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Starburst
The crew of the Constitution--scientists cum astronauts--had been carefully screened for extremely high intelligence and superb physical qualities. They were to be the first explorers sent to another stellar system. There they would explore the planet Alpha-Aleph and then return. They were the toast of the world press--true heroes, for they were to go where no man had gone before. Or so they thought.
219 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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444 people want to read
About the author
Frederik Pohl
1,151 books1,057 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 52 reviews
February 21, 2021
This is one of Pohl's better novels; perhaps it got a little overlooked or lost in the shuffle because it appeared in one of his extremely prolific periods. It's an expansion of The Gold at the Starbow's End, arguably his best work of short fiction, and while it lacks to punch the original had, he added enough plot detail and curious side-content to keep things interesting. I always particularly enjoyed the way he did the big surprise reveal quite early in the story and built onwards from there. Some of the mathematical speculation was a bit too detailed for me, and some people will find some of the details no longer PC, but it's a grand work of hard sf space exploration with clever satiric glimpses of human development and behavior.
March 2, 2024
A spaceship is sent off to a faraway planet while civilization on our planet slowly crumbles. The crew ostensibly was sent to check out a new planet but as it turns out, no such planet exists: A scientist had the idea of giving smart people the time to think, and who hasn't dreamt of that?, and of course our small group of small people soon turns into superhumans, first solving Goldbach's Conjecture, then editing their own genes, then transcending this reality.
This could have been a short story. I see now that it used to be a novelette that was turned into a full novel; it just feels diluted and too long for the story it's telling. The basic idea is cool but it's hard to develop a story where the characters are smarter than the author, as the author quickly has to fall back to tricks (mysticism! unexplainable code!) that don't really do anything.
Didn't really do anything for me, finished it due to pointless obligations to myself.
This could have been a short story. I see now that it used to be a novelette that was turned into a full novel; it just feels diluted and too long for the story it's telling. The basic idea is cool but it's hard to develop a story where the characters are smarter than the author, as the author quickly has to fall back to tricks (mysticism! unexplainable code!) that don't really do anything.
Didn't really do anything for me, finished it due to pointless obligations to myself.
January 3, 2015
The book starts out like a Star Trek episode - "these are the travelers of the starship Constitution, it's ten year mission, to explore the planet Alpha-Aleph in the Alpha Centauri system." But very quickly, Pohl takes the story in a whole new direction, into a tale about how much humans develop, what intellectual heights they can achieve, and whether they can overcome basic human nature. It is only 200 some pages, but Pohl puts more philosophy, tension, and science in there than many science fiction books achieve in 600 pages.
A fascinating, gripping, unusual read.
A fascinating, gripping, unusual read.
March 26, 2012
What a great premise for a scifi adventure, sending very smart couple into space to a nearby star, to colonize one of its planets. And, when we find out that there is no planet, and we watch and observe what the scientist will do . . . now, that's good stuff.
Unfortunately, about half way through this developing storyline, the story begins to lag and sputter, and then die. Page upon page of drivel, intense detail, that does not lead to an ultimate purpose . . . so what's the sense. None that I can make out.
I give the novel 3 stars for a great premise, and no stars for it completion. Thanks for putting me out of my misery . . . .
Unfortunately, about half way through this developing storyline, the story begins to lag and sputter, and then die. Page upon page of drivel, intense detail, that does not lead to an ultimate purpose . . . so what's the sense. None that I can make out.
I give the novel 3 stars for a great premise, and no stars for it completion. Thanks for putting me out of my misery . . . .
July 13, 2023
The first 1/4 of this book contains some really cool ideas that would have made a great start to a (more coherent) short story or novella.
Unfortunately, the story goes completely off the rails after that, quickly entering "complete insanity" territory:
It's indicative of the book's overall quality that it took me two months to get through 219 pages. I almost can't believe I made it through to the end. Lol.
Unfortunately, the story goes completely off the rails after that, quickly entering "complete insanity" territory:
It's indicative of the book's overall quality that it took me two months to get through 219 pages. I almost can't believe I made it through to the end. Lol.
June 15, 2012
This was the first novel I've read by Frederik Pohl, and despite my early skepticism, he won me over in the end. I tend to be a harsh critic, so when approaching an unknown author, I brace for the worst. Indeed, several things about "Starburst" put me off, initially. To take just one example, in the opening pages, the character of Dr. von Knefhausen is introduced in a manner which seems dismissive of his past as a Nazi Youth. This seemed an odd choice so early on, but it turns out that the character is hardly portrayed in a sympathetic light, and this opening reflection of the character's inner dialogue comes into focus, after the fact, as irony. (However, it should be also be noted that there are no real heroes or villains in this story. Not in the conventional sense.)
Due to the era in which it was written (having been published in 1982), there are elements to the story, here and there, which might not seem particularly "PC" from a 2012 perspective. However, Pohl possesses a quite subtle sense of humor which takes some time to confirm. I suspect that some of his more insensitive descriptions of the dystopian future in which his story is set are (mostly) good-natured jabs at the proclivities of Heinlein and his ilk. This understated humor comes out in other ways too, particularly in Pohl's ability to push his subjects just over the top, but not too far over.
What I find most remarkable about Pohl are the capriciousness and boundlessness of his imagination. The story continually veered off in unexpected directions and, if anything, Pohl is imaginative to a fault. His writing is remarkably economical in a certain sense, but can be overly dense in detail and information. None of the information is irrelevant, but there's just an awful lot of it to reason through and ponder, and at times it can be a challenge. The only other fault I found was that, given how unpredictable so many of the story's twists and turns were, I was able to anticipate the ending in effect, if not in detail. Despite this, I will most certainly return to Mr. Pohl's work soon.
Due to the era in which it was written (having been published in 1982), there are elements to the story, here and there, which might not seem particularly "PC" from a 2012 perspective. However, Pohl possesses a quite subtle sense of humor which takes some time to confirm. I suspect that some of his more insensitive descriptions of the dystopian future in which his story is set are (mostly) good-natured jabs at the proclivities of Heinlein and his ilk. This understated humor comes out in other ways too, particularly in Pohl's ability to push his subjects just over the top, but not too far over.
What I find most remarkable about Pohl are the capriciousness and boundlessness of his imagination. The story continually veered off in unexpected directions and, if anything, Pohl is imaginative to a fault. His writing is remarkably economical in a certain sense, but can be overly dense in detail and information. None of the information is irrelevant, but there's just an awful lot of it to reason through and ponder, and at times it can be a challenge. The only other fault I found was that, given how unpredictable so many of the story's twists and turns were, I was able to anticipate the ending in effect, if not in detail. Despite this, I will most certainly return to Mr. Pohl's work soon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2021
Per tutto il romanzo mi sono chiesta dove voleva andare a parare, i deliri dello scienziato nazista? Quello che si è disposti a rischiare per il progresso scientifico? La deriva del genere umano con la tendenza all'autodistruzione? La distruzione quasi totale della popolazione per la salvezza del genere umano?
Questo e molto altro, riflessioni filosofiche, I ching e la teoria della relatività, spettri e selezione genica, per arrivare alla fine alla conclusione che nessuno ha le risposte giuste, ed ognuno deve perseguire la propria strada, cercando se possibile di non ripetere gli errori del passato.
P.s. le maltonoci 🤩
Questo e molto altro, riflessioni filosofiche, I ching e la teoria della relatività, spettri e selezione genica, per arrivare alla fine alla conclusione che nessuno ha le risposte giuste, ed ognuno deve perseguire la propria strada, cercando se possibile di non ripetere gli errori del passato.
P.s. le maltonoci 🤩
March 31, 2017
Superintelligent space crew going out of control when travelling to distant world. Nothing goes by the plan and humanity will soon be divided by millions of miles and vast difference in intelligence.
Book is easy to read and full of complex futuristic details.
Book is easy to read and full of complex futuristic details.
March 24, 2025
An unusual and memorable book, immersive in a way that could have been difficult in so few pages. Most of the characters are not very likable, but the odd blend of ideas and scenarios are unique. I listened to the audiobook, narrated very well.
August 22, 2011
Short read, nicely paced. An inventive look at how colonization of space might begin. 4 handpicked couples set off on a trip to what they think is a star with a planet, only to discover along the way that they are the unwitting subjects of an experiment, and no such planet exists. The astronauts and eventually their children, With limited access to Earth resources, expand their minds in ways both planned (traditional science) and unplanned (Eastern mysticism) by those who sent them. The explorers return to their home planet to find it devastated by political turmoil (some of which began before they left) and the effects of their own act of vengeance against their betrayers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2021
This book is weird. Hard science, Zen Buddhism, divining by casting bones, gene editing and cloning, people becoming planets through meditation, and a person who decided to never die but becomes a ghost-like entity. These are just some of the strange results of people spending time in space with nothing to do but study math, physics and linguistics. Too many ideas packed into 220 pages and the themes lack cohesion, but an interesting read, for sure. A deep dive into the strange end of the science fiction pool.
The author has some odd ideas about relationships and seems to think that it's pretty much just about making whoopy and making new human stock. Very cold and a bit sad.
The author has some odd ideas about relationships and seems to think that it's pretty much just about making whoopy and making new human stock. Very cold and a bit sad.
March 25, 2021
Some lovely ideas and Pohl needs no introduction as a talented author.
I found the underlying plot that people of color, women, and gays were destroying society with endless demonstrations to have aged very poorly (candidly, it was a bad take the year the book was released). As recent events showed us it’s right wingers that will probably take the US down. Unfortunately, the disintegration of society is central to the motivation of the plot, so it’s more than a side note. If it were satirical it would have worked better.
I found the underlying plot that people of color, women, and gays were destroying society with endless demonstrations to have aged very poorly (candidly, it was a bad take the year the book was released). As recent events showed us it’s right wingers that will probably take the US down. Unfortunately, the disintegration of society is central to the motivation of the plot, so it’s more than a side note. If it were satirical it would have worked better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2025
This is an expansion of Pohl’s 1972 novella, “The Gold at Starbow’s End”, which I have read some time ago - and will soon reread. It came off pretty well, if a little soapy at times - inevitable while having a group of young people is a small space for a length of time.
A good read.
A good read.
July 8, 2008
Based on the short story 'The gold at the starbow's end.' Short story was much better.
July 15, 2024
"We played on them a nasty trick, to be sure."
A former Nazi and now U.S. Science Advisor comes up with a plan to send four "alpha" couples--the brightest and "foxiest" men and women on Earth--to colonize a planet 10 light years away, except the planet doesn't exist. The sadistic scientist's idea is that, yes, the chosen couples will all die, but the insights they'll be sending back over that decade in transit with nothing to do but think will benefit and maybe even save Earth. It's not clear how none of the eight chosen ones figured out this intentionally suicidal plan if they really were the creme de la creme, but they do realize what's up soon enough in between gang banging and drug experimenting and I Chinging and making up mostly nonverbal means of communication, and, thanks to some floozy science from Pohl's pen, decide to exact revenge on not just the mad scientist but the entire planet by knocking out the Earth's power grid and most of its technology, leaving America looking a lot like it does in the movie Idiocracy. It's whacky but a fun enough read, even though none of the characters are likeable, with the possible exception of "dumb" Eve and maybe Vice President Mae Tupelo, wife of President Jimbo, but even those two are only semi-sympathetic.
First line:
"Even the sturdy old walls of the White House did not keep out all the winter drafts."
October 10, 2020
He doesn't save the surprise until the end of the book. We find out early on that the planet that the astronauts are sent to doesn't exist. No more spoilers in this review.
I felt that the chapters with the astronauts on the planets dragged a bit.
As another reader has pointed out, this is an expansion of Pohl's short story "The Gold At The Starbow's End", and revisits one of the details that he covered then, namely the Gödelized message. In TGATSE, the number is considered to be too large to extract the message from, which isn't entirely true, because it has very few small prime numbers. The message extracted begins "A [...] A [...] A [...] A", where "[...]" is a sequence of spaces. Maybe it's the opening lyrics to Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon.
In any case, Pohl provides a larger number, but mathematically this doesn't help much, either. The first term is the factorial of a large integer, so it can be ignored until the first quadrillion letters in the message. The rest of the terms seem to be misprints of the original number. (I haven't tried de-Gödelizing the number in Starburst yet, but I doubt we're going to get any Shakespeare out of it.)
I felt that the chapters with the astronauts on the planets dragged a bit.
As another reader has pointed out, this is an expansion of Pohl's short story "The Gold At The Starbow's End", and revisits one of the details that he covered then, namely the Gödelized message. In TGATSE, the number is considered to be too large to extract the message from, which isn't entirely true, because it has very few small prime numbers. The message extracted begins "A [...] A [...] A [...] A", where "[...]" is a sequence of spaces. Maybe it's the opening lyrics to Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon.
In any case, Pohl provides a larger number, but mathematically this doesn't help much, either. The first term is the factorial of a large integer, so it can be ignored until the first quadrillion letters in the message. The rest of the terms seem to be misprints of the original number. (I haven't tried de-Gödelizing the number in Starburst yet, but I doubt we're going to get any Shakespeare out of it.)
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October 23, 2025THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTESTThe crew of the Constitution--scientists cum astronauts--had been carefully screened for extremely high intelligence and superb physical qualities. They were to be the first explorers sent to another stellar system. There they would explore the planet Alpha-Aleph and then return. They were the toast of the world press--true heroes, for they were to go where no man had gone before.Or so they thought.Dr. Dieter von Knefhausen knew otherwise--for there was no planet, no place to go...and no place from which to return. Knefhuasen had planned it that way. Of course, Knefhausen realized his plan wasn't exactly ethical. But then, he knew the ends often justify the means.And Knefhausen's plan worked better then even he had ever hoped!
September 18, 2024
Jumbled and disjointed. Some sections are classic Pohl with great writing and interesting concepts blended into the story. But most of it is just a gish gallop of concepts and thoughts flung against the wall to see if the reader will find anything interesting to look at in the result.
Throw in that from a social perspective, a lot of the underlying Earth society feels dated and patronizing, and I found a story that was tough to get through even at this length. The novelette it's expanded from is, based on some reviews, apparently very good, but I'm not sure I can find the motivation to look for it.
Throw in that from a social perspective, a lot of the underlying Earth society feels dated and patronizing, and I found a story that was tough to get through even at this length. The novelette it's expanded from is, based on some reviews, apparently very good, but I'm not sure I can find the motivation to look for it.
August 27, 2025
This one started out pretty good but slowly fizzled out for me. The plot/concept that 8 people are being sent into space to a so-called planet called Alpha Aleph, but the 8 people on board don't know that AA doesn't actually exist, is very unique and grabbed my attention.
My main issues were this: The frequent and unannounced skipping ahead in time. I'd read a paragraph and then realize partway into the new paragraph that the author is describing something that happens 25 years in the future from what I just read.
I also felt like the last half of the book was just kind of jumbled and all over the place.
My main issues were this: The frequent and unannounced skipping ahead in time. I'd read a paragraph and then realize partway into the new paragraph that the author is describing something that happens 25 years in the future from what I just read.
I also felt like the last half of the book was just kind of jumbled and all over the place.
July 10, 2019
I enjoyed this book more in the beginning than towards the end. I think Pohl does a great job of leaving mystery to be unraveled throughout the book, however sometimes the pay off falls a bit flat. The ending happened a bit abruptly as well and the final chapter leaves a lot to be desired.
I did enjoy a lot of the 'science' used throughout the novel, as well as some of the ideas presented by the crew of the Constitution.
An easy quick read for a weekend in the sun.
I did enjoy a lot of the 'science' used throughout the novel, as well as some of the ideas presented by the crew of the Constitution.
An easy quick read for a weekend in the sun.
August 5, 2021
Frederik Pohl is pretty reliable for some outlandish concepts in SF and some subversive character types and dialogue. This book has all of that but the main hook of the story falls a bit flat for me. I'm just a bit suspicious of the potential of the unfettered mind. Given limitless time but a culturally homogeneous group like this, I think we still end up producing knowledge within the constraints of prevailing scientific paradigms.
April 24, 2022
One of my new favorite hard sci-fi books. Intriguing premise and unique writing style. The scientific concepts presented throughout the book are fascinating. The ending was a little lackluster but I could’ve continued reading about the the crew of the Constitution and their progeny for at least a few more books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2022
3.5/5
Al principio me entusiasmó "¿Cómo no he leído esto antes?", pensé. Premisa con giro incluido, conceptazos, humor...
Luego llega una parte en la que la narración se arrastra bastante, sin llegar a ser un petardo pero da bajón. Lo que podría haber sido sobresaliente se queda en notable raspado.
Al principio me entusiasmó "¿Cómo no he leído esto antes?", pensé. Premisa con giro incluido, conceptazos, humor...
Luego llega una parte en la que la narración se arrastra bastante, sin llegar a ser un petardo pero da bajón. Lo que podría haber sido sobresaliente se queda en notable raspado.
May 1, 2025
Un romanzo ricco di potenzialità mal sfruttate. Gli ingredienti del miglior Pohl ci sarebbero tutti, dal trascendimento dei limiti della mente alla possibile ridefinizione del senso stesso dell’essere umano, ma il tutto è trattato in maniera confusa e, già dalla metà del racconto, la narrazione perde di mordente.
March 15, 2019
A crew is sent to Alpha Centauri, but all is not what it seems. Then weirdness ensues...
If this book seems familiar as you read it, it's because it's an expansion of a short story called "The Gold at the Starbow's End."
If this book seems familiar as you read it, it's because it's an expansion of a short story called "The Gold at the Starbow's End."
January 6, 2020
Like late Heinlein, an older SF author touched by the Counterculture, with refreshed ideas about how humans might progress with technologies like the I Ching, but much better done. I've been catching up on Pohl, this is a favorite so far.
July 2, 2024
This book makes a lot more sense when you think of it as a technological singularity story. The language is more that of psychedelia, but the formatting matches the former. It's still a very strange book, but I enjoyed it more after I changed gears while reading it.
December 7, 2018
Offensively stupid.
July 21, 2020
4 stars mostly for the concept even if not well executed. Not sure if it's just because I read it when I was a little too young, but it's stuck with me for years.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews