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The Shadow of the Ship
Rumor had it...
that out there, somewhere, a starship lay abandoned along the airless subspace trail that was the only means of travel between planets for the primitive trailside peoples.
And Eiverdein needed a ship if ever he was to return to known space and the culture of Earth Humans.
But many things stood in his path - murderers, strange physics, an alien whose speech could kill, and a girl who was, at best, never all there...
that out there, somewhere, a starship lay abandoned along the airless subspace trail that was the only means of travel between planets for the primitive trailside peoples.
And Eiverdein needed a ship if ever he was to return to known space and the culture of Earth Humans.
But many things stood in his path - murderers, strange physics, an alien whose speech could kill, and a girl who was, at best, never all there...
- GenresScience FictionFiction
273 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 12, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 31, 2018
The Shadow of the Ship is a science fiction novel by Robert Wilfred Franson. It is set in a universe with a unique premise for methods of interstellar travel. People with an almost steam punk type of technology have developed a means of transversing subspace between the stars with the help of animals known as "Waybeasts" who can enter subspace and pull a caravan of train like cars from planet to planet as long as the said planets are connected to "trails" through subspace. This is the story of a marooned Earthman, possessing certain acquired physical disciplines, and his intelligent feline alien friend, an aircat, who together are seeking a starship in which to return to Earth. Their caravan includes his girlfriend who rescued them from exile on an uninhabited planet, a young woman possessing apparently paranormal powers, and militarist fanatic seeking to assassinate her, among others. This book is unique in it's approach to star travel although I can see similarities to Timothy Zahn's Quadrail Series. Of course this book was written many years before Zahn's series. If you are looking for a somewhat different science fiction read you should try this book.
June 5, 2015
I was drawn to read The Shadow of the Ship the moment I discovered that it was written by Robert Wilfred Franson, who is also the author of the website Troynovant, a remarkable and rich website devoted largely to the enjoyment of great writing and the great thoughts expressed in great writing. How would a lover of great works of literature write a work of literature? My experience with this book involves a complex answer to that question, which I will try here to briefly summarize.
Unfortunately, on balance, the book did not live up to my expectations. The writing didn’t seem particularly beautiful to me and instead, it often seemed to be too antiseptic, devoid of feeling even during what one would expect to have been the most dramatic moments of the plot. And the plot is very strange, for me, in that far too much of it seemed entirely superfluous. The book begins well into the experiences of the protagonist and his friends, and though some of his backstory is revealed as the book moves along, really none of what is revealed plays any real role in his experiences moving forward. For instance, the protagonist Rheinallt is endowed with superhuman capabilities but none of those abilities really plays any substantial role in the book. He apparently has the ability to summon electrical currents within his own body at will, and his ability to do so does save his life at one point, but other than that this ability seems to be no more than mere dressing. And he doesn’t age (at all? to the same degree?) as normal humans do, but who cares? He’s old in the book. That’s it. Is he wiser because of his age? Perhaps, but he never catches on to the events unfolding around him any faster than anyone else does. He can modify some of his biological processes. So? So he can un-sweat, that is, he can absorb the sweat his pores have just released, but who cares? These abilities don’t appear to play any real role in the story, they are simply signs that say he’s special. And aside from this, there are so many other features of the plot that seem really arbitrarily invented. The whole book seems like a sequel to a previous book, though it is in fact not a sequel. Who is the “aircat” Arahant and why is it important to the story? Why is an “aircat” present in the story at all? What exactly is an “aircat”? I’m not entirely sure. It’s just something that’s there apparently to add richness to the universe, but that’s not what makes literature great literature unless it means something to the reader.
And speaking of that, I’ll mention a few things that I did find intriguing, or particularly two. The first is in regard to the names of the characters. Unlike many of the events depicted in the book, the names do seem to have been chosen with care, though I haven’t been able to form any real conclusions beyond that basic fact. For instance, the protagonist’s full name is Hendrik Eiverdein Rheinallt, which, remarkably, may sort of echo a kind of Teutonic/Old German meaning of “the estate ruler [Hendrik] of your zeal [Eifer] for the old river, or flowing stream [Rheinallt]. I suggest that tentatively as I’m no etymologist. Another is that “aircat,” whose name is Arahant. That name appears to be a sort of Buddhist name for someone who has attained enlightenment. So it’s interesting to see that the strange names may reflect a deeper meaning, but when I’ve tried to attach the apparent meaning of some of the names to the characters named, I come up empty. Is that “aircat” enlightened? I’m not sure. Events in the book seem to indicate that he, like Rheinallt, has also attained some super-human/feline capabilities, but is that what it is to have attained enlightenment? Certainly not in the Buddhist sense from which the name seems to have originated, so I don’t know what to make of it in the end. (Or is it really a fine joke, an erudite pun, naming the "aircat" the "enlightened one"?)
The second thing I particularly liked is something difficult to express, but it has to do with the mood the story seems to encourage. By juxtaposing the futuristic features of interstellar travel with the sort of 19th century steampunk technology of the Blue Free Nation, I kept experiencing something like a nostalgia that I found to be deeply enjoyable. There was something causal and unconcerned about the caravan’s long trip that reminds one of a weeks-long caravan trip across the Old West, or something like that. Something unrushed out of necessity, a kind of trip where one has no idea the precise minute when the plane is going to touch down in Brussels so that one may attend one’s high-stakes meeting between international powers; rather, it’s more like, “Well, we hope to arrive in our new home sometime in the spring.” And so I really liked that feature.
But in the end, we still know very little about the characters and about what they could mean for those of us looking for characters who mean things. And the shadow of the ship, which motivates the whole story to begin with, remains, in the very end, a shadow of a ship.
[I’m adding this last bit as an afterthought in part because I literally just discovered this: the author has produced a “second edition,” one that seems to include some additional backstory to the characters. Perhaps I’ll take a look someday as it may add some of what I felt was missing from the edition I read.]
Unfortunately, on balance, the book did not live up to my expectations. The writing didn’t seem particularly beautiful to me and instead, it often seemed to be too antiseptic, devoid of feeling even during what one would expect to have been the most dramatic moments of the plot. And the plot is very strange, for me, in that far too much of it seemed entirely superfluous. The book begins well into the experiences of the protagonist and his friends, and though some of his backstory is revealed as the book moves along, really none of what is revealed plays any real role in his experiences moving forward. For instance, the protagonist Rheinallt is endowed with superhuman capabilities but none of those abilities really plays any substantial role in the book. He apparently has the ability to summon electrical currents within his own body at will, and his ability to do so does save his life at one point, but other than that this ability seems to be no more than mere dressing. And he doesn’t age (at all? to the same degree?) as normal humans do, but who cares? He’s old in the book. That’s it. Is he wiser because of his age? Perhaps, but he never catches on to the events unfolding around him any faster than anyone else does. He can modify some of his biological processes. So? So he can un-sweat, that is, he can absorb the sweat his pores have just released, but who cares? These abilities don’t appear to play any real role in the story, they are simply signs that say he’s special. And aside from this, there are so many other features of the plot that seem really arbitrarily invented. The whole book seems like a sequel to a previous book, though it is in fact not a sequel. Who is the “aircat” Arahant and why is it important to the story? Why is an “aircat” present in the story at all? What exactly is an “aircat”? I’m not entirely sure. It’s just something that’s there apparently to add richness to the universe, but that’s not what makes literature great literature unless it means something to the reader.
And speaking of that, I’ll mention a few things that I did find intriguing, or particularly two. The first is in regard to the names of the characters. Unlike many of the events depicted in the book, the names do seem to have been chosen with care, though I haven’t been able to form any real conclusions beyond that basic fact. For instance, the protagonist’s full name is Hendrik Eiverdein Rheinallt, which, remarkably, may sort of echo a kind of Teutonic/Old German meaning of “the estate ruler [Hendrik] of your zeal [Eifer] for the old river, or flowing stream [Rheinallt]. I suggest that tentatively as I’m no etymologist. Another is that “aircat,” whose name is Arahant. That name appears to be a sort of Buddhist name for someone who has attained enlightenment. So it’s interesting to see that the strange names may reflect a deeper meaning, but when I’ve tried to attach the apparent meaning of some of the names to the characters named, I come up empty. Is that “aircat” enlightened? I’m not sure. Events in the book seem to indicate that he, like Rheinallt, has also attained some super-human/feline capabilities, but is that what it is to have attained enlightenment? Certainly not in the Buddhist sense from which the name seems to have originated, so I don’t know what to make of it in the end. (Or is it really a fine joke, an erudite pun, naming the "aircat" the "enlightened one"?)
The second thing I particularly liked is something difficult to express, but it has to do with the mood the story seems to encourage. By juxtaposing the futuristic features of interstellar travel with the sort of 19th century steampunk technology of the Blue Free Nation, I kept experiencing something like a nostalgia that I found to be deeply enjoyable. There was something causal and unconcerned about the caravan’s long trip that reminds one of a weeks-long caravan trip across the Old West, or something like that. Something unrushed out of necessity, a kind of trip where one has no idea the precise minute when the plane is going to touch down in Brussels so that one may attend one’s high-stakes meeting between international powers; rather, it’s more like, “Well, we hope to arrive in our new home sometime in the spring.” And so I really liked that feature.
But in the end, we still know very little about the characters and about what they could mean for those of us looking for characters who mean things. And the shadow of the ship, which motivates the whole story to begin with, remains, in the very end, a shadow of a ship.
[I’m adding this last bit as an afterthought in part because I literally just discovered this: the author has produced a “second edition,” one that seems to include some additional backstory to the characters. Perhaps I’ll take a look someday as it may add some of what I felt was missing from the edition I read.]
July 26, 2016
I presume there must be a prequel to this book, as it never explains why his Campbellian superman (and alien companion) were marooned on a planet that, by chance, linked up with "the Trails." The protagonist admits to "issues with authority," which, of course, explains why a civilization capable of travel between the stars would act like a band of pirates.
Franson never develops a coherent background or theme here. The "Trail civilization" is never explored or explained, the technology level is all over the map. Worst of all, his superhuman "caravan master" is incompetent; he keeps making excuses for not acting in the face of new intelligence.
Franson never develops a coherent background or theme here. The "Trail civilization" is never explored or explained, the technology level is all over the map. Worst of all, his superhuman "caravan master" is incompetent; he keeps making excuses for not acting in the face of new intelligence.
August 24, 2014
A great science-fiction read. The story of a marooned earthman, possessing certain acquired physical disciplines, in a post-human-empire universe who is seeking a starship in which to return home. Filled with interesting characters embarked upon an exploratory expedition: a feline alien friend, a young woman possessing apparently paranormal powers, and militarist fanatic seeking to assissinate her, and other more 'normal' humans, among others.
July 23, 2015
The Shadow of the Ship by Robert Wilfred Franson is a science-fiction novel set in a universe with a unique premise for methods of interstellar travel. A novel with strong individualist and life-extensionist themes, this book has much to recommend itself to libertarians and transhumanists alike. The Second Edition of The Shadow of the Ship was released in Kindle format in December 2014, after Franson regained the rights to the work from the publisher of the 1983 First Edition. The Second Edition contains major enhancements, including more extensive character development, explanation of key aspects of the world within which the novel takes place, and an ending that clearly sets the stage for additional books in what is to be Franson’s Overflight series.
Space travel in The Shadow of the Ship is accessible to a society that is otherwise technologically far behind our own. The Trails Culture is dispersed among tens of worlds but lacks access even to most twentieth-century technology, such as powered flight or electricity. A series of trails across the “meadow” of subspace connects planets and can be traversed by caravans conveyed by waybeasts (squeakers) who are uniquely suited to crossing them. The book’s protagonist, Hendrikal Eiverdein Rheinallt, is originally from Earth and has been stranded within the region inhabited by the Trails Culture ever since his spaceship crashed on a nearby world. He and his friend Arahant, an intelligent aircat with the ability to speak and compose operas, are “bloodswayers” – practitioners of a rare and challenging discipline that allows the channeling of the body’s energies toward repair and rejuvenation. Rheinallt and Arahant are therefore indefinitely lived and more resilient than ordinary humans, though not indestructible. Rheinallt is approximately six centuries old and endeavors to use his vast scientific knowledge to eventually find his way back to Earth. In the meantime, he carefully advances the scientific and technical knowledge of the inhabitants of the Blue Free Nation, the most tolerant and least regimented of the societies within the Trails Culture.
The book’s events take place aboard a caravan headed by Rheinallt with the purpose of investigating rumors of a crashed starship along the Blue Trail. The starship would be a paradigm-changing find for the people of the Trails Culture, as it would permit space travel without the limitations that the Trails pose; it could also be Rheinallt’s means to return home. The caravan includes many travelers who join out of scientific curiosity or a desire for fame, while others have more personal motives. Accompanying Rheinallt is his wife and beast-master Whitnadys, as well as a small contingent of crew to defend the caravan and provide essential logistical support. Although Rheinallt is the captain of the caravan, interactions aboard are largely guided by a spontaneous order without explicit laws and with virtually no authority for the captain to impose preemptive restrictions or discipline. Rheinallt, apart from making sure that the caravan is properly organized and maintained, only has the same prerogatives as ordinary passengers – such as the right of self-defense and the ability to protect the caravan against threats that have already manifested themselves. He considers the circumstances carefully and is reluctant to resort to force unless the existence of a physical threat is incontrovertible, as he does not wish for the passengers to lose trust in his leadership or the legitimacy of his decisions.
Apart from the mostly anarchistic order aboard the caravan – a reflection of the broader lack of centralized authority within the Blue Free Nation – there are competing visions presented in the book, including an attempt by the Federated Trailmen, the area’s guild of caravaneers, to bring subspace travel within their sphere of control, as well as the efforts by the government of Fleurage – a world on the Yellow Trail – to clamp down on political dissent and quash “subversive” innovators who threaten an establishment rapidly spiraling toward totalitarianism. Various passengers on the caravan represent these conflicting visions, which come to challenge Rheinallt’s ability to peacefully coordinate the expedition.
As much of the novel centers around the mystery of the ship and the stories of the passengers aboard, I will not delve into too much detail regarding events that are crucial to the story’s suspense and surprise. I note, however, that the Second Edition contains significant additions, including thorough expositions of the main characters’ backgrounds and key aspects of Franson’s universe – such as subspace travel, the bloodswayer discipline, and the cultural and technological environment of the Trails Culture. The newly added content allows for foreshadowing of important discoveries and a more definitive elaboration on the threads of the story that would be continued in subsequent novels of the series. Furthermore, the revised ending is quite moving and immerses the reader more deeply into the novel’s characters.
Indeed, the characters of Rheinallt and Arahant should be of interest to all supporters of indefinite life extension, as here we have fine examples of literary protagonists who do not senesce and are not condemned to an inevitable demise – and who are also intelligent, rational, benevolent, witty, creative, and resourceful. Their range of abilities and vulnerabilities is much closer to what actual indefinitely lived organisms would experience: they can still suffer from accidents and external physical harm, but they lack a built-in expiration. Therefore, their interactions in the environment of subspace are still fraught with peril, but they have sufficient abilities and strengths to give them a fighting chance – much like the fighting chance we humans will need when faced with the many phenomena in the universe that are far bigger than ourselves. The more positive examples of protagonists with unlimited lifespans arise in fiction, the greater will be the cultural acceptance of the idea’s eventual application to our world. For this reason and many others, readers should eagerly anticipate the continuation of Franson’s Overflight series, which will finally bring the universe and ideas of The Shadow of the Ship into renewed prominence after more than three decades.
Space travel in The Shadow of the Ship is accessible to a society that is otherwise technologically far behind our own. The Trails Culture is dispersed among tens of worlds but lacks access even to most twentieth-century technology, such as powered flight or electricity. A series of trails across the “meadow” of subspace connects planets and can be traversed by caravans conveyed by waybeasts (squeakers) who are uniquely suited to crossing them. The book’s protagonist, Hendrikal Eiverdein Rheinallt, is originally from Earth and has been stranded within the region inhabited by the Trails Culture ever since his spaceship crashed on a nearby world. He and his friend Arahant, an intelligent aircat with the ability to speak and compose operas, are “bloodswayers” – practitioners of a rare and challenging discipline that allows the channeling of the body’s energies toward repair and rejuvenation. Rheinallt and Arahant are therefore indefinitely lived and more resilient than ordinary humans, though not indestructible. Rheinallt is approximately six centuries old and endeavors to use his vast scientific knowledge to eventually find his way back to Earth. In the meantime, he carefully advances the scientific and technical knowledge of the inhabitants of the Blue Free Nation, the most tolerant and least regimented of the societies within the Trails Culture.
The book’s events take place aboard a caravan headed by Rheinallt with the purpose of investigating rumors of a crashed starship along the Blue Trail. The starship would be a paradigm-changing find for the people of the Trails Culture, as it would permit space travel without the limitations that the Trails pose; it could also be Rheinallt’s means to return home. The caravan includes many travelers who join out of scientific curiosity or a desire for fame, while others have more personal motives. Accompanying Rheinallt is his wife and beast-master Whitnadys, as well as a small contingent of crew to defend the caravan and provide essential logistical support. Although Rheinallt is the captain of the caravan, interactions aboard are largely guided by a spontaneous order without explicit laws and with virtually no authority for the captain to impose preemptive restrictions or discipline. Rheinallt, apart from making sure that the caravan is properly organized and maintained, only has the same prerogatives as ordinary passengers – such as the right of self-defense and the ability to protect the caravan against threats that have already manifested themselves. He considers the circumstances carefully and is reluctant to resort to force unless the existence of a physical threat is incontrovertible, as he does not wish for the passengers to lose trust in his leadership or the legitimacy of his decisions.
Apart from the mostly anarchistic order aboard the caravan – a reflection of the broader lack of centralized authority within the Blue Free Nation – there are competing visions presented in the book, including an attempt by the Federated Trailmen, the area’s guild of caravaneers, to bring subspace travel within their sphere of control, as well as the efforts by the government of Fleurage – a world on the Yellow Trail – to clamp down on political dissent and quash “subversive” innovators who threaten an establishment rapidly spiraling toward totalitarianism. Various passengers on the caravan represent these conflicting visions, which come to challenge Rheinallt’s ability to peacefully coordinate the expedition.
As much of the novel centers around the mystery of the ship and the stories of the passengers aboard, I will not delve into too much detail regarding events that are crucial to the story’s suspense and surprise. I note, however, that the Second Edition contains significant additions, including thorough expositions of the main characters’ backgrounds and key aspects of Franson’s universe – such as subspace travel, the bloodswayer discipline, and the cultural and technological environment of the Trails Culture. The newly added content allows for foreshadowing of important discoveries and a more definitive elaboration on the threads of the story that would be continued in subsequent novels of the series. Furthermore, the revised ending is quite moving and immerses the reader more deeply into the novel’s characters.
Indeed, the characters of Rheinallt and Arahant should be of interest to all supporters of indefinite life extension, as here we have fine examples of literary protagonists who do not senesce and are not condemned to an inevitable demise – and who are also intelligent, rational, benevolent, witty, creative, and resourceful. Their range of abilities and vulnerabilities is much closer to what actual indefinitely lived organisms would experience: they can still suffer from accidents and external physical harm, but they lack a built-in expiration. Therefore, their interactions in the environment of subspace are still fraught with peril, but they have sufficient abilities and strengths to give them a fighting chance – much like the fighting chance we humans will need when faced with the many phenomena in the universe that are far bigger than ourselves. The more positive examples of protagonists with unlimited lifespans arise in fiction, the greater will be the cultural acceptance of the idea’s eventual application to our world. For this reason and many others, readers should eagerly anticipate the continuation of Franson’s Overflight series, which will finally bring the universe and ideas of The Shadow of the Ship into renewed prominence after more than three decades.
February 21, 2022
I picked this book up on random and expected it to bore me, and for the first few pages it did. But by the 10th page I found I couldn’t put it down. The writing was beautiful without being overly flowery, and the plot moved at just the right pace. The humans were intriguing, and the aliens done just right (fantastic and amusing without being cheesy). The relationships between characters were both realistic and pleasing to read. This is one I’ll definitely read again.
June 5, 2025
The premise of this book is: Hendrikal (or Hendrik) Rheinallt Eiverdein (I'm not sure if that is the correct order-the reader is left to guess that each of these names individually refers to the main character) is seeking a shadow ship that he believes will get him back to Earth (from which he was banished). Many things attempt to prevent him from achieving this goal.
In itself, it sounds intriguing. But despite what the summary and back of the book say, that has little to do with the book's plot. The real plot is Hendrikal Rheinallt Eiverdein goes on a philosophical journey, having long conversations with a variety of people to discover a knowledge enlightenment that will allow him to travel through outer space without a ship.
Many readers will be both lost and bored through the first half of the book. Since enlightenment that allows for physical, shipless, space travel is not necessarily the thing many science fiction fans are looking for, the author has tried to intertwine a bunch of mysterious happenings to keep the reader interested. Further, like others have mentioned, we learn (not early enough) that
The key to the back of the book premise is a rather convoluted way of space travel- different colored "trails" touch about 50 planets, and although Earthings could visit any planet in the universe (apparently), none of the characters in this book can travel anywhere unless it is connected to a trail. Even though Earthlings have better technology and have clearly visited planets with trails, they have never come in contact with any of the inhabitants of the trail worlds (except, of course, the main character). The inhabitants of the trail worlds have come in contact with each other frequently. We are already working on a big set of world rules that have flaws when we then learn that the trails can only be traveled by long trains (yes, literal 1800s trains) that are pulled by huge sentient, emotion-reading wooly mammoth beasts, and a person guiding the beasts rides on a sled alongside the train even though the beasts are pulling it from the front.
At this point, you should realize this book world is more like a poorly thought-out dream than the plot to a book. Nothing really makes sense, science-fiction-wise. Over the first half of the book, we get unconnected backstories of a few of the people on the train: If the author only explored these characters and stuck to the enlightenment plot, it would have at least been focused. He did not.
Perhaps the biggest problem is that by not being focused and by trying to make a science fiction out of a weird existential space exploration book, we end up with so many loose ends that a cat would have a heyday with them.
There is so much that is contrived:
Finally, the at the end of the book was weird and had nothing to do with the book's plot.
In itself, it sounds intriguing. But despite what the summary and back of the book say, that has little to do with the book's plot. The real plot is Hendrikal Rheinallt Eiverdein goes on a philosophical journey, having long conversations with a variety of people to discover a knowledge enlightenment that will allow him to travel through outer space without a ship.
Many readers will be both lost and bored through the first half of the book. Since enlightenment that allows for physical, shipless, space travel is not necessarily the thing many science fiction fans are looking for, the author has tried to intertwine a bunch of mysterious happenings to keep the reader interested. Further, like others have mentioned, we learn (not early enough) that
The key to the back of the book premise is a rather convoluted way of space travel- different colored "trails" touch about 50 planets, and although Earthings could visit any planet in the universe (apparently), none of the characters in this book can travel anywhere unless it is connected to a trail. Even though Earthlings have better technology and have clearly visited planets with trails, they have never come in contact with any of the inhabitants of the trail worlds (except, of course, the main character). The inhabitants of the trail worlds have come in contact with each other frequently. We are already working on a big set of world rules that have flaws when we then learn that the trails can only be traveled by long trains (yes, literal 1800s trains) that are pulled by huge sentient, emotion-reading wooly mammoth beasts, and a person guiding the beasts rides on a sled alongside the train even though the beasts are pulling it from the front.
At this point, you should realize this book world is more like a poorly thought-out dream than the plot to a book. Nothing really makes sense, science-fiction-wise. Over the first half of the book, we get unconnected backstories of a few of the people on the train: If the author only explored these characters and stuck to the enlightenment plot, it would have at least been focused. He did not.
Perhaps the biggest problem is that by not being focused and by trying to make a science fiction out of a weird existential space exploration book, we end up with so many loose ends that a cat would have a heyday with them.
There is so much that is contrived:
Finally, the at the end of the book was weird and had nothing to do with the book's plot.
April 20, 2023
Read this book originally back when it came out in paperback in 1983. It sat around in the closet for all these many years until I recently decided to give it a re-read.
I have no idea now why I saved this book.
While I did like a lot of the ideas involved with this: the trail that leads to different worlds; the discovery of the shadow of what might be an interstellar spaceship: the "squeekers" that drive the caravan along the trail; the aircat; and a being who can split herself into two so she can be in two places at once, I found the read to be a struggle and the ending a disappointment.
The whole story is told in a long winded style (kind of how people wrote when they got paid by the word) that was not a pleasure revisiting.
Like others reviewers I figured there would be a sequel to this novel that might more fully explain Eiverdein's story (both his past and his future including why he was exile in the first place) but now 40 years have passed so I doubt a sequel is coming.
I have no idea now why I saved this book.
While I did like a lot of the ideas involved with this: the trail that leads to different worlds; the discovery of the shadow of what might be an interstellar spaceship: the "squeekers" that drive the caravan along the trail; the aircat; and a being who can split herself into two so she can be in two places at once, I found the read to be a struggle and the ending a disappointment.
The whole story is told in a long winded style (kind of how people wrote when they got paid by the word) that was not a pleasure revisiting.
Like others reviewers I figured there would be a sequel to this novel that might more fully explain Eiverdein's story (both his past and his future including why he was exile in the first place) but now 40 years have passed so I doubt a sequel is coming.
October 29, 2023
I really liked the idea of this book, and I thought the execution of unique aspects was accomplished well. Unfortunately, the dragging along of the inner monologue reminded me too much of how the Mars trilogy stretched on for 50000 pages. The reader should be allowed to draw a few conclusions themselves. I would like to read more about the universe built here.
Read
October 23, 2025Del Rey / Ballantine, 1983. Paperback original novel, first edition. Nominated for the Prometheus Award (Best Libertarian SF Novel).
January 31, 2015
I wavered between 4 and 5 stars, but the sheer imagination and world building of this book, plus the fact that I have rabidly held onto my decaying paperback for 30 years, convinced me to push this to 5 stars. Yes, there is an over-powered Gary Stu hero, but the combination of a drawing-room mystery, the incredibly imaginative physics, the rich textures of each character's backstory, and the utter utter weirdness of the experience makes this a volume that stands apart. I have just bought, with great excitement, the 2014 revised version and am holding my breath that there might actually be sequels.
September 24, 2016
I love the concepts in this book more than the actual story. Don't get me wrong it was a good story and well written. I just could see where it had so much more potential to be absolutely AWSOME. Sometimes it seemed the author got lost on just what story idea was his focus.
November 23, 2014
1989 grade C+
March 2, 2017
This is an old favourite that I recently discovered in Kindle format. As far as I know, it has a unique take on subspace travel, that subspace would present a solid surface, so the book deals with human worlds that haven't yet reached a technological level for space travel, but which conduct commerce with each other via caravan trains drawn by elephant-like creatures. Thrown into this is an earth born astronaut and his feline companion who are stranded and looking for a way home. Earth has space ships, but the trails culture doesn't know about earth which is not linked to the subspace trails. When I first read this years ago I thought it was just a space adventure but now I see it's far more reflective dealing with relationships and existential questions. As far as I can find out, it's the only novel by this author, but it tantalises with hints of a back story, and worlds and cultures that would provide fruitful seams for further novels.
June 5, 2018
Good start and interesting premise. But, never really lived up to the promise of the start and just dragged toward an abrupt conclusion.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews