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The Rose
Contents:
· The Rose · na Authentic #31 ’53
· The Chessplayers · ss F&SF Oct ’53
· The New Reality · nv Thrilling Wonder Stories Dec ’50
· The Rose · na Authentic #31 ’53
· The Chessplayers · ss F&SF Oct ’53
· The New Reality · nv Thrilling Wonder Stories Dec ’50
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
5 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
Charles L. Harness
92 books24 followersAlso credited as Charles Harness.
Charles Leonard Harness was born December 29, 1915 in Colorado City TX. After an abortive stint at Texas Christian University, studying to be a preacher, he moved on to George Washington University in Washington DC, where he received a B.S. degree in 1942, and a law degree in 1946. He married in 1938, and he and wife Nell have a daughter and a son. He worked as a mineral economist for the US Bureau of Mines, 1941-47, then became a patent attorney, first with American Cyanamid (1947-1953), then with W.R. Grace & Co. (1953-1981). His first story, ‘‘Time Trap’’, appeared in Astounding (8/48), and he went on to write a number of well-regarded SF stories, many involving future trials and patent attorneys. A series of patent office spoofs/stories (some co-written with Theodore L. Thomas) appeared under the pseudonym Leonard Lockhard, beginning with ‘‘Improbable Profession’’ (Astounding 9/52). His first published novel, Flight Into Yesterday (aka The Paradox Men), first appeared as a 1949 novella, and was expanded in 1953. The Rose, his most famous novella, appeared as a book in 1966. It was followed by Wagnerian space opera The Ring of Ritornel (1968), Wolfhead (1978), The Catalyst (1980), Firebird (1981), The Venetian Court (1982), Redworld (1986), Krono (1988), Lurid Dreams (1990), and Lunar Justice (1991). His short fiction has been collected in An Ornament to His Profession (1998), which includes not only ‘‘The Rose’’ but a new novella as well.
Charles Leonard Harness was born December 29, 1915 in Colorado City TX. After an abortive stint at Texas Christian University, studying to be a preacher, he moved on to George Washington University in Washington DC, where he received a B.S. degree in 1942, and a law degree in 1946. He married in 1938, and he and wife Nell have a daughter and a son. He worked as a mineral economist for the US Bureau of Mines, 1941-47, then became a patent attorney, first with American Cyanamid (1947-1953), then with W.R. Grace & Co. (1953-1981). His first story, ‘‘Time Trap’’, appeared in Astounding (8/48), and he went on to write a number of well-regarded SF stories, many involving future trials and patent attorneys. A series of patent office spoofs/stories (some co-written with Theodore L. Thomas) appeared under the pseudonym Leonard Lockhard, beginning with ‘‘Improbable Profession’’ (Astounding 9/52). His first published novel, Flight Into Yesterday (aka The Paradox Men), first appeared as a 1949 novella, and was expanded in 1953. The Rose, his most famous novella, appeared as a book in 1966. It was followed by Wagnerian space opera The Ring of Ritornel (1968), Wolfhead (1978), The Catalyst (1980), Firebird (1981), The Venetian Court (1982), Redworld (1986), Krono (1988), Lurid Dreams (1990), and Lunar Justice (1991). His short fiction has been collected in An Ornament to His Profession (1998), which includes not only ‘‘The Rose’’ but a new novella as well.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 10, 2014
‘In a world where a terrifying Ultimate Weapon is just about to be perfected, a scattered handful of people are on the brink of making a giant evolutionary step and becoming more than human. The Rose is the story of two such mutants, one man and one woman.
On their foreheads, strange horn-like growths sprout. On their backs, disfiguring humps grow. Together they fight in anew and deadly version of an ages-old battle, all the time seeking the mysterious Rose that will resolve the puzzling enigma on which the future of life itself depends…’
Blurb from the 1969 Panther paperback edition
Weighing in at a scant ninety-nine pages this is a surreal and complex gem of a book. Anna van Tuyl is a psychiatrist recently afflicted with abnormal growths to her head and upper back. Simultaneously she has been plagued with dreams of the score of a ballet called ‘Nightingale and The Rose’ which takes as its theme the story of a Student who desperately needs a Red Rose and can find only white. The nightingale pierces her heart with a thorn in order that her blood dyes the rose red and gives the Student what he needs.
Ruy Jacques, an artist similarly afflicted with the growths, becomes fascinated by Anna’s score. At the same time, Jacques’ wife, Martha, a National Security Scientist, recruits Anna to help her husband, who, it seems, has lost the ability to read and write.
Martha has her own great work in progress, the development of Sciomnia, a set of nineteen formulae whose schematics form the shape of a red rose and which will, when complete, form the basis of the ultimate weapon.
It’s a highly idiosyncratic book, atypical of SF of the fifties, although in some ways it can be compared to the work of Alfred Bester.
It examines the relationship between Science and Art, Science in this case being represented by the cold and ruthless Martha Jacques whose deeply complex feelings for her husband force her to kill those who come between them. It’s an ironic point of the novel that this most insecure of women is a leading figure in National Security.
The forces of Art (a subject on which Harness seems extraordinarily well-versed) are represented by Anna and Ruy, who come to discover that their condition is a natural process and that people like themselves are destined to communicate through Music and Art.
Their evolved pineal glands (their third eye) which has grown to form the rudimentary horns on their foreheads, has given them a certain prescience and the score for the ballet, which Anna has been dreaming and subsequently annotating during her waking hours, turns out to be symbolic of future events.
The dialogue is somewhat dated and stilted in places, but one feels that this only adds to the highly surreal nature of the entire work, packed with grotesque characters such as the people of the carnival where they have all the ‘queer side-shows and one-man exhibitions’.
The book also contains two short pieces; ‘The Chessplayers’ and ‘The New Reality’, the first giving an amusing insight into the psyches of chess-players and the politics of chess clubs, the members of which are lost as to what to do when a professor (who is also an illegal alien) turns up with a chess-playing rat.
‘The New Reality’ is a variation on the Creation myth, in which a Dr Luce (i.e. Lucifer) has constructed a mechanism which can reshape reality. He is thwarted by agent A Prentiss Rodgers and his female boss, ‘E’.
It comes as not much of a surprise that the A in A Prentiss Rodgers stands for Adam and E is Eve. It is a well-constructed and well-written piece however, and superior to most others of the time exploring the same theme.
On their foreheads, strange horn-like growths sprout. On their backs, disfiguring humps grow. Together they fight in anew and deadly version of an ages-old battle, all the time seeking the mysterious Rose that will resolve the puzzling enigma on which the future of life itself depends…’
Blurb from the 1969 Panther paperback edition
Weighing in at a scant ninety-nine pages this is a surreal and complex gem of a book. Anna van Tuyl is a psychiatrist recently afflicted with abnormal growths to her head and upper back. Simultaneously she has been plagued with dreams of the score of a ballet called ‘Nightingale and The Rose’ which takes as its theme the story of a Student who desperately needs a Red Rose and can find only white. The nightingale pierces her heart with a thorn in order that her blood dyes the rose red and gives the Student what he needs.
Ruy Jacques, an artist similarly afflicted with the growths, becomes fascinated by Anna’s score. At the same time, Jacques’ wife, Martha, a National Security Scientist, recruits Anna to help her husband, who, it seems, has lost the ability to read and write.
Martha has her own great work in progress, the development of Sciomnia, a set of nineteen formulae whose schematics form the shape of a red rose and which will, when complete, form the basis of the ultimate weapon.
It’s a highly idiosyncratic book, atypical of SF of the fifties, although in some ways it can be compared to the work of Alfred Bester.
It examines the relationship between Science and Art, Science in this case being represented by the cold and ruthless Martha Jacques whose deeply complex feelings for her husband force her to kill those who come between them. It’s an ironic point of the novel that this most insecure of women is a leading figure in National Security.
The forces of Art (a subject on which Harness seems extraordinarily well-versed) are represented by Anna and Ruy, who come to discover that their condition is a natural process and that people like themselves are destined to communicate through Music and Art.
Their evolved pineal glands (their third eye) which has grown to form the rudimentary horns on their foreheads, has given them a certain prescience and the score for the ballet, which Anna has been dreaming and subsequently annotating during her waking hours, turns out to be symbolic of future events.
The dialogue is somewhat dated and stilted in places, but one feels that this only adds to the highly surreal nature of the entire work, packed with grotesque characters such as the people of the carnival where they have all the ‘queer side-shows and one-man exhibitions’.
The book also contains two short pieces; ‘The Chessplayers’ and ‘The New Reality’, the first giving an amusing insight into the psyches of chess-players and the politics of chess clubs, the members of which are lost as to what to do when a professor (who is also an illegal alien) turns up with a chess-playing rat.
‘The New Reality’ is a variation on the Creation myth, in which a Dr Luce (i.e. Lucifer) has constructed a mechanism which can reshape reality. He is thwarted by agent A Prentiss Rodgers and his female boss, ‘E’.
It comes as not much of a surprise that the A in A Prentiss Rodgers stands for Adam and E is Eve. It is a well-constructed and well-written piece however, and superior to most others of the time exploring the same theme.
December 28, 2015
I remember when I "discovered" the science fiction magazines. It started with Galaxy and Worlds of IF when Jim Baen was editing them. Soon after that, Analog(edited by Ben Bova), Fantasy and Science Fiction(Ed Ferman), Amazing Stories and Fantastic(both edited by Ted White) were added to my must read stack. Some of my favorite science fiction memories are from these magazines.
I fondly remember...
...the excitement of a new Amber novel by Roger Zelazny in Galaxy.
...Brigadier Ffellowes by Sterling Lanier in Fantasy and Science Fiction.
...Poul Anderson's A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows in Worlds of IF.
...the many stories by John Varley in Galaxy.
...Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game in Analog.
I could keep doing this indefinitely but I did have a reason for listing these stories. The next one I was going to list was The Araqnid Window by Charles L. Harness. It appeared in the December 1974(hard to believe it has been that many long ago) issue of Amazing Stories.
The Araqnid Window had it all. How can you resist a mystery involving an ancient civilization on an alien world? Harness had me hooked from the start. I heard rumors of his novels but never saw them. A few years ago I was in a used book store and spotted The Rose and The Ring of Ritournel. I practically ran to the register to check out. I took them home and put them on the shelf. Sure, I would occasionally take them down and look at them. But I always put them back. I was afraid of disappointment. I was barely a teenager when I read The Araqnid Window. What if Harness was not the writer that I remembered?
After reading Carl Anderson's comments about Orson Scott Card and Isaac Asimov on his Stainless Steel Droppings site, I decided to read The Rose for the Sci-Fi Experience 2008.
The Rose is far from disappointing. In the introduction, Michael Moorcock says that Arthur C. Clarke, Damon Knight, Brian Aldiss, and Judith Merril have praised this story. I can see why.
The Rose is more of an experience than a story. The basic story is the final battle between science and art. I hesitate to say more than that. You have to read this story to understand it.
The focus is on three main characters.
On the side of art is Anna van Tuyl(composer and psychologist) and Ruy Jacques(Anna's lover). Opposing them is Ruy's wife-Martha(she is working on a weapon that will prove that science is superior to art). You will have a hard time finding three more dynamic characters.
If you don't already have this book, find it. It is a unique addition to any library.
Highly recommended.
I fondly remember...
...the excitement of a new Amber novel by Roger Zelazny in Galaxy.
...Brigadier Ffellowes by Sterling Lanier in Fantasy and Science Fiction.
...Poul Anderson's A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows in Worlds of IF.
...the many stories by John Varley in Galaxy.
...Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game in Analog.
I could keep doing this indefinitely but I did have a reason for listing these stories. The next one I was going to list was The Araqnid Window by Charles L. Harness. It appeared in the December 1974(hard to believe it has been that many long ago) issue of Amazing Stories.
The Araqnid Window had it all. How can you resist a mystery involving an ancient civilization on an alien world? Harness had me hooked from the start. I heard rumors of his novels but never saw them. A few years ago I was in a used book store and spotted The Rose and The Ring of Ritournel. I practically ran to the register to check out. I took them home and put them on the shelf. Sure, I would occasionally take them down and look at them. But I always put them back. I was afraid of disappointment. I was barely a teenager when I read The Araqnid Window. What if Harness was not the writer that I remembered?
After reading Carl Anderson's comments about Orson Scott Card and Isaac Asimov on his Stainless Steel Droppings site, I decided to read The Rose for the Sci-Fi Experience 2008.
The Rose is far from disappointing. In the introduction, Michael Moorcock says that Arthur C. Clarke, Damon Knight, Brian Aldiss, and Judith Merril have praised this story. I can see why.
The Rose is more of an experience than a story. The basic story is the final battle between science and art. I hesitate to say more than that. You have to read this story to understand it.
The focus is on three main characters.
On the side of art is Anna van Tuyl(composer and psychologist) and Ruy Jacques(Anna's lover). Opposing them is Ruy's wife-Martha(she is working on a weapon that will prove that science is superior to art). You will have a hard time finding three more dynamic characters.
If you don't already have this book, find it. It is a unique addition to any library.
Highly recommended.
March 12, 2009
The McGuffin in a science-fiction short story is often pretty silly, but "The New Reality", in this collection, is definitely ahead of the pack. Let me see if I can remember how it works. Quantum physics predicts the behavior of herds of particles, as they have to make decisions about which way to go in different situations. It's a kind of crowd psychology, and those little particles feel that there's, as it were, safety in numbers.
But, suppose you had one single photon, all on its lonesome, and it was traveling towards a prism which had a perfect 45 degree angle, so that there was exactly the same probability of it reflecting or refracting? Then, uh, it would kind of get confused, and, like, slow down to figure out what to do. But a photon can only travel at the speed of light, see, so then it would disappear, and since there is exactly the right number of photons required to keep things, you know, balanced, that means that the whole Universe would collapse. There's a Mad Scientist who's set up the relevant experiment. He's got strange red eyes that glow in the dark, a bit like the Judge in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
OK, science geeks. You have sixty seconds to find as many mistakes as possible in the above. Hint: the glowing red eyes are just a distraction. Take out your digital timers. Ready... steady... GO!
But, suppose you had one single photon, all on its lonesome, and it was traveling towards a prism which had a perfect 45 degree angle, so that there was exactly the same probability of it reflecting or refracting? Then, uh, it would kind of get confused, and, like, slow down to figure out what to do. But a photon can only travel at the speed of light, see, so then it would disappear, and since there is exactly the right number of photons required to keep things, you know, balanced, that means that the whole Universe would collapse. There's a Mad Scientist who's set up the relevant experiment. He's got strange red eyes that glow in the dark, a bit like the Judge in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
OK, science geeks. You have sixty seconds to find as many mistakes as possible in the above. Hint: the glowing red eyes are just a distraction. Take out your digital timers. Ready... steady... GO!
December 4, 2015
This book is obscure enough to make finding it on goodreads rather hard. An auspicious start to a book which in my 1969 edition is called an overlooked classic. Science fiction is often centered around how humans would respond to alien circumstances, this book takes it to the next level but wondering what will happen when humans evolve to the next level. I am not talking X men style improbably magic powers but a heightened level of awareness different set of senses. Due to the extreme nature of the characters this book is hard going but the extended metaphors and weird relations ships culminate into something truly beautiful. I a round about way it also made me want to know more about art!
My edition also had two short stories the first was a fun one involving a rat, some chessplayers and an immigration official.
The second was something else entirely. Built on the premise that scientific theory begets the physical evidence not the other way round. A truly mind expanding short story.
My edition also had two short stories the first was a fun one involving a rat, some chessplayers and an immigration official.
The second was something else entirely. Built on the premise that scientific theory begets the physical evidence not the other way round. A truly mind expanding short story.
November 7, 2010
The Rose is a novella-shaped exploration of the dichotomy between science and art. As such, its premise seemed entirely bunk as soon as it was revealed. It is hard to imagine anyone of modern intellectual sensibilities, and certainly any Lawrentian, who would not be put off by the immaturity of this concept.
There are other interesting ideas here, even if they are fairly standard science-fiction concepts (the emergence of a new, superior species of human) and many of them seem absurd now (the idea that thought-waves leave permanent sympathetic vibrations in all metal objects). None are explored in any detail however, and all ideas and world-building are subordinated to the elegant development of the characters and their highly metaphorical and symbolic plot.
The plot is good, even if none of the rest of the book is really redeeming. It did feel significantly off-kilter for most of the length of the book, however. I'm not particularly sure it's worthwhile, although I did enjoy it.
There are other interesting ideas here, even if they are fairly standard science-fiction concepts (the emergence of a new, superior species of human) and many of them seem absurd now (the idea that thought-waves leave permanent sympathetic vibrations in all metal objects). None are explored in any detail however, and all ideas and world-building are subordinated to the elegant development of the characters and their highly metaphorical and symbolic plot.
The plot is good, even if none of the rest of the book is really redeeming. It did feel significantly off-kilter for most of the length of the book, however. I'm not particularly sure it's worthwhile, although I did enjoy it.
May 24, 2018
The Rose is a book I've read about for years and years (and years), and finally have gotten around to reading. There's an interesting introduction by Michael Moorcock (from 1965) that offers some insight into the book. It didn't really live up to all of the expectations I'd built up, but then I suspect nothing would have. It includes three stories. The Chessplayers is a fun story from 1953; it originally appeared in F & SF. The New Reality is a clever Adam & Eve story from the last days of pulp, the December, 1950 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories. The (almost) famous title story, what I would call an underground cult classic, appeared in an English magazine, Authentic SF, in 1953 and didn't appear in book form in the US until 1969. It's an interesting and thought-provoking examination of the dichotomy of art and science, but hasn't aged particularly well. I enjoyed reading this one and I'm glad I finally did, but I doubt I'll ever be moved to revisit it.
January 28, 2025
H8ed it, sorry Ryan (he's not on here).
Musical science fiction my butt, someone just threw a bunch of musical terms together in a book about pretentious people and said that was good.
Musical science fiction my butt, someone just threw a bunch of musical terms together in a book about pretentious people and said that was good.
May 29, 2021
Unusual... Aggressively erudite... Qualities I generally enjoy, yet this one really didn't work for me. "Classic" my ass.
February 21, 2020
This book is less a novel than an argument about the intrinsic value of art vs. science. The characters and plot are interesting, but the story itself is overshadowed by the author’s attempts to “say something”. I also read it as a thinly veiled allegory for the threat of nuclear devastation in the Cold War (love and art, not nuclear bombs)!
Because of its clear purpose and long stretches of dialogue pertaining to said argument of art vs science, any emotional attachment we could have had with the characters is lost. Likewise, the plot, while fast-moving, also feels like a way to set-up these arguments rather than take us on a real journey.
The climax is quite unsurprising – had they novella been longer or less overtly focused on its arguments, it might have been a more compelling piece.
Yet, was it entertaining? Yes, in the way that old films that feature outdated technology are entertaining.
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Because of its clear purpose and long stretches of dialogue pertaining to said argument of art vs science, any emotional attachment we could have had with the characters is lost. Likewise, the plot, while fast-moving, also feels like a way to set-up these arguments rather than take us on a real journey.
The climax is quite unsurprising – had they novella been longer or less overtly focused on its arguments, it might have been a more compelling piece.
Yet, was it entertaining? Yes, in the way that old films that feature outdated technology are entertaining.
Plug!
Do you like Book Reviews of old Science Fiction? Do you like Analyses of Novels? Do you like dogs? Check out my Booktube Channel Sound and Fury Book Reviews for a deeper dive into this novel!
October 23, 2009
Three stories of varying quality:
The Rose is a strange length. At 90 pages it's too long for a short story but too short for a novel. The premise of human evolution into homo superior is one I always enjoy, but here it's married to a rather pretentious and absurd "art vs. science" debate which adds little.
The Chessplayers is basically a joke; inconsequential but amusing enough for the few pages it lasts.
The New Reality is much more interesting. Choked with infodumps and technobabble it may be, but the philosophical implications are mind-bending. Shame about the oh-so-clichéd Book of Genesis allusions at the end, though.
The Rose is a strange length. At 90 pages it's too long for a short story but too short for a novel. The premise of human evolution into homo superior is one I always enjoy, but here it's married to a rather pretentious and absurd "art vs. science" debate which adds little.
The Chessplayers is basically a joke; inconsequential but amusing enough for the few pages it lasts.
The New Reality is much more interesting. Choked with infodumps and technobabble it may be, but the philosophical implications are mind-bending. Shame about the oh-so-clichéd Book of Genesis allusions at the end, though.
September 21, 2010
Very short novel, more of a novella. Was highly recommended but did not do so much for me. Written in the sixties and relying heavily on Sf tropes of that time (telepathy and such stuff). It was almost a fairy tale and I found the motivations of some characters very unconvincing. The theme of art versus science was interesting, but I did not agree with Harness's opinions on the matter: Unlike Harness I think science is just as important as art for the growth of mankind.
June 1, 2016
Ιδιαίτερα πλούσιο σε αναφορές, καλλιτεχνικές και επιστημονικές και επινοήσεις έργο, το ξαναδιάβασα ύστερα από 25 χρόνια. Οι χαρακτήρες, οι διάλογοι και το ύψος της κορύφωσης είναι κάπως υπερβολικά για σήμερα. Επίσης, διαφωνώ με την άσπρο / μαύρο παρουσίαση της Τέχνης και της Επιστήμης.
Οι εικόνες όμως παραμένουν εντυπωσιακές, καθώς και η ατμόσφαιρα, κάνοντάς το να ξεχωρίζει ανάμεσα στα έργα της εποχής και του είδους του.
Οι εικόνες όμως παραμένουν εντυπωσιακές, καθώς και η ατμόσφαιρα, κάνοντάς το να ξεχωρίζει ανάμεσα στα έργα της εποχής και του είδους του.
September 5, 2014
Libro sofisticato, consigliato a quelli che amano leggere una fantascienza filosofica e coraggiosa
September 1, 2024
Una raccolta di racconti centrata sull'intelletto umano e su come esso abbia effetti importanti sulla realtà.
L'odissea del superuomo: *
Il racconto che dà il titolo alla raccolta e anche il peggiore. In una società in cui lo scontro tra Arte e Scienza ha raggiunto l'inimmaginabile punto di essere quasi controllata dittatorialmente, Anna van Tuyl diventa la dimostrazione vivente che la Scienza, per quanto utile, è arida e porta alla stasi dell'evoluzione, mentre l'Arte è enciclopedica e la vera forza propulsiva dell'evoluzione umana.
Nonostante il tema sia interessante, Harness appesantisce il racconto con personaggi non convincenti ed elucubrazioni inverosimili.
I giocatori di scacchi: ***
Un divertissement che prende in giro gli scacchisti e, più in generale, le menti estremamente razionali. Solo le persone "normali" sono capaci di stupirsi per l'insolito e, alla fine, mantengono una propria umanità.
La nuova realtà: ****
Il miglior racconto. Harness parte da eventi reali, cioè l'evoluzione scientifica e la sua storia, colma di errori e ripensamenti, per imbastire un racconto basato sull'inquietante ed interessante ipotesi che sia l'uomo a plasmare la realtà. Nonostante le varie digressioni scientifico/filosofiche, il racconto si mantiene sempre interessante, fino al sorprendente (e un po' provocatorio?) finale.
L'odissea del superuomo: *
Il racconto che dà il titolo alla raccolta e anche il peggiore. In una società in cui lo scontro tra Arte e Scienza ha raggiunto l'inimmaginabile punto di essere quasi controllata dittatorialmente, Anna van Tuyl diventa la dimostrazione vivente che la Scienza, per quanto utile, è arida e porta alla stasi dell'evoluzione, mentre l'Arte è enciclopedica e la vera forza propulsiva dell'evoluzione umana.
Nonostante il tema sia interessante, Harness appesantisce il racconto con personaggi non convincenti ed elucubrazioni inverosimili.
I giocatori di scacchi: ***
Un divertissement che prende in giro gli scacchisti e, più in generale, le menti estremamente razionali. Solo le persone "normali" sono capaci di stupirsi per l'insolito e, alla fine, mantengono una propria umanità.
La nuova realtà: ****
Il miglior racconto. Harness parte da eventi reali, cioè l'evoluzione scientifica e la sua storia, colma di errori e ripensamenti, per imbastire un racconto basato sull'inquietante ed interessante ipotesi che sia l'uomo a plasmare la realtà. Nonostante le varie digressioni scientifico/filosofiche, il racconto si mantiene sempre interessante, fino al sorprendente (e un po' provocatorio?) finale.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2023
Cada relato ha tocado la física de maneras diferentes y ha estado muy interesante. Me ha gustado mucho la manera de redactar del autor y cómo la obra comienza con La Rosa, el relato que puede tener más detalles que se dejan libres a la interpretación del lector; y termina con Hijo de Cronos, relato planificado de principio a fin que le da sentido a todo. Ha sido una lectura muy interesante y no le doy la cinco estrellas por mero gusto personal: ha sido ligero pero no me ha enganchado demasiado, además de que los personajes femeninos siempre acababan jugando el papel de interés romántico y no es algo que me interese mucho. Los comienzos de cada relato llaman la atención fácilmente; le daría 4´5 estrellas si pudiera.
November 4, 2017
An interesting little read. Highly enjoyable.
not-in-pima-okc-wi-but-want
June 20, 2020Aldiss rec's title story for art vs. science theme.
May 1, 2025
i think this went over my head
September 13, 2014
Antologia di tre racconti: "L'odissea del superuomo", "I giocatori di scacchi", "La nuova realtà".
Purtroppo non riesco proprio a condividere l'entusiasmo per questo volume manifestato dal redattore nella quarta di copertina e nella presentazione interna. Probabilmente non avrò capito "il significato recondito" del primo racconto, ma mi è sembrato piuttosto assurdo, didascalico e noiosetto. Il secondo non è fantascienza, è semplicemente una favola. Il terzo ha un'idea di fondo interessante, ma sviluppata poco e con un finale che, a distanza di 60 anni, ha perso del tutto la sua originalità.
Purtroppo non riesco proprio a condividere l'entusiasmo per questo volume manifestato dal redattore nella quarta di copertina e nella presentazione interna. Probabilmente non avrò capito "il significato recondito" del primo racconto, ma mi è sembrato piuttosto assurdo, didascalico e noiosetto. Il secondo non è fantascienza, è semplicemente una favola. Il terzo ha un'idea di fondo interessante, ma sviluppata poco e con un finale che, a distanza di 60 anni, ha perso del tutto la sua originalità.
July 12, 2016
This is a very interesting story set in the future that pits science against art. The main character is Anna van Tuyl, who is a composer and a psychiatrist, and thus is part of both the science and artistic worlds. Anna is hired, as a psychiatrist to help a prominent scientists, Martha's husband. Martha, the symbol of science in this book acts in a cold and vindictive way toward art and specifically toward her husband, Ruy who is the delightful man of the arts. Anna finds herself caught in the middle of the final battle to see which is superior; art or science.
April 13, 2013
Good idea. Dated. Ultimately unsatisfying. More of a short story. So much unexplored and unexplained. Not what it says on the cover, ie best sf.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews