The Forever Man

by Gordon R. Dickson

When Raoul Penard's starship returns to Earth--two hundred years after it disappeared--with his mind and soul somehow merged into the circuitry of the ship, scientists try to recreate the phenomenon using pilot Jim Wander and his ship, "AndFriend"

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Short Stories, Novels, Google, Collections

345 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Gordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author. He was born in Canada, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teenager. He is probably most famous for his Childe Cycle and the Dragon Knight series. He won three Hugo awards and one Nebula award.

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had me at hello...unfortunately the goodbye was a bit weak. But still...

[Jordan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Somewhere in here was an okay book. The starting premise is interesting enough. A man, through an accident, has his mind combined with his spaceship. Discovering this, humanity, seeing the possibilities that this opens up, tries to recreate it. Unfortunately most of the book is an unnecessary slog of uninteresting details, the characters are unlikeable, and it goes a little too beyond the realm of belief and becomes ridiculous.

I was okay with the original pilot having his mind merged with his ship. I was sort of okay with Jim having his mind merged with his ship. I was way less okay with Mary having her mind merged via Jim because she had a piece of him under her skin. I was also way way less okay when Jim, with Mary attached, started going on mental walkabouts into other beings. I just was not on any level believing the plausibility of minds just zipping around wherever with no problem.

And wtf is with that ending. Seriously, what the fuck?

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books when I was in my late teens. I even read it more than once!

I just re-read this at the age of 38. So what did I think revisiting an old favorite after all this time?

PROS: Even now, I think there are some big ideas in this book and many of them are quite well done (particularly in the last quarter of the book). It's a great adventure (for the sorts of people for whom this is the sort of adventure that is great). The story moves quickly. So that's all as I remembered it.

CONS: The character development and dialog weren't up to my modern expectations. They're probably not even up to the mid-80s. Some of the character interactions were actually so cryptic that my wife and I don't complete agree about what actually happened at the end of the book...

So it wasn't as great as I remembered. I had to knock off a star. But I wasn't deeply embarrassed or disappointed, either.

[Tony Hinde · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 43%

I know Dickson can write well, but this is just bad.

The premise of the book doesn't start until the 30% mark. There is little action, almost no foreshadowing and the small cast of characters are uninteresting. At the midpoint, the protagonist is betrayed by the military that he serves. A betrayal that makes little sense except to set up a conflict. If it were me, that would make the human navy my enemy, and I'd immediately set myself to escape and oppose. That's not what happens and it just feels terrible.

[Helga Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. It was thoroughly satisfying. There were twists and turns. It didn't go where I expected it to go in general. I was surprised at several points,not a lot,but enough to make it interesting. The ending was much better than I had hoped for and I may very well re-read it again in a few months, so not even bothering returning it downstairs to my library where I have everything in alphabetical order. Really a keeper. Hard sci-fi with a little romance.

[Greymalkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much that I wrote a book report about it in the 7th grade. I drew a comic book about it. Something about the way that he captured the main character's evolution was so compelling to me. There are little moments in the book that I still remember, even though I haven't read it again in over 20 years.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been awhile since a read a good quick SciFi story that this really hit the spot for me. I pulled it from random out of my bookshelves after work one day and didn't put it down until I finished it. The last chapter left me a little confused but that could be from trying to finish it in the middle of the night.

[Miguel Gambetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fantastic world is perplexing but enjoyable to visit trough the mind of Jim- I wanted to finish reading but I would not dare to jump ahead- I think I am proud..

The mind of jim took me around keeping me awaiting for the end of his adventure. And he found Mary...

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A total sci-fi book, with technical explanations (just warning those of you who don't like sci-fi), but a lot of fun to read with a fun romance added in, as well.

[Raphael Rosen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was merely okay. The story was interesting, but I wouldn't read it again.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The possibilities of going to different world's is beyond measure

[Kevin Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a word: disappointing.

The several good and interesting ideas here, supported hy solid writing, are strung together clumsily in a narrative that feels more like a bunch of pieces forced together rather than a cohesive storyline.

The characters are Jim and Mary and are just as uninteresting as their names, and the "relationship" that they form as a result of their time together is even less inspired.

I'm mostly disappointed rather than frustrated here, because this didn't feel like a bunch of missed opportunities for a better story (or series of shorts) as much as it felt like a very bland vehicle for a handful of fascinating ideas that are not explored anywhere near as much as they should be.

The ideas are there and, dialogue aside, the prose is quite good; but the separate adventures don't flow into each other in any way despite Dickson's attempts to make them do so, and the characters lack any sort of charm that would make this at all forgivable.

Low side of 2.5 stars, rounded to 2.

[Duane Bindschadler · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting set of ideas on alien contact and the possibilities of incorporeal consciousness, but ultimately unconvincing in the plausibility of both the science and the characters themselves. The idea of human consciousness inhabiting a machine (or even an alien) is fascinating, but isn't particularly convincing when it seems to be a simple matter of overridingly strong desire. That kind of adolescent wish-fulfillment hasn't cut it for me since I was about 11 or 12. And the primary relationship in the book, between Jim and Mary (did I note that this book made me feel very much trapped in the 1950's?) who managed to share the "body" of a spaceship, deal with contacts with two alien species and some very dangerous situations, yet never quite managed to share any more than the most surficial feelings with one another.

[astaliegurec · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed with Gordon R. Dickson's "The Forever Man." It's somewhat disjointed in that there are at least six very different clumps of storyline. Unfortunately, the best of those clumps can be described as mere explorations of concepts. Sadly, the worst of them are trite. Even more so, the ending is actually the least of the clumps. Still, some of the concepts are interesting. I don't think the book is actually bad enough to be considered a two star book, but it's not really good enough to be a three star one. I'd like to split the difference to a 2-1/2 star book, but can't. So, 3 stars out of 5 is it.

[Timothy Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad at all. Dickson has done much better, but then the relative success of his canon holds that true. I'm always dubious, and for good reason I think, about attempts to create alien minds and cultures. In addition the step of development suggested here is so unlikely as to be sad. I liked Jim, and almost liked Mary. She was a little too intractable for my taste and I didn't really see why Jim kept after her. She got downright surly. In the end, I don't really think we'll encounter other beings in space and if we are to move into the stars, it will be by our own efforts and our successes will be ours against nature, not against malevolent or artistic minds.

[Michael T Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aw, man, I was really excited about this book because the prose drew me in, the characters were immediately IN YOUR FACE with their darkest insecurities, and what I THOUGHT the story would be about seemed super intriguing. Then the first section gets over about 50 pages in, and it WASN'T what I was expecting, and my interest IMMEDIATELY dropped to zero. Still, giving it three stars because the writing is great and fast-paced, and it made me curious to read other Dickson.

[Deni Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book - maybe the physics is a bit off, but the story is original, the plot's pace is realistic and there are some enjoyable philosophical backstories (the holes for example). What I found totally unbelievable is the female character in the book. Which made the ending completely implausible. But apart from that, it's a very good military sci fi.

[AJS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe more like 2 1/2. The idea and worldbuilding was great. Unfortunately I found the language a bit stilted and worse, I didn't like one of the main characters; she was annoying as hell. Premise, ideas, aliens and the different environments that spawn them, all great. Wish there had been more on that.

[tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but strange personalities


There were many interesting concepts. But the personalities and interactions confused and aggravated me. I would have enjoyed more science and less relationship.

[David Kuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, I enjoyed the writing style and plot line, unlike Dorsai, which I thought sucked. I don’t think much thought was given to the last page of the book. Felt like an abrupt finish that was NOT well crafted

[Howard Brazee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know about the basic concept of the main character moving his mind (soul?) to a space ship, but I enjoyed his descriptions of beings with vary different ways of thinking.

[Stephen Preston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. Thought the ending very weak.

[George Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific!

[Jim Razinha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd book that showed up in a daily book list email that I get. I liked Dickson's Time Storm and thought I'd give this a whirl. I fortunately found this on Open Library.

I say "odd" because the premise is definitely pulp short story-ish, seemingly fleshed out to novel size with a lot of filler. Dickson vacillates between good solid hard science fiction and really bizarre schlock and aw (yes, I mean to spell it that way) of a pulp mag variety...sometimes on the same page! And the ending, like many spots in the book, leaves a reader with WTH just happened??

Glad I read it, but it won't be a favorite lie Time Storm.

[Alexandre De · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time reading cuz I forgot how crappy-crappiest-canned ending it had.
I liked the book until "aliens in form of fireflies" start to appear and then all becomes terrible, but the most terrifying of all was the very ending. Feels like the author wanted to get rid of all with something "happily ever after", so stop at the very last chapter and you will figure things out. There is nothing there to be seen.

[Norm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quite a bit. There were some plot points that were easy to see coming but the story was still good with a few twists here and there. I did find the ending a bit weak for my liking, but it didn't ruin the story for me.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book was OK. The ending was a big let down from my perspective. The relationship between the two main characters was annoying. The initial concept was good but seemed to fall off the rails at some point and never got back on track.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty bad. I like SciFi but this was written pretty badly. The whole premise was a little too farfetched and the interaction between the characters poorly handled.

[Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those stories join one.

Only really capable authors can save words into shifting ideas that play of each other. Gordon R. Dickson is one of those authors.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Outer journey that leads to exploring the Inner being

A general theme of mankind searching for viable planets to expand to while in a stalemate with aliens blocking the way. Two very different travelers find the perceptions of different aliens can be bridged for mutual benefit even for humans if you sell the idea as a giant win for Earth.
While the main characters seem stereotypical, the depth of causal probing into the nature of the psyche for building cultural bridges has my vote for win-win scenario. Something we could all apply to living on a world full of conflict.
Great young adult book and those young in mind