you have the right information to trade the computer may tell you something very valuable! And so Falkayn goes there....
But then things go horribly wrong!
(And yes he gets some info which leads to Satan's World)
There are other neat characters in here like Adzel who sometimes is described as a "weird dragon" or as a "cross between a centaur and a crocodile" and there is Chee Lan who is said to be monkey-like (simian)..
And there are spaceships, battles, people outwitting others and all sorts of stuff....
But...
Its all written in this weird way? Many of the dialogue came off weird. Its hard to explain. Its sort of like how Master Yoda talks with the backwards sentence structure? Well there is lots of that in here especially from Adzel and Chee Len. And the characters would go on these long angry tirades, especially Chee Len. All of that just slows down the plot. There is actually lots of stuff in here that slows the plot down.
The whole story seems to move super slow and I certainly felt very distant from the characters and the action. The book was actually putting me to sleep. By the end I just didn't care what was going to happen at all.
I didn't relate to any of the characters at all.
The viewpoint kept shifting too from character to character. It would have been better if the author had stuck with only one character. And no actual thrills or suspense even when there was danger.
I realize this is a popular author but I am unsure if over the long decades of reading science fiction if I had ever read any other books by him. I had started reading back in 6th grade so.... That was a long time ago!
So the back cover of the paperback actually doesn't give much about the plot at all, which I find odd. But this is a brief description of what this book is about (spoiler free).
So there is this human man named Falkayn and his is quite famous. He is part of the Polesotechnic League, a group of space traders. He is on Earth's moon (Luna) when he goes to meet up with the Serendipity. The Serendipity is this very neutral group that trades information and its mostly done by computer. And if you have the right information to trade the computer may tell you something very valuable! And so Falkayn goes there....
But then things go horribly wrong!
(And yes he gets some info which leads to Satan's World)
There are other neat characters in here like Adzel who sometimes is described as a "weird dragon" or as a "cross between a centaur and a crocodile" and there is Chee Lan who is said to be monkey-like (simian)..
And there are spaceships, battles, people outwitting others and all sorts of stuff....
But...
Its all written in this weird way? Many of the dialogue came off weird. Its hard to explain. Its sort of like how Master Yoda talks with the backwards sentence structure? Well there is lots of that in here especially from Adzel and Chee Len. And the characters would go on these long angry tirades, especially Chee Len. All of that just slows down the plot. There is actually lots of stuff in here that slows the plot down.
The whole story seems to move super slow and I certainly felt very distant from the characters and the action. The book was actually putting me to sleep. By the end I just didn't care what was going to happen at all.
I didn't relate to any of the characters at all.
The viewpoint kept shifting too from character to character. It would have been better if the author had stuck with only one character. And no actual thrills or suspense even when there was danger.
I realize this is a popular author but I am unsure if over the long decades of reading science fiction if I had ever read any other books by him. I had started reading back in 6th grade so.... That was a long time ago!
Read
September 2, 2023Capitalistic rocket cowboys, speculative behavioral evolution, a cult built around a search engine, a moral compass in the shape of a talking cat with a jet pack, and a lingering ticklish hope for a future where humanity gets Out There. Innocently silly and more than a little flawed, but with the cajones to spend pages describing dying suns burning out over alien wastelands.
"You spun him one synthetic yarn."
"You spun him one synthetic yarn."
April 24, 2016
Една от онези рядко срещани книги, които започват някак странно ... и продължават странно, за да завършат без да повдигат много напрежението, но някак задържат погледа ... Рядко бижу в което има нови идеи и нови конструкции ...
September 17, 2024
1.5
Mediocre science fiction novel that had a surprising amount of either spelling or grammatical errors and a main character that talked like JarJar Binks. I understood that he was Dutch by his backstory and his use of Dutch phrases, why did he have to speak in poorly embellished broken English?
Mediocre science fiction novel that had a surprising amount of either spelling or grammatical errors and a main character that talked like JarJar Binks. I understood that he was Dutch by his backstory and his use of Dutch phrases, why did he have to speak in poorly embellished broken English?
June 1, 2017
Near the end of the Van Rijn/Falkayn cycle, and a good read.
August 12, 2018
Awesome continuation of the adventures of Van Rijn and Falkayn. Good if you like science in your fiction...
July 16, 2020
A novel of Nicholas van Rijn and the Polesotechnic League. A Science Fiction Book Club selection.
October 5, 2026
The story circles around a "rogue planet" nicknamed Satan. This giant chunk of rock spent a billion years drifting through the absolute freezing dark of deep space, getting colder than a stone well-digger’s backside. But now, it’s hurtling dead-on toward a blazing sun. As it gets closer, all that frozen atmosphere and ice starts boiling, exploding, and brewing up titanic, devilish energies. Our main fella is David Falkayn, a space explorer who finds this crazy planet and realizes its rare mineral wealth could make him richer than Midas. He belongs to a trader team working for the Polesotechnic League—which is basically a high-tech version of the old Dutch East India Company. It's run by a bombastic, beer-guzzling, corporate mastermind named Nicholas van Rijn. Falkayn doesn't ride alone. His partners are Adzel, a fifteen-foot-tall, dragon-like alien who happens to be a peaceful Buddhist, and Chee Lan, a small, furry, feline alien who cusses like a drunken sailor and drives spaceships like a maniac. Before Falkayn can stake his claim on Satan, a secretive, sneaky alien empire called the Shenna steps out of the shadows. They kidnap Falkayn and try to brainwash him. They need Satan for their own dark purposes, and they've got an entire war armada ready to wipe out humanity to keep it. This book is a glorious celebration of the free market taking over the stars. While governments stand around chewing their fingernails and filling out paperwork, it’s the private merchants and their crazy alien buddies who roll up their sleeves and save the day. It does get a little bogged down in heavy science lectures about cold-weld chemistry and planetary physics, but it snaps right back to the action before you can lose the trail. It's pure, fun, late-60s space adventure.
February 25, 2023
This is one of Anderson's long "Technic Civilisation" series. It is set in the early days before Flandry and the Terran Empire. The plot revolves around a rogue planet which is making a close pass of a Blue Giant star and is being thawed out in the process. Its human and friendly alien discoverers name it "Satan". For reason which are not entirely clear, this world will become a very valuable piece of real estate. The protagonists are two friendly aliens, loveable rogue Nicholas van Riyn and his sidekick Falkayn. They discover that an unfriendly alien race has also discovered Satan and have set up a spy network on the moon. After some cops and robbers stuff, the aliens are finally tracked to their home planet where it is discovered that they domesticated some human children and made them into spies in their plan to conquer the neighbouring culture.
There are no great concepts in this yarn, which is stuffed with Anderson's love of astronomical details such as the spectrum of the Blue star and the gravitational potential of the aliens' planet. Nothing spectacular but ideal for a long train journey.
There are no great concepts in this yarn, which is stuffed with Anderson's love of astronomical details such as the spectrum of the Blue star and the gravitational potential of the aliens' planet. Nothing spectacular but ideal for a long train journey.
September 14, 2023
While on a break on Luna David Falkyn visits Serendipity Inc. (SI), a data trading company, on the off-chance something interesting might pop up. It does. A rogue planet (which he calls Satan), a sunless wanderer in interstellar space, is about to go close enough to Beta Crucis to start thawing, releasing rare and sought after elements. But the news is so good that SI itself breaks protocol and their reputation for impartiality and kidnap Falkyn. His partners Adzel, a huge dragon-like Wodenite, and Chee-Lan, a smaller furry alien, get nervous when Falkyn fails to show up and then declares his undying love for an SI manager! Their boss, Nicholas Van Rijn is called in and an illegal rescue is performed. The police arrest Adzel but Van Rijn uses some blackmail to get him freed and they all depart for Satan. Meanwhile Falkyn has been intercepted by an alien fleet led by an SI manager and a minotaur-like alien Shenn (think Klingons) called Gahood. Falkyn is forced to go into Satan’s atmosphere in an attempt to thwart the Shenn’s fleet and find out just what the Shenn interest is. What he finds out shocks him in this entertaining Poul Anderson novel.
May 5, 2026
Any Anderson book is a fun read. He has a way of adding layers of complexity to a story, what drives it forward, the character's motivations, that makes me turn each page with delight.
Satan's World keeps that tradition alive. Complex antagonists face off against our heroes. We all know our heroes will come out on top. Anderson makes it a fun journey getting there. He does a wonderful job of making our heroes three dimensional.
I just had a weird thought as I write this. The quartet of heroes in these stories are like the A-Team. Nicholas van Rijn is Hannibal Smith, giddy when a plan comes together. David Falkayn is Face, the smooth talking ladies man, quick to score whatever is needed to make the plan work. Chee, Murdock, quick with weapons and the gadgets. Adzel, BA Baracus, just the big muscle. Of course, the analogy breaks down if you think about it too much. Adzel is a buddhist, after all.
Satan's World keeps that tradition alive. Complex antagonists face off against our heroes. We all know our heroes will come out on top. Anderson makes it a fun journey getting there. He does a wonderful job of making our heroes three dimensional.
I just had a weird thought as I write this. The quartet of heroes in these stories are like the A-Team. Nicholas van Rijn is Hannibal Smith, giddy when a plan comes together. David Falkayn is Face, the smooth talking ladies man, quick to score whatever is needed to make the plan work. Chee, Murdock, quick with weapons and the gadgets. Adzel, BA Baracus, just the big muscle. Of course, the analogy breaks down if you think about it too much. Adzel is a buddhist, after all.
November 18, 2022
Fine space opera material for a couple of relaxing evenings. Van Rijn is a larger than life character (from his descriptions it seems he looks like some of the portraits of the Dutch commanders of the golden age, but he also wears a sarong). The trio Falkayn/Chee/Adzel is also nice (I think I have a personal preference for Chee).
All books of Anderson are well written, this one is no exception, and that also makes them always a joy to read.
A bit of suspension of disbelief is necessary, especially when he is talking about mutation and evolution. After reading Darwin's "The evolution of species" and publications of Stephen J. Gould, one never looks in the same way at SF-writers who want to use evolution as explanation for their plots.
The weird thing is that some of his older Flandry work does not have this flaw. Maybe he needed sometimes to pad his stories.
All books of Anderson are well written, this one is no exception, and that also makes them always a joy to read.
A bit of suspension of disbelief is necessary, especially when he is talking about mutation and evolution. After reading Darwin's "The evolution of species" and publications of Stephen J. Gould, one never looks in the same way at SF-writers who want to use evolution as explanation for their plots.
The weird thing is that some of his older Flandry work does not have this flaw. Maybe he needed sometimes to pad his stories.
May 17, 2026
Anderson excels at creating interesting worlds, both literally in terms of the physical environment of Satan, and socially in terms of the refreshingly original society of the Polesotechnic League. His story is gripping if a little difficult to get into if you're not familiar with this world. Philosophically the story nicely upholds the superiority of individual freedom, although Anderson clearly also embraces a certain degree of collective evolutionary determinism in how he describes the traits and behaviours of the various species in the story (including humanity). The characters are well defined and their interactions are often funny and entertaining.
January 26, 2023
Ive never read any of Poul's Polesotechnic books before so I was jumping into the middle of a story. It had some interesting concepts especially with Serendipity Inc. However, it was slow to get going, partly confusing with characters that a reader would need to read earlier books. The main plot failed to grab me as it was wrapped up with a rescue of the characters and a quick synopsis of the villains of the story who did not appear to be all that villainous or threatening. If I find other books, Ill be sure to check them out, but as for Satan's World 2/5
July 13, 2026
The protagonist decides to check out a super computer that advises people on what the person ought to know. However, what he finds out causes him to get kidnapped by the computer's owners.
The protagonist's buddie get him back and they head off to investigate the planet the computer told him about. There he meets the real powers behind the computer and discovers what they are really up to!
The protagonist's buddie get him back and they head off to investigate the planet the computer told him about. There he meets the real powers behind the computer and discovers what they are really up to!
September 8, 2017
Science Fiction Novel about the dispute over an unattached planet (not in orbit around a star). The author knows his science pretty well, and the title planet has some similarities to Dante's version of Hell, but the protagonists get out of scrapes by the use of questionable logic.
November 7, 2021
The first 1/3rd of the book was a mess and a large portion of the rest has aged poorly. Van Rijn's dialogue is obnoxious and distracting.
I did enjoy several of the concepts and plot points. The alien species in this book are creative.
I did enjoy several of the concepts and plot points. The alien species in this book are creative.
September 1, 2025
3.5 ⭐ es entretenido, está guay, alguna cosa no tiene sentido, como que puedan hacer viajes espaciales enormes pero a la hora de comunicarse se comuniquen por un sistema de puntos y rayas wtf jajaja pero bueno dejando pasar esas tonterías está bastante bien en general, recomendado.
January 5, 2022
4 out of 5
March 17, 2010
Стандартна космическа фантастика, която не блести нито с особена оригиналност, нито с някакво зарибяващо действие.
Мене лично доста ме дразни когато във фантастиките писани по-отдавна основните усилия на автора са насочени към обясняването на някакви астрономически явления и принципи, когато (най-често) това няма особена връзка с действието в книгата. Също и като най-подробно обясняват "новите технологии" както си ги представят, пак без никакво особено значение за действието - например като се обажда героя по "видеовръзката" автора надълго и нашироко обяснява как ставя тя, сякаш в един съвременен роман ако героят телефонира, авторът да седне, по средата на действието, да обяснява как точно функционира телефонът.
Ай сиктир - стига сте ми обяснявали как ВИЕ си представяте че стават нещата, оставете ме АЗ да си фантазирам как стават - нали затова жанрът се нарича "фантастика"...
Мене лично доста ме дразни когато във фантастиките писани по-отдавна основните усилия на автора са насочени към обясняването на някакви астрономически явления и принципи, когато (най-често) това няма особена връзка с действието в книгата. Също и като най-подробно обясняват "новите технологии" както си ги представят, пак без никакво особено значение за действието - например като се обажда героя по "видеовръзката" автора надълго и нашироко обяснява как ставя тя, сякаш в един съвременен роман ако героят телефонира, авторът да седне, по средата на действието, да обяснява как точно функционира телефонът.
Ай сиктир - стига сте ми обяснявали как ВИЕ си представяте че стават нещата, оставете ме АЗ да си фантазирам как стават - нали затова жанрът се нарича "фантастика"...
August 2, 2015
So I found this book by a famous sci-fi writer that I have never read before and thought it might be a cool read. I was wrong. I hate to put down a book before finishing it and really struggle to keep with it. But this time I failed. Every part I read wasn't just inane, it was flat out boring. I just couldn't handle it, and finally had to give up. In all fairness to the author, he wrote about 150 books, and some of those might be good. I will try again, but not with this one.
July 23, 2025
A solid, fun, little space opera with some sparse attempts at harder science. A perfectly enjoyable easy way to pass the time. I appreciate that, especially for the era, Anderson really tries to make his 'aliens' as aliens as he can while still working within some general sf bounds of size and structure.
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