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Eschaton Sequence #3
The Far Shore of Time
Dan Dannerman has been through hell. Caught in the middle of an interstellar war that will end only with the death of the universe, he's been captured by aliens who call themselves the Beloved Leaders, cloned repeatedly, torn from his wife, and brutally tortured.
Sitting in a prison cell on an alien world, slowly going mad, Dan is finally freed by the Horch, the sword enemies of the Beloved Leaders. The time has finally come for Dannerman to strike back--but at whom?
Trusting neither side, Dannerman must somehow convince the Horch to send him back to Earth so he can warn humanity of the approaching alien menace. But when he finally returns he finds an Earth far stranger than he can possibly imagine, an Earth that already has two Dan Dannermans--an Earth already under seige by the Beloved Leaders...
Sitting in a prison cell on an alien world, slowly going mad, Dan is finally freed by the Horch, the sword enemies of the Beloved Leaders. The time has finally come for Dannerman to strike back--but at whom?
Trusting neither side, Dannerman must somehow convince the Horch to send him back to Earth so he can warn humanity of the approaching alien menace. But when he finally returns he finds an Earth far stranger than he can possibly imagine, an Earth that already has two Dan Dannermans--an Earth already under seige by the Beloved Leaders...
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Frederik Pohl
1,233 books1,102 followersFrederik George Pohl, Jr. was an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years. From about 1959 until 1969, Pohl edited Galaxy magazine and its sister magazine IF winning the Hugo for IF three years in a row. His writing also won him three Hugos and multiple Nebula Awards. He became a Nebula Grand Master in 1993.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 22, 2009
This is the third volume of Pohl's "Eschaton" trilogy and I've obviously enjoyed the ride up to now to have remained to the end. Pohl serves up a veritable smorgasbord of strange and intriguing concepts both scientific and metaphysical. One of the central concepts involves the exact copying of a person-- body, psyche and personality-- into numerous "carbon copies," thereby creating the quandary: What exactly constitutes an individual? Who is the "original" or "authentic" person when there is no difference among them? And what does this imply about human value or human spirit? Strangely, I've encountered this same idea in several recently-read books: Richard K. Morgan's "Altered Carbon," Charles Stross's "Saturn's Children," John Varley's brilliant short story "The Phantom of Kansas"-- even as a befuddling speculation in Douglas Hofstadter's nonfiction "I Am a Strange Loop." Hmmm... a repeatedly duplicated idea about repeated duplication...... my head is starting to hurt....
This is a most interesting and entertaining trilogy but I was mildly disappointed in the final volume, which started out promisingly enough but lost complexity and appeal rapidly. It was as if Pohl had decided he had to finish the thing up and rushed to tie up the myriad loose ends he had so devilishly strewn throughout the multitudinous plot lines of the first two books while losing interest in many of his beguiling high concepts. A fairly leisurely pace throughout suddenly culminates in a frenzy of activity in the last few chapters-- it's like a telescoping plotline! Taking on the viewpoint of one of the duplicated characters (the first book switched among several first-person points of view and the second was totally in third-person) and exclusively following his adventures had lots of promise. I had a few questions at the end and less than total satisfaction.
Still, Pohl's almost always worth the read, and with his usual mix of hard science, intelligent concept, and very human storytelling, he's created, for those so inclined, a three-volume trip worth the taking.
This is a most interesting and entertaining trilogy but I was mildly disappointed in the final volume, which started out promisingly enough but lost complexity and appeal rapidly. It was as if Pohl had decided he had to finish the thing up and rushed to tie up the myriad loose ends he had so devilishly strewn throughout the multitudinous plot lines of the first two books while losing interest in many of his beguiling high concepts. A fairly leisurely pace throughout suddenly culminates in a frenzy of activity in the last few chapters-- it's like a telescoping plotline! Taking on the viewpoint of one of the duplicated characters (the first book switched among several first-person points of view and the second was totally in third-person) and exclusively following his adventures had lots of promise. I had a few questions at the end and less than total satisfaction.
Still, Pohl's almost always worth the read, and with his usual mix of hard science, intelligent concept, and very human storytelling, he's created, for those so inclined, a three-volume trip worth the taking.
April 7, 2020
According to my 1999 booklog notes, this one was "slow & dull. But “Strongest of the three”, wrote Russell Letson in Locus 8-99. So YMMV.
November 25, 2021
In this, the final book of the Eschaton trilogy, Frederik Pohl has Agent Dan Dannerman a captive of the Beloved Leaders, a violent and aggressive species intent on subjugating or exterminating other species, and that includes humans. After being interrogated and tortured to death multiple times (Dan has been cloned a few times) he is freed by another race, the Horch, once enslaved but now free. In a loose alliance of Horch, Dopeys and humans, Dan starts to formulate a plan to get back to Earth and prepare for the expected invasion by the Others. However, Dan’s reception back on Earth is understandably cool, as his Bureau of Intelligence suspect him of being controlled by the malevolent aliens, and he is once more interrogated. A suspicious arrangement of alien submarines gives clues to an unsuspected alien attack and Dan and his motley crew must attempt to save the planet. Entertaining enough if a bit episodically perilous. You would need to have read the previous two books to make any real sense of the first half of this one though.
October 10, 2019
A book is supposed to make you want to turn the page because of intrigue in the story; some books make you want to turn the page to see if the book gets worse. The great books that make you want to turn the page have great character development. The Percy Jackson series and Harry Potter series have that, and makes young adult readers fall in love with the Harry’s and the Percy’s. The book The Far Shore of Time by Frederik Pohl is a great example of a book that doesn’t have that. The book The Far Shore of Time by Frederik Pohl is an unreadable book based on the lack of development of the characters in the story.
The book The Far Shore of Time is unreadable because of the lack of development of characters. The development of characters adds a human connection between the reader and the character making the reader want to find out what happens with the character, what the character say, and how the character fits in with the plot. The character Beert in The Far Shore of Time was very poorly developed. The reader is not provided with the background of Beert or his personality traits, not even in indirect characterization. The only thing the reader knows is that Beert is a Horch and that he helps Dan which is not sufficient to create a connection between the reader and his character. This shows that the book is unreadable because nobody wants to read a book with an unknown character being instrumental to the story. The character Pat is also severely under developed as a character. Pat is supposed to be Dan’s lover but we know nothing about her personality or background. The only thing we know is that she died and was cloned. This creates zero connection with this couple that makes us lose interest in the book and also makes readers angry with the author as to why they put Pat into the story as Dan’s love and motivation if Pat wasn’t going to be developed. This intense lack of development of characters makes The Far Shore of Time a book that a reader cannot connect to or want to continue to follow along with.
The lack of development of characters makes The Far Shore of Time by Frederik Pohl an unreadable book for the reader. A young adult book is supposed to have characters that are well developed so that these young adults and fall in love with them or hate them like a Percy Jackson or a John Snow. The average young adult reader wants characters that they can gravitate to and really vibe with or characters they can hate not characters that make them confused with their personality and role in the book. This young adult science fiction book doesn’t have that making the readers lose interest, confused, and angry with the author. The Far Shore of Time is an unreadable book that no reader or person should ever recommend or want to read if they truly want a young adult science fiction book.
The book The Far Shore of Time is unreadable because of the lack of development of characters. The development of characters adds a human connection between the reader and the character making the reader want to find out what happens with the character, what the character say, and how the character fits in with the plot. The character Beert in The Far Shore of Time was very poorly developed. The reader is not provided with the background of Beert or his personality traits, not even in indirect characterization. The only thing the reader knows is that Beert is a Horch and that he helps Dan which is not sufficient to create a connection between the reader and his character. This shows that the book is unreadable because nobody wants to read a book with an unknown character being instrumental to the story. The character Pat is also severely under developed as a character. Pat is supposed to be Dan’s lover but we know nothing about her personality or background. The only thing we know is that she died and was cloned. This creates zero connection with this couple that makes us lose interest in the book and also makes readers angry with the author as to why they put Pat into the story as Dan’s love and motivation if Pat wasn’t going to be developed. This intense lack of development of characters makes The Far Shore of Time a book that a reader cannot connect to or want to continue to follow along with.
The lack of development of characters makes The Far Shore of Time by Frederik Pohl an unreadable book for the reader. A young adult book is supposed to have characters that are well developed so that these young adults and fall in love with them or hate them like a Percy Jackson or a John Snow. The average young adult reader wants characters that they can gravitate to and really vibe with or characters they can hate not characters that make them confused with their personality and role in the book. This young adult science fiction book doesn’t have that making the readers lose interest, confused, and angry with the author. The Far Shore of Time is an unreadable book that no reader or person should ever recommend or want to read if they truly want a young adult science fiction book.
August 3, 2011
Wow... that was so anti-climatic. I wanted this series to end as strong as it started, but the second book started a decline while the third book stamped a huge exclamation point on the suck. Dare I say it? The Far Shore of Time was far short of expectations.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
Whereas the first two novels followed a number of different points of view, this book entirely focused on the single perspective of one human trying to return to Earth in the hopes of saving his home planet from destruction. Without going into too much detail, I will say that, by the end of the book, I was so sick of all the whining idiots that populated the pages of this novel, I hoped the enemy would just destroy the Earth -- if these people represent the best and brightest of our future, extermination might be the most honorable option.
Only the alien races showed any admirable qualities. I'm sure that was Pohl's intention, but the execution was so ham-fisted, I found myself rolling my eyes in exasperation, more often than clenching my fists in excitement and wonder.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
Whereas the first two novels followed a number of different points of view, this book entirely focused on the single perspective of one human trying to return to Earth in the hopes of saving his home planet from destruction. Without going into too much detail, I will say that, by the end of the book, I was so sick of all the whining idiots that populated the pages of this novel, I hoped the enemy would just destroy the Earth -- if these people represent the best and brightest of our future, extermination might be the most honorable option.
Only the alien races showed any admirable qualities. I'm sure that was Pohl's intention, but the execution was so ham-fisted, I found myself rolling my eyes in exasperation, more often than clenching my fists in excitement and wonder.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2010
Another disappointment from Pohl. The main character of the series, Dan, is as unfathomably ignorant and violent a douche bag as ever. No science at all in this supposedly science fiction book. When explaining how the cordless machines are powered, for example, the alien responds, "garble garble garble" because Dan's alien-talk translator implant doesn't work for technology words... a fascinatingly atrocious cop out. Turns out the bad aliens are actually the good aliens, no surprise there. No detectable moral messages that aren't total crap.
February 22, 2017
His powers of invention had by this point clearly failed him. A thoroughly mediocre tale. Not a patch on the Heechee.
June 10, 2017
Fortunately the sequence finished strongly with new information about alien technology and their origin. Book ending was fast, but interesting.
August 24, 2017
Book 3 of 3. All told this is an interesting trilogy best read consecutively. I enjoyed all three book. The Dans and Pats get a little confusing but everything works out.
May 18, 2024
"The Far Shore of Time" by Frederik Pohl continues the gripping saga of Earth's struggle against two rival alien species vying for control of the universe. The protagonist, Dan Dannerman, once again takes center stage, showcasing his resilience and ingenuity. After a harrowing escape from the clutches of the "Beloved Leaders," Dannerman allies with the Horch, a species that shares a common enemy, to devise a way back to Earth.
Upon returning, Dannerman is thrust into a labyrinth of political intrigue, where leadership disputes, inflated egos, and rigid hierarchies threaten the unified front necessary to protect Earth from the looming extraterrestrial threat. Pohl's narrative deftly captures the complexity of these terrestrial challenges, juxtaposing them against the cosmic scale of the interspecies conflict.
While "The Far Shore of Time" effectively expands on the established universe, introducing new layers of intrigue and conflict, it doesn't quite reach the heights of Pohl's earlier works. The book maintains a steady pace and offers plenty of action and suspense, but it occasionally falls into predictability, with character arcs and plot twists that feel somewhat formulaic. The political maneuvering, though detailed, sometimes detracts from the urgency of the intergalactic stakes, bogging down the narrative in bureaucratic red tape.
Dannerman remains a compelling character, and his evolution throughout the series is notable. His interactions with the Horch and his navigation through Earth's political landscape provide some of the book's most engaging moments. However, the supporting cast tends to blend into the background, lacking the depth needed to make their struggles as impactful.
In conclusion, "The Far Shore of Time" is a solid addition to the series, delivering on its promise of adventure and conflict. Yet, it falls short of being truly exceptional. Fans of the series will find it a satisfying continuation, but it may not convert new readers to Pohl's universe. Not bad, but not anything special either.
Upon returning, Dannerman is thrust into a labyrinth of political intrigue, where leadership disputes, inflated egos, and rigid hierarchies threaten the unified front necessary to protect Earth from the looming extraterrestrial threat. Pohl's narrative deftly captures the complexity of these terrestrial challenges, juxtaposing them against the cosmic scale of the interspecies conflict.
While "The Far Shore of Time" effectively expands on the established universe, introducing new layers of intrigue and conflict, it doesn't quite reach the heights of Pohl's earlier works. The book maintains a steady pace and offers plenty of action and suspense, but it occasionally falls into predictability, with character arcs and plot twists that feel somewhat formulaic. The political maneuvering, though detailed, sometimes detracts from the urgency of the intergalactic stakes, bogging down the narrative in bureaucratic red tape.
Dannerman remains a compelling character, and his evolution throughout the series is notable. His interactions with the Horch and his navigation through Earth's political landscape provide some of the book's most engaging moments. However, the supporting cast tends to blend into the background, lacking the depth needed to make their struggles as impactful.
In conclusion, "The Far Shore of Time" is a solid addition to the series, delivering on its promise of adventure and conflict. Yet, it falls short of being truly exceptional. Fans of the series will find it a satisfying continuation, but it may not convert new readers to Pohl's universe. Not bad, but not anything special either.
February 14, 2021
"The Far Shore of Time is a science fiction novel by American writer Frederik Pohl. It concludes The Eschaton Sequence and the adventures of Dan Dannerman, an American government agent of the near future who becomes involved with the discovery of advanced and warring aliens." (wiki)
The focus again is the technology, which is described in my last two review of the series or sequence is the ability to make copies of anything and transmit that information to reconstruct the object elsewhere at FTL almost as fast as Quantum Entanglement, the method used is Tachyons. Think of it as a 3D printer/startrek transporter. The difference is one can make multiple copies of living or inanimate objects.
Some copies can be sent to different parts of the universe, the only set back is that there must be a receiver at the destination. The conveyance carrying the receiver doesn't have FTL capabilities. The Question here is how did the Aliens discover earth? It seems that the advance alien species send out interstellar ships randomly. When the AI discover radio or other form of transmissions from an technological civilization, copies of the the advanced civilization scientist are sent to the ships to start working on the data and then direct the ships to these worlds.
These worlds would then be assimilated to advance species and given an assignment according to their prominent cultural characteristics. in earth case, well humans are killers and they would make good soldiers. Humans are also good with using their technology or stealing technologies from others and using it to...eh... kill.
There is more to the plot of the third and last book of the sequence. And it is more of a better read than the second. I hoping for a 4th book but he passed.
The focus again is the technology, which is described in my last two review of the series or sequence is the ability to make copies of anything and transmit that information to reconstruct the object elsewhere at FTL almost as fast as Quantum Entanglement, the method used is Tachyons. Think of it as a 3D printer/startrek transporter. The difference is one can make multiple copies of living or inanimate objects.
Some copies can be sent to different parts of the universe, the only set back is that there must be a receiver at the destination. The conveyance carrying the receiver doesn't have FTL capabilities. The Question here is how did the Aliens discover earth? It seems that the advance alien species send out interstellar ships randomly. When the AI discover radio or other form of transmissions from an technological civilization, copies of the the advanced civilization scientist are sent to the ships to start working on the data and then direct the ships to these worlds.
These worlds would then be assimilated to advance species and given an assignment according to their prominent cultural characteristics. in earth case, well humans are killers and they would make good soldiers. Humans are also good with using their technology or stealing technologies from others and using it to...eh... kill.
There is more to the plot of the third and last book of the sequence. And it is more of a better read than the second. I hoping for a 4th book but he passed.
April 12, 2020
Pohl's finale to the Horch trilogy tells a sweeping epic of a tale, but manages to do it through the eyes of one character. This approach makes it a more human story instead of losing us in the grandness of the wider narrative. It is a great conclusion to the series, full of engaging scientific theory, cultures from other worlds, political intrigue and the struggles of one individual within the framework of a war of the worlds story.
November 29, 2024
Like the other volumes of the Eschaton Sequence, The Far Shore of Time is mistitled. The series is not about doomsday, the distant future, or time travel but about alien abduction and the effects of creating multiple copies of individuals. In Far Shore, a copy of Dan Dannerman must escape from an alien prison, find some allies, return home, straighten out his love life, and save the Earth. Along the way, there is plenty of snark aimed at human and alien bureaucracies and their minions. 3.5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2026
Another Dan meets the Horch as he tries to survive captivity and return home. The mystery of the Escaton is nerver really solved but i think the main story is how we treat each ourselves and how we treat others
November 15, 2022
I did not really care for the entire trilogy, but I forced myself to finish it. It was way too long for the story and really should have been just a single volume.
October 15, 2026
What works so well in "The Far Shore of Time (Eschaton Sequence, #3)" is that "Frederik Pohl" doesn't sell toxic positivity or easy cop-outs. It lays out cold, hard reality with all its contradictions. As someone focused on political critique, "Frederik Pohl" hit the bullseye here.
October 12, 2013
I read the trilogy a few years back and I still get bits and pieces of it popping up in my head, so I thought I'd read it again. I was too quick to grab what I thought was the first book at the library--it was actually the third.
Yes, he really wraps things up in this one, so it's not as good as when he sets it up (is that always true--setting things up is always more interesting than wrapping them up? or is that my own particular fault?). But it's good, and it just makes me happy because I'll be reading the two earlier books, and that will be delightful.
August 29, 2009
This book capped off the least interesting science fiction trilogy in the world. While it provided a halfway decent resolution, I literally mean that it was only halfway decent. There was some interesting development of the main character and we got to interact with some nice aliens, but overall the denouement was unfulfilling. Would not recommend.
January 9, 2015
Beginning was quite slow. The action was really ramped up during the last part of the book and things seemed to get resolved a bit too quickly.
I enjoyed the accessible descriptions of the aliens that carried through the series. Though I imagined the whole thing as a cartoon in my head as I read it. Not necessarily good, but not necessarily bad.
I enjoyed the accessible descriptions of the aliens that carried through the series. Though I imagined the whole thing as a cartoon in my head as I read it. Not necessarily good, but not necessarily bad.
November 24, 2007
It is really not a good idea to read the third book in a series first even if you just finished reading another whole series by the same author. It kind of feels like being let out of a whole bunch of inside jokes.
May 16, 2011
This book tells the story of the Dan that was copied by the Horch and his experiences with the aliens. Even more political commentary than the other books and a weak conclusion turned me off to this book.
October 12, 2010
A fun sci-fi alien invasion story.
June 15, 2011
No one of Pohls best works. The ending was a little simplistic, he may have just been tired. All in all I am glad I read the series.
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August 9, 2011Good Read
November 6, 2011
I read this book without reading the two prequels and had no fuckling idea what was going on. But it was cool. :D
August 27, 2012
The best of the three, but that is not saying much. And there is no klimax. Feels like all three books should be (severly) shortened to one single book, and to that book there should be a Part 2!
February 6, 2013
Open ended science fiction with no satisfaction for readers or resolution for the characters. A fictional portrayal of earth going to he'll in a hand basket and no one taking conclusive action.
January 8, 2016
Приятна книга, но много разхвърляна. Различни сюжетни линии, разхвърлени близо на четири хилядолетия. някак си неорганизирано. Приятна за четене, все пак Фредерик Пол. Но не е Гетуей.…
April 19, 2010
It was decent, but I'm tired of Frederik Pohl now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews