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The Uncertainty Principle
English, Russian (translation)
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 4, 2023
The Soviet era Russian SF writer Dmitri Bilenkin (1933-1987) is new to me. This is a collection of his works, curated for translation and release to the English-speaking market. It is difficult to find out when and where these were first published in Russian – but he became an SF writer in 1959, and this collection was published in 1978, so they must be from between those years. If this collection is representative, then while the West was going through its years of Social Science Fiction and the New Wave, Bilenkin was steadfastly maintaining a perspective of speculative realism. He worked from a sober assessment of what is scientifically unknown, and with a minimum of mysticism. He represented either some sort of delayed Golden Age, or was a precursor to what is today called hard-sf. The speculations were novel to me, not easy tropes, and that is precisely the reason I read SF from other cultures (and the Soviet era is quite distinct from Russia today).
For example, in the title story, The Uncertainty Principle, there is a time traveler attempting to prevent a paradox. But the nature of time travel itself is patterned after the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle. Objects can be transferred to a specific time, or to a specific place, but not both. This limitation shapes the drama of Berg’s ignorance as he attempts to track down a lost piece of instrumentation in the Middle Ages. In another story, The Intelligence Test, the crew of a spaceship are bringing back an assortment of a new-found planet’s animal life – but have totally misunderstood the form of that life which follows a paradigm different from Earth’s.
In terms of writing style, the descriptive passages invoke a realism of nature and setting and personality that is often glossed over in concept-oriented SF, which likes to run straight to the point. I cannot be sure if this should be credited to the author or to the translator, but it does work quite well, and I found the prose reminiscent of Clifford Simak.
This collection contained just a couple of medium quality pieces, but most were quite good, and I recommend it, if you can still locate a copy.
For example, in the title story, The Uncertainty Principle, there is a time traveler attempting to prevent a paradox. But the nature of time travel itself is patterned after the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle. Objects can be transferred to a specific time, or to a specific place, but not both. This limitation shapes the drama of Berg’s ignorance as he attempts to track down a lost piece of instrumentation in the Middle Ages. In another story, The Intelligence Test, the crew of a spaceship are bringing back an assortment of a new-found planet’s animal life – but have totally misunderstood the form of that life which follows a paradigm different from Earth’s.
In terms of writing style, the descriptive passages invoke a realism of nature and setting and personality that is often glossed over in concept-oriented SF, which likes to run straight to the point. I cannot be sure if this should be credited to the author or to the translator, but it does work quite well, and I found the prose reminiscent of Clifford Simak.
This collection contained just a couple of medium quality pieces, but most were quite good, and I recommend it, if you can still locate a copy.
March 13, 2015
Συλλογή διηγημάτων επιστημονικής φαντασίας του Ντμίτρι Μπιλένκιν που γράφηκαν επί Σοβιετικής Ένωσης. Τελικά αυτοί οι Ρώσοι ξέρουν να γράφουν επιστημονική φαντασία και θα έπρεπε να μεταφραστούν στα ελληνικά περισσότερα έργα τους (τόσα βιβλία έχουν γράψει οι καταπληκτικοί αδελφοί Στρουγκάτσκι και έχουν μεταφραστεί μόνο δυο).
Αυτή η συλλογή αποτελείται από 18 διηγήματα, όλα τους από απλώς καλά έως πολύ καλά. Επειδή είναι κάπως πολλά τα διηγήματα και βαριέμαι να γράψω ένα μικρό σχόλιο για το καθένα, θα αναφέρω εδώ ποια ξεχώρισα: Η Αρχή της Αβεβαιότητας, Τίποτ'άλλο από πάγος, Μάτια ξένου, Μοντέρνα κόλαση, Τεστ νοημοσύνης, Ένα μέρος στη μνήμη. Η γραφή πολύ καλή, ευχάριστη σε σημεία, σίγουρα ευκολοδιάβαστη. Επίσης όλα τα διηγήματα ήταν τροφή για σκέψη και θα μπορούσαν να αναπτυχθούν σε μυθιστορήματα.
Αν βρείτε πουθενά το βιβλίο αυτό, μην διστάσετε, αγοράστε το. Εγώ φάνηκα τυχερός και το βρήκα με 4 ευρώ στο Μοναστηράκι.
Αυτή η συλλογή αποτελείται από 18 διηγήματα, όλα τους από απλώς καλά έως πολύ καλά. Επειδή είναι κάπως πολλά τα διηγήματα και βαριέμαι να γράψω ένα μικρό σχόλιο για το καθένα, θα αναφέρω εδώ ποια ξεχώρισα: Η Αρχή της Αβεβαιότητας, Τίποτ'άλλο από πάγος, Μάτια ξένου, Μοντέρνα κόλαση, Τεστ νοημοσύνης, Ένα μέρος στη μνήμη. Η γραφή πολύ καλή, ευχάριστη σε σημεία, σίγουρα ευκολοδιάβαστη. Επίσης όλα τα διηγήματα ήταν τροφή για σκέψη και θα μπορούσαν να αναπτυχθούν σε μυθιστορήματα.
Αν βρείτε πουθενά το βιβλίο αυτό, μην διστάσετε, αγοράστε το. Εγώ φάνηκα τυχερός και το βρήκα με 4 ευρώ στο Μοναστηράκι.
January 10, 2022
I chose this book after beta reading a collection of Bulgarian short stories in the fantasy and science fiction genres. Dmitri Bilenkin's work was mentioned in the introduction or afterword of the book, maybe as an inspiration or as part of the history of speculative fiction in Bulgaria, and I became interested. I'm glad I read this collection of science fiction stories by Bilenkin--most of them were thought-provoking and interesting with unique concepts. My favorites were those that take place on earth but in the future. The space exploration stories were entertaining, but some were a little boring to me, a little outside my interest range. Overall, I really enjoyed this collection and would read more short stories by Bilenkin. I recommend this book to science fiction lovers.
Below are my individual ratings for the stories I didn't rate in my status updates as I read. My overall rating for the book is four stars, not a calculated average but my feeling about the book as a whole after I finished the last story.
"On a Dusty Path": 4 stars. Very thought-provoking story about the assumptions we make and the irreversible actions we commit that we regret once we find out the truth, especially actions that humans commit against any aspect of nature without having all the answers first. It's about human nature but also about human interaction with unknown nature.
"The Painter": 5 stars. A similarly-themed story to "On a Dusty Path." The main character is a painter, and he's out in nature, something that doesn't really exist anymore since the earth is basically taken over by manmade technology, and we've been traveling through space. Being out in nature is a novelty, and in fact, people take trips to the countryside, but they do so in Bilenkin's version of "glamping" by taking along meaphones that give them information and news and robots that cater to their needs and interfere with any potential annoyances. The painter wants an authentic experience in nature, though, so he shoos away a robot and leaves his meaphone off. He's waiting for the fabled Moment that artists have when they've finally seen what they're looking for and get it just right. However, while he's waiting, man once again interferes with nature, thinking they're getting it right but getting it more wrong than they can even imagine.
"What Will You Become?":2 stars 3 stars (see below). By far, my least favorite premise. It's interesting and had me curious, but that twist was, to me, terrible. I don't know enough about Attila the Hun to find any deeper meaning, but I feel like I know enough to get the point, and I still don't get it or appreciate the impact. Just not for me (though it does play up on advancements in genetics and how that can potentially affect children more than the parents, and how when you play too much with science, you can cause unforeseeable problems...wow, have to bump it up a star)
"Things Like That Don't Happen": 3 stars. Not much to say about this one. It makes you think, and it has an ambiguous ending. It's interesting but not my favorite. I feel like it could've been developed further for a stronger impact.
"A Mistake is Impossible": 4 stars. This is bittersweet. Kids can find out if they're gifted with the talents needed to fulfill their dreams. If they are, great. If they're not, they're given an alternative path to follow based on the talents they actually do have. A kid comes in, wanting to be a poet, and he's told he doesn't have the talent. As of now, the program can only give you the answers; it can't match your genetics to your dreams. Most people accept the answer they get, but some can't accept it. The kid is one of them--he wants to be a poet and insists that he'll be one even when the scientist tells him that he can try and be one, but he'll never be a good one. His assistant wonders if what they're doing, taking away children's capacity to dream that they can be whatever they want, is actually cruel and not helpful. It's an interesting moral conundrum--which is better? To tell people they'll never be a good such-and-such, so they don't waste time, and they can use their actual talents to contribute to society, or to let people be what they want, whatever the outcome?
"Time Bank": 3 stars. Some humor, and a creative idea. You can bank time then draw on it later when you want to do something you really want to do and need the extra time to do it. But how do you bank time? Well, if you're in a boring meeting, and you don't want to be there, you just think that you want to bank this moment, you leave the meeting (where do you go? I don't know), you bank that hour, and you reappear at the end of the meeting. Since you didn't actually sit through it, you have an extra hour to draw upon later. But you can imagine when people will actually bank their time and the problems this would cause. So, rules crop up, and eventually, we have to decide si the Time Bank even doable and worth the trouble?
Below are my individual ratings for the stories I didn't rate in my status updates as I read. My overall rating for the book is four stars, not a calculated average but my feeling about the book as a whole after I finished the last story.
"On a Dusty Path": 4 stars. Very thought-provoking story about the assumptions we make and the irreversible actions we commit that we regret once we find out the truth, especially actions that humans commit against any aspect of nature without having all the answers first. It's about human nature but also about human interaction with unknown nature.
"The Painter": 5 stars. A similarly-themed story to "On a Dusty Path." The main character is a painter, and he's out in nature, something that doesn't really exist anymore since the earth is basically taken over by manmade technology, and we've been traveling through space. Being out in nature is a novelty, and in fact, people take trips to the countryside, but they do so in Bilenkin's version of "glamping" by taking along meaphones that give them information and news and robots that cater to their needs and interfere with any potential annoyances. The painter wants an authentic experience in nature, though, so he shoos away a robot and leaves his meaphone off. He's waiting for the fabled Moment that artists have when they've finally seen what they're looking for and get it just right. However, while he's waiting, man once again interferes with nature, thinking they're getting it right but getting it more wrong than they can even imagine.
"What Will You Become?":
"Things Like That Don't Happen": 3 stars. Not much to say about this one. It makes you think, and it has an ambiguous ending. It's interesting but not my favorite. I feel like it could've been developed further for a stronger impact.
"A Mistake is Impossible": 4 stars. This is bittersweet. Kids can find out if they're gifted with the talents needed to fulfill their dreams. If they are, great. If they're not, they're given an alternative path to follow based on the talents they actually do have. A kid comes in, wanting to be a poet, and he's told he doesn't have the talent. As of now, the program can only give you the answers; it can't match your genetics to your dreams. Most people accept the answer they get, but some can't accept it. The kid is one of them--he wants to be a poet and insists that he'll be one even when the scientist tells him that he can try and be one, but he'll never be a good one. His assistant wonders if what they're doing, taking away children's capacity to dream that they can be whatever they want, is actually cruel and not helpful. It's an interesting moral conundrum--which is better? To tell people they'll never be a good such-and-such, so they don't waste time, and they can use their actual talents to contribute to society, or to let people be what they want, whatever the outcome?
"Time Bank": 3 stars. Some humor, and a creative idea. You can bank time then draw on it later when you want to do something you really want to do and need the extra time to do it. But how do you bank time? Well, if you're in a boring meeting, and you don't want to be there, you just think that you want to bank this moment, you leave the meeting (where do you go? I don't know), you bank that hour, and you reappear at the end of the meeting. Since you didn't actually sit through it, you have an extra hour to draw upon later. But you can imagine when people will actually bank their time and the problems this would cause. So, rules crop up, and eventually, we have to decide si the Time Bank even doable and worth the trouble?
March 7, 2008
I've already praised this "Best of Soviet SF" series (introduced by Theodore Sturgeon). People read older Russian literature but how often do we in the US get to read more contemporary work? Not often enuf, IMO. Russia has (or has had) some of the greatest SF writers & the more that US publishers expose us to them, the better. THANK YOU COLLIER, THANK YOU MACMILLAN, THANK YOU THEODORE STURGEON.
January 6, 2018
This book contains 18 short stories. Most of them little more than vignettes, under 10 pages long. Their settings vary from planets to space ships to earth in the present and near future, but are usually little more than a skein - they are embellished only enough to serve the story, and go no further. This isn't explorer's SF, but his stories do share some of the same traits that I enjoy in the Strugatsky brothers - an appreciation for the absurd in life, and an eye for the human condition.
To give some examples, the Snows of Olympus is about several men climbing the slopes of Olympus Mons on Mars, just because it is there. They get onto discussing the meaning of meaning, and one of them concludes that the act of doing something because it is there must be a universal constant. The conclusion is born out by something they discover on this highest mountain in the solar system.
In The Painter, a man who heads out into the wilderness to paint the perfect nature scene is continually interrupted by the nature parks servobots. In What Will You Become? a man reveals that his son Mick is really a clone of Atilla the Hun when another man comes complain that Mick is jeopardizing his career as a 'thinktician'. My favourite story in the collection, The Man Who Was Present, is about a man who's is drawn to the productive energy of people around him, and whose mere presence enhances that energy. Not every tale is equally interesting (some are downright bland) but there's enough to get the juices flowing if you like social SF. They aren't high concept, but you can feel the perspective shift.
The writing style is pretty spare, though there are some interesting and humorous turns of phrase. There's something about the writing that makes seem naive, and I wonder if that can be partly attributed to the area and and time in which Bilenkin was writing. The Strugatskys don't come across this way, but I'd like to give Bilenkin the benefit of the doubt.
Recommended if you want to dabble in a bit of unusual social SF, or if you want a different perspective. Most of you, though, will probably find these stories on the bland side, with a dash of charming.
To give some examples, the Snows of Olympus is about several men climbing the slopes of Olympus Mons on Mars, just because it is there. They get onto discussing the meaning of meaning, and one of them concludes that the act of doing something because it is there must be a universal constant. The conclusion is born out by something they discover on this highest mountain in the solar system.
In The Painter, a man who heads out into the wilderness to paint the perfect nature scene is continually interrupted by the nature parks servobots. In What Will You Become? a man reveals that his son Mick is really a clone of Atilla the Hun when another man comes complain that Mick is jeopardizing his career as a 'thinktician'. My favourite story in the collection, The Man Who Was Present, is about a man who's is drawn to the productive energy of people around him, and whose mere presence enhances that energy. Not every tale is equally interesting (some are downright bland) but there's enough to get the juices flowing if you like social SF. They aren't high concept, but you can feel the perspective shift.
The writing style is pretty spare, though there are some interesting and humorous turns of phrase. There's something about the writing that makes seem naive, and I wonder if that can be partly attributed to the area and and time in which Bilenkin was writing. The Strugatskys don't come across this way, but I'd like to give Bilenkin the benefit of the doubt.
Recommended if you want to dabble in a bit of unusual social SF, or if you want a different perspective. Most of you, though, will probably find these stories on the bland side, with a dash of charming.
September 24, 2019
Better than expected. He had good ideas and he could write. And most of his stories are thought-provoking. Recommended!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews