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The Old Man and the Void
Dex Hollister hunts relics in the accretion disk of a black hole. Aging, impoverished, and suffering from a dry streak, he sets his sights on the biggest score of all: a battleship from a long-dead civilization. Dex makes the “catch,” but his prize powers up and pulls them both across the event horizon. In this no-man’s land of time and space, the automated ships of two ancient civilizations still fight their war. Trapped beyond the point of no return, Dex must use all his cunning to make his way back home.Written in the trasition of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, this story pits man against the universe in a space opera setting.
262 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 16, 2020
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16 people want to read
About the author
Karina Lumbert Fabian
97 books107 followersKarina Fabian is a science fiction and fantasy writers, author of 16 novels, three anthologies, a devotional and many stories and articles. Her latest science fiction novel, Discovery, features religious sisters in space, and she’s working on rebooting her DragonEye series, which stars a snarky dragon working under the direction of the Church. She teaches writing and is an active member of the Catholic Writers Guild. http://fabianspace.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 23, 2020
I find it hard to believe that it has been 8 years since I read a book by Karina Fabian, but when I check my list of books read. That is what came up. I have read her contributions in a couple of anthologies. And had picked up a few of her books. They were just all still in my ‘to be read pile’. After reading this excellent work I have already bumped a couple of the others to the top of my to be read list. This was an excellent story. It was the first story by Fabian that I have read that was not religious themed. It is pure science fiction. And in a very classic style. The story is written in homage to The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. But set in space, and with Fabian’s unique twist on the hunter prey quest.
The story reminds me of some of Frank Herbert’s on Dune books, like The Eye's of Heisenberg and The Green Brain. It also brought to mind the works of Alfred bester, specifically The Demolished Man or Tiger, Tiger. The story is well written and deeply moving. You find yourself rooting for the hero, and the AI on his ship. The story follows Dex Hollister as he hunts relics in the accretion disk of a black hole. He has set his eyes on a battleship. It will it only be his biggest score, but the biggest yet. But As the battleship pulls them across the event horizon it becomes a battle not only to land the ‘catch’ but one for life.
Follow Dex across the event horizon. Watch him battle with an automated defense system. Restore his own ships AI. And in conjunction with the AI try to survive. He is caught between automated ships from two different ancient civilizations fight a never-ending war. He must outwit the automatic systems, and escape this place where time is warped.
Something that makes this story so great is the dialogue. The Dialogue between Dex and the AI, and Dex’s internal dialogue. His remembrances add an interesting element. The dialogue reminds me of Doc Holliday in Tombstone, and I cannot help but picture Dex as a younger Val Kilmer. The interactions the god and his consort add an interesting twist to the story. Much like the movie 12 Moneys and the book A Scientific Romance there is a point where we question what is real, and what is not. And even the epilogue leaves us with more questions than concrete answers. And that is part of what makes it such a great story, I know I will be thinking about it for days to come.
The story is not implicitly Catholic like many of Fabian’s other works I have read. But it does deal with questions around the meaning and purpose of life. It is a great story and I highly recommend it.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Karina Fabian. As well as author profile and interview with Karina.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!
The story reminds me of some of Frank Herbert’s on Dune books, like The Eye's of Heisenberg and The Green Brain. It also brought to mind the works of Alfred bester, specifically The Demolished Man or Tiger, Tiger. The story is well written and deeply moving. You find yourself rooting for the hero, and the AI on his ship. The story follows Dex Hollister as he hunts relics in the accretion disk of a black hole. He has set his eyes on a battleship. It will it only be his biggest score, but the biggest yet. But As the battleship pulls them across the event horizon it becomes a battle not only to land the ‘catch’ but one for life.
Follow Dex across the event horizon. Watch him battle with an automated defense system. Restore his own ships AI. And in conjunction with the AI try to survive. He is caught between automated ships from two different ancient civilizations fight a never-ending war. He must outwit the automatic systems, and escape this place where time is warped.
Something that makes this story so great is the dialogue. The Dialogue between Dex and the AI, and Dex’s internal dialogue. His remembrances add an interesting element. The dialogue reminds me of Doc Holliday in Tombstone, and I cannot help but picture Dex as a younger Val Kilmer. The interactions the god and his consort add an interesting twist to the story. Much like the movie 12 Moneys and the book A Scientific Romance there is a point where we question what is real, and what is not. And even the epilogue leaves us with more questions than concrete answers. And that is part of what makes it such a great story, I know I will be thinking about it for days to come.
The story is not implicitly Catholic like many of Fabian’s other works I have read. But it does deal with questions around the meaning and purpose of life. It is a great story and I highly recommend it.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and reviews of other books by Karina Fabian. As well as author profile and interview with Karina.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!
February 8, 2022
An interior psychological, reflective kind of book - a lot of introspection and memories and ravings of an old man named Dex, interspersed with lucid moments of conversation with his AI named Santiago as they seek to escape the event horizon of a black hole.
Strong on the hard SF elements - philosophical questions and space/time relativity - and not a lot of action, except for the singular focus of getting free from the singularity. Very old school style of SF and, of course, very much a Hemingway pastiche...but in space. If you like complexity of story and thought-provoking themes, this short novel is for you.
Strong on the hard SF elements - philosophical questions and space/time relativity - and not a lot of action, except for the singular focus of getting free from the singularity. Very old school style of SF and, of course, very much a Hemingway pastiche...but in space. If you like complexity of story and thought-provoking themes, this short novel is for you.
April 28, 2020
This was my first time reading science fiction, although I enjoy sci-fi movies. I'm glad that I chose a novella, and that it is one with such a relatable main character as Dex. I had The Old Man and the Void read to me by Amazon's AI, so it is was an easy "read" and enjoyable adventure. As with any good work of sci-fi, it contains some thoughtful questions and insights into what it means to be human.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews