Frame of Reference: the Novella

Unterwegs in die Welt von Morgen #143

by Jerry Oltion

The Starchild has been flying blind for generations, accelerating ever faster through intellerstellar space after an accident rendered its ramscoop drive impossible to shut down. One person, a genetic throwback who more resembles the people who built the starship than its current occupants, thinks she can fix the damage and bring the ship under control again, but she must fight entrenched bureaucracy and a hostile overlord to succeed. In the process she learns that nothing is quite what it seems, and the very nature of truth depends upon your frame of reference.

"Frame of Reference: the Novella" is the short version of the story that Jerry later expanded into a novel. It's the third of what will ultimately become the complete (okay, nearly complete) works of Jerry Oltion available online. Jerry has been publishing science fiction stories and novels since 1982 and has over 150 of them for Bard Design to reformat to digital form, so it'll take a while. Come back every now and then to see what new ones have been posted.

Jerry has had his short stories published in most of the major science fiction venues and has had several successful novels, including four highly acclaimed Star Trek books. He has become the most published author in the history of Analog magazine. His stories have won the Nebula award, the Endeavor award, the Seiun award, and have been nominated multiple times for the Hugo award. His stories are often humorous, with likeable characters using intelligence and competence (as opposed to force and violence) to solve their problems. His style harks back to the golden age of science fiction, yet with a modern sensibility and relevance. Even his earliest works hold up well today - and on into the future.

For a complete listing of Jerry's canon, and for a glimpse into his other life as an amateur astronomer, visit Jerry's website at www.sff.net/people/j.oltion

Genres: Science Fiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1987

About the author

Jerry Oltion (pronounced OL-tee-un) has been a gardener, stone mason, carpenter, oilfield worker, forester, land surveyor, rock 'n' roll deejay, printer, proofreader, editor, publisher, computer consultant, movie extra, corporate secretary, magazine columnist, and garbage truck driver. For the last 37 years he has also been a writer, with 15 novels and over 150 stories published so far.

Reviews

[Earl Truss · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seemed rather juvenile. Also had many plots holes. When they first left the starship they killed a creature. Later they find aliens who look exactly like the creature they killed. Where did they come from and why was there no consequences of that? The aliens were very cartoonish and conveniently spoke perfect English. The last chapter seemed to be anti-climatic and rather long for a windup.

[Dixie Goode · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that I have not read this book since it was new in 1987 but I loved it when I read it and it has been one of those few, among the many that I have ever read, that I have never forgotten. Recently I read another, newer book, Pure Control by C. Brill that reminded me of this book in many ways and now I want to reread this one. If I remember right this book also has a similar story to the Children's movie Wall-E. Oy os post-war, survivors of devastation, adventure, and hope combined.