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Threshold
All-around gold-metal-winning Olympic athlete, world-class pilot, race driver, and hugely successful financial genius, Peter Cory had every reason to be content with life and satisfied with himself. He didn't know, however, that he was the product of a 9000-year-long, alien breeding program, that the challenge for which they had bred him was now impending, and that all the special qualities they had instilled into his DNA were about to face their ultimate test.A malevolent cosmic force threatened the Galaxy, but before Peter could attempt to save the trillions of sapient beings with which it was populated, he would have to learn to use his gifts.And even before he could begin his training, he would have to survive the wilds of the most utterly inimical planet in the known universe, armed with only his determination and a gradually dawning awareness of his incredible potential. . . .
389 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1985
30 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
David R. Palmer
12 books65 followersDavid R. Palmer is an American science fiction author. His works have been nominated three times for Hugo Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 30, 2010
I loved this book as a kid. It's lots of fun and exemplifies that American golden boy can-do attitude, that feeling that if you're clever you can do anything. I haven't read it in ages, and I'm sure it's not as wonderful to an adult, but for young adult literature, this was flat-out amazing.
May 3, 2009
Fantasy. I just don't get this book. Is it serious? Is it a parody?
I toughed it out to page 31, wherein it's explained that the naked fairy might have the body of a twelve-year-old, but she's really fifty-two. So it's totally okay to stare at her breasts (that last part was implied).
The narrator is an insufferable Mary Sue (he's rich! he has perfect pitch!), the writing is purple, and the only good part is the talking cat.
I toughed it out to page 31, wherein it's explained that the naked fairy might have the body of a twelve-year-old, but she's really fifty-two. So it's totally okay to stare at her breasts (that last part was implied).
The narrator is an insufferable Mary Sue (he's rich! he has perfect pitch!), the writing is purple, and the only good part is the talking cat.
July 4, 2018
For the first third of Threshold, I wasn't sure how much I was going to like it -- merely because I don't particularly like fantasy books, including magic or witchcraft; I prefer hard science fiction. However, as those elements appear in the novel, they are explained as the science or math of an alien universe, reminiscent of Heinlein's Glory Road (Heinlein's my favorite author). So I stuck with it, and was rewarded with a good 5-star science fiction (including hard sf) survival yarn worthy of comparison to The Martian, Tunnel In The Sky, First On Mars, etc. After navigating his crippled ship through countless small moons (think asteroid field) to a survivable crash landing, the protagonist braves the wilderness of an alien world throughout the remainder of the novel. Character development that's integral to the plot, and acceptable surprises, make what would have been good science fiction great science fiction. Recommended.
April 21, 2011
Somewhere in here, there is the first half of a plot of a story that, had there been a second book, might have eventually been fleshed out to something approaching worthwhile. As it is, this part of it is surrounded by much too much silliness and magical-technical jargon. Brunhilde was *great*, though.
February 16, 2018
David R Palmer is my favorite science fiction author. Too bad that he only has the two books- Emergence and Threshold. There is apparently a sequel to Emergence that was published in the Analog Science Fiction Magazine back in 2008. I'm hoping to find that and read it also. Highly recommend this man's books.
June 21, 2009
Terribly disappointing after having read Emergence. This book is a one-trick pony, and that trick gets old after about page 30.
Read
July 10, 2012Really enjoyed this but 27 years later and still waiting for the rest of the trilogy :-(
November 25, 2018
I eagerly bought this book when it came out, enjoyed it immensely, and agreed with the glowing blurbs from Poul Anderson and F.M. Busby; I've been impatiently awaiting the rest of the trilogy for a generation. The author's page at the Ring of Fire Press now reports that he's finished the second book, so I finally reread the first volume, which I've been looking forward to since it came out. I have never been so disappointed.
*** Major Spoilers ***
Even for those of us with a fondness for Doc Smith and parodies thereof, the book makes no sense, and is mainly a deliberate waste of space. The author spends almost no time on the important things, like the interstellar journey and the threat to this (and other) galaxies. Most of the book is taken up with a bogus journey on a preposterously implausible planet with evolutionarily unlikely dangers implausibly overcome; and none of this matters, as we know he will get from A to B. The supposedly intelligent hero never considers, even with the magical and super-scientific abilities which conveniently appear, using those abilities to communicate. He can, after all, strike things with lightning; wouldn't at least an attempt at the local equivalent of Morse code have been in order? He did, after all, have a complete set of memories at his disposal whenever convenient to the plot. (He also never seems to wonder about the evolutionary coincidence making rishathra possible.)
And the reasons that make the trilogy appealing make this volume, and its attempts at a sense of urgency, completely pointless. This is a threat to the entire galaxy, more than a millennium away. The owner of planet-spanning technology companies with thousands of skilled employees would obviously employ them to save the galaxy sometime in the next thousand years or so. And, as one of the envelope narrators notes, the hero's genes have been recorded, so it's not the end of the galaxy if this particular bearer of them gets eaten, though one would have expected a super-human tycoon to have taken better precautions to avoid that.
I still look forward to the rest of the trilogy; breeding a race to save the galaxy is always important, and the timescale is impressive. But I've read more than enough about detours, motorcycles on an alien planet (an odd presentiment of a bad _Star Trek_ retread), and mushroom binge eating.
*** Major Spoilers ***
Even for those of us with a fondness for Doc Smith and parodies thereof, the book makes no sense, and is mainly a deliberate waste of space. The author spends almost no time on the important things, like the interstellar journey and the threat to this (and other) galaxies. Most of the book is taken up with a bogus journey on a preposterously implausible planet with evolutionarily unlikely dangers implausibly overcome; and none of this matters, as we know he will get from A to B. The supposedly intelligent hero never considers, even with the magical and super-scientific abilities which conveniently appear, using those abilities to communicate. He can, after all, strike things with lightning; wouldn't at least an attempt at the local equivalent of Morse code have been in order? He did, after all, have a complete set of memories at his disposal whenever convenient to the plot. (He also never seems to wonder about the evolutionary coincidence making rishathra possible.)
And the reasons that make the trilogy appealing make this volume, and its attempts at a sense of urgency, completely pointless. This is a threat to the entire galaxy, more than a millennium away. The owner of planet-spanning technology companies with thousands of skilled employees would obviously employ them to save the galaxy sometime in the next thousand years or so. And, as one of the envelope narrators notes, the hero's genes have been recorded, so it's not the end of the galaxy if this particular bearer of them gets eaten, though one would have expected a super-human tycoon to have taken better precautions to avoid that.
I still look forward to the rest of the trilogy; breeding a race to save the galaxy is always important, and the timescale is impressive. But I've read more than enough about detours, motorcycles on an alien planet (an odd presentiment of a bad _Star Trek_ retread), and mushroom binge eating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2023
I had to think about this rating of three stars. The book started out as a two or three with a very slow start with characters I could care less about. Super rich man who is a super athlete and super good at everything. It all comes easy to him, even the super determination. Cardboard character whose big issue is finding privacy and his super money easily pays for that. Superman needs to have super challenges and so after a while the author begins to provide them. The female lead character is also one that I still do not care for. Don't worry about her, as she is missing from most of the book and he does not even much think of her after a while, while he is involved in his supper challenges. I never figured out what he saw in this cardboard female anyways. It all was suddenly super love for not much time together. Super shallow relationship!? Not much character building - I think I am being super generous for saying "not much." So why the three instead of the two star rating? The answer is that the author does very well at the super challenges (4 stars) and they are fun reading while they last - lots of super adventure action that really helps in a book like this with everything else made of cardboard. Unfortunately this book has a cardboard ending. I kept thinking the main character had better teamwork and rapport with the interesting female associate he encountered while working to overcome his super challenge about 6 months into the trek. Hopefully I have been super vague enough to not have much of this review blocked. Now to read a new author I recently discovered that has much better characterization in the two books I have read. Hopefully this authors earlier work will have the same.
October 7, 2025
Cory is a billionaire, an Olympic champion, a Grand Prix racer of cars and motorcycles and a decorated pilot, but when a Tinkerbell-like alien accompanied by a talking cat visit him on his secluded island retreat he is somewhat taken aback. Even more so when they inform him that he must save the galaxy from a galaxy-sized invader! Cory then accompanies his weird alien companions to Tibet to uncover a giant ruby used to power an inertialess stardrive which gets him to the giant planet Isis where he encounters countless inimicable lifeforms which he manages to survive due to an ability to alter his genetic and biological structure... Cory as superman makes it hard to sustain any real interest in his doings, and it is aptly named as it tested my boredom threshold several times. Cory is also being observed by the minds of Isi who are trying to get him to fail against some of the tests he suspects are being deliberately put in his path. David R. Palmer has written much better than this and by way of not panning this book too much I recommend you stick with Emergence.
August 22, 2021
Returning to a past favorite worked this time
Sometimes I go back to a book fondly remembered and ruin that memory by realizing the flaws of that book. Threshold is not one of those times.
The wonder, action, characterization hold up. Try this book now so you can come back to it in the future to enjoy it again.
Sometimes I go back to a book fondly remembered and ruin that memory by realizing the flaws of that book. Threshold is not one of those times.
The wonder, action, characterization hold up. Try this book now so you can come back to it in the future to enjoy it again.
August 11, 2023
I want to be a dragon
Aside from the little ideas borrowed from other authors, this is a unique and exciting story that makes you long for mushrooms the size of houses and the ability to reshape yourself in any way you want. I’m so glad there’s a book 2.
Aside from the little ideas borrowed from other authors, this is a unique and exciting story that makes you long for mushrooms the size of houses and the ability to reshape yourself in any way you want. I’m so glad there’s a book 2.
June 19, 2024
There was a brief batch of chapters where I thought the main character might actually get what he deserved, but no. It all ends in a happy “let’s actually be friends” style party and the asshole gets the girl. Ugh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2020
Exciting and well written, very entertaining from start to finish.
Read
October 23, 2025Science fiction and fantasy rolled into one in this novel.
March 8, 2021
This was some of the most light-hearted swashbuckling fun I've had in a long time with a book. My recently deceased friend, J. R., turned me on to this guy's writing, and I'm equally saddened that he and I can't discuss this book and filled with Christmas-Eve-as-a-child anticipation that because of the successful mission of Jesus, the day isn't far off when we will be able to discuss it.
Peter Corry is the kind of guy people like AOC and her associates would reflexively hate. He's a 1980s-era super capitalist. He owns too many companies to count, and when the beautiful alien girl, a diminutive naked creature with tangerine-sized breasts, lands on his private island, he's in for the adventure of innumerable lifetimes.
She is Megan, and she is on a mission to save her planet, and by so doing, the entire galaxy. The problem is, her country is out of ideas as to how to make that happen. After an in-depth scan of the galaxy's populace, her leaders believe Peter has the pluck and the brains necessary to figure out a solution.
Predictably, the two mind meld, and that kind of telepathic and physical sex becomes a completely off-the-scale amazing experience for both of them. As their minds grow together, she presents him with the problem, and he works with her on the solution. Her familiar, a talking cat, is along to spice up the story a bit.
This is ridiculous fun fluffy science fiction as only Palmer can write it. It's what you read when you're looking for a reason to smile and a hero to root for during scores of sometimes-frenetic action-packed adventures. Palmer's world building is beyond vividly fantastic here. This is not deep-thinking stuff; this is just the kind of SF cotton candy that elevates your day and makes you wonder whether the sequel is out there somewhere in an accessible form. Yeah, it's a little '80s dated maybe, but don't read this if you are in the mood to over think a book. You're doing yourself a disservice that way. Just read it to have fun.
Peter Corry is the kind of guy people like AOC and her associates would reflexively hate. He's a 1980s-era super capitalist. He owns too many companies to count, and when the beautiful alien girl, a diminutive naked creature with tangerine-sized breasts, lands on his private island, he's in for the adventure of innumerable lifetimes.
She is Megan, and she is on a mission to save her planet, and by so doing, the entire galaxy. The problem is, her country is out of ideas as to how to make that happen. After an in-depth scan of the galaxy's populace, her leaders believe Peter has the pluck and the brains necessary to figure out a solution.
Predictably, the two mind meld, and that kind of telepathic and physical sex becomes a completely off-the-scale amazing experience for both of them. As their minds grow together, she presents him with the problem, and he works with her on the solution. Her familiar, a talking cat, is along to spice up the story a bit.
This is ridiculous fun fluffy science fiction as only Palmer can write it. It's what you read when you're looking for a reason to smile and a hero to root for during scores of sometimes-frenetic action-packed adventures. Palmer's world building is beyond vividly fantastic here. This is not deep-thinking stuff; this is just the kind of SF cotton candy that elevates your day and makes you wonder whether the sequel is out there somewhere in an accessible form. Yeah, it's a little '80s dated maybe, but don't read this if you are in the mood to over think a book. You're doing yourself a disservice that way. Just read it to have fun.
November 20, 2020
Still an Awesome Story after 30+ Years
I first read this story around 1987. I enjoyed it so much then that I searched for Special Education ( called To Halt Armageddon back then) regularly until Ring of Fire finally published it recently. Before reading Special Education I decided to reread Threshold.
Threshold is an irresistable force (the main character) meets an immovable object (the end of the universe) kind of story. Peter can do anything he can imagine and does so in increasingly precarious circumstances.
The incredibly fast paced action packed story also allows for human and alien fallibility which helps explain some of the problems Peter encounters.
The use of Earth mythology and folkore as tie ins to the story is hilarious
I found the story just as entertaining now as I did then.
I sincerely hope Mr. Palmer writes more stories !
Now to read Special Education!
I first read this story around 1987. I enjoyed it so much then that I searched for Special Education ( called To Halt Armageddon back then) regularly until Ring of Fire finally published it recently. Before reading Special Education I decided to reread Threshold.
Threshold is an irresistable force (the main character) meets an immovable object (the end of the universe) kind of story. Peter can do anything he can imagine and does so in increasingly precarious circumstances.
The incredibly fast paced action packed story also allows for human and alien fallibility which helps explain some of the problems Peter encounters.
The use of Earth mythology and folkore as tie ins to the story is hilarious
I found the story just as entertaining now as I did then.
I sincerely hope Mr. Palmer writes more stories !
Now to read Special Education!
July 31, 2008
Again, Palmer plays with his writing. In this case, it is told in a sort of stream of consciousness (especially in the beginning where the first 4 chapters take place on the first 7 pages).
This story is a good story in itself. However there is a bit of extra for fans of the Lensmen series. This story has a well crafted send up of Doc Smith's series layered into it.
There was suppose to be a sequal that never got published. That kind of irks me since I'd like to read more.
This is on my reread pile.
This story is a good story in itself. However there is a bit of extra for fans of the Lensmen series. This story has a well crafted send up of Doc Smith's series layered into it.
There was suppose to be a sequal that never got published. That kind of irks me since I'd like to read more.
This is on my reread pile.
March 10, 2020
I loved these books and read them over and over and then my mother sent all my books to Goodwill! So finding them again was a blessing! Still just as good! Like a homemade stew for my brain. Total comfort and joy!
August 6, 2008
Great set piece starts featuring alluring maidens and cats can cover up for alot of issues with a book.
September 1, 2013
Been years since I read this book, still annoyed that the sequel never appeared. Silly, cheesy Science Fantasy, but still kind of fun.
January 22, 2015
Loved this as a kid, and therefore still fond of it.
January 2, 2015
I enjoyed this book quite a bit and was looking forward to the series continuing. I would like to know why it didn't go forward.
December 13, 2018
Great
Thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Was initially hard to get started then could not stop reading it. Characterizations were good especially Prter'slast friend the jet liner
Thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Was initially hard to get started then could not stop reading it. Characterizations were good especially Prter'slast friend the jet liner
January 7, 2023
I've read this book so many times. Reread it again as now it's on to the sequel
October 7, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this as a teenager, I still remember it.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews