The Eleventh Gate

by Nancy Kress

WHAT LIES BEYOND THE ELEVENTH GATE . . .

Despite economic and territorial tensions, no one wants the city-states of the Eight Worlds to repeat the Terran Collapse by going to war. But when war accidentally happens, everyone seeks ways to exploit it for gain.  The Landry and Peregoy ruling dynasties see opportunities to grab territory, increase profits, and settle old scores.  Exploited underclasses use war to fuel rebellion.  Ambitious heirs can finally topple their elders’ regimes—or try to.

But the unexpected key to either victory or peace lies with two persons uninterested in conquest, profits, or power.   Philip Anderson seeks only the transcendent meaning of the physics underlying the universe.  Tara Landry, spoiled and defiant youngest granddaughter of dynasty head Rachel Landry, accidentally discovers an eleventh star-jump gate, with a fabulous find on the planet behind it.  Her discovery, and Philip’s use of it, alter everything for the Eight Worlds.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Space, Speculative Fiction, Politics

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2020

About the author

Nancy Kress is an American science fiction writer. She began writing in 1976 but has achieved her greatest notice since the publication of her Hugo and Nebula-winning 1991 novella Beggars in Spain which was later expanded into a novel with the same title. In addition to her novels, Kress has written numerous short stories and is a regular columnist for Writer's Digest. She is a regular at Clarion writing workshops and at The Writers Center in Bethesda, Maryland. During the Winter of 2008/09, Nancy Kress is the Picador Guest Professor for Literature at the University of Leipzig's Institute for American Studies in Leipzig, Germany.

Excerpted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Eleventh Gate
by Nancy Kress
Oh boy! I was hoping for a good space action adventure but I was disappointed. There is 10 gates in space and another is found. Now greed sets in. Half the characters are crazy, truly crazy! Severe mental issues. The main family, crazy, fights and no one is unlikable. I didn't find anyone likeable at all! After all the bore of following these nuts, it ends with a flop!

[Oleksandr Zholud · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a space opera with political commentary. The author, Nancy Kress, was nominated for both Hugo and Nebula in 1994 for her Beggars in Spain novel, but I’m yet to read it. This is my first experience with author’s prose and it was an interesting and unusual experience. The latter maybe due to the fact that I mostly read modern (last 10 years) SFF from other publishers, and it seems their preferences (which now largely coincide with what works are nominated for Hugo/Nebula/Locus awards) are different from that of Baen.

The story is presented from several points of view, by people from three major factions. This is a universe of Eight worlds, which are connected by ten gates of unknown origin. One of the planets is Earth, which was left after 250 years ago the Gates were discovered, each bar one, next to earth-like planet. Earth has a destroyed environment plus had a global war, so it is down Iron age and not important.

There are three major political groups:
1. libertarian union of planets Rand and Galt (named after Ayn Rand and the protagonist of her novel Atlas Shrugged), headed (if this term is applicable to libertarians) by Landry Libertarian Alliance the commercial part of which is the Landry family’s Freedom Enterprises. Rachel Landry (almost 90 years old but on rejuvs that make her roughly 20 years younger in terms of health), CEO of Freedom Enterprises, is the grandmother of five daughters, each of which has a major stake – from heading the main university to a military fleet.
2. Corporation-state or a benevolent state-corporation of Peregoy family. Its head is Sloan Peregoy (also almost 90 years old), the CEO of Peregoy Corporation. His daughter Sophia and granddaughter SueLin as well as actual and potential marriage partners are major players
3. Polyglot world that initially allows everyone to come and therefore ended up with Earth like nation states and a loose equivalent of the UN
In each of the groups, the older generation assumes that their ideology is right, which is questioned by later generations, e.g.

A huge one in letters simulating red flames said GIVE US JOBS!

Rachel snorted. No one “gave” jobs. If you couldn’t find one, then start some sort of enterprise yourself.
Or
On Peregoy planets, everyone worked, everyone ate, everyone had medical care, everyone was educated… “You think you ‘took care’ of us so well, Director. Gave us work, housing, education, medical care. Well, you did. But you didn’t give us freedom, and that’s more important than anything else. My daughter wanted to become a doctor. The testing people said no, she’s better suited to be an engineer, we need engineers, blah blah blah. No way for her to even take the tests for medical school—‘Not on the approved list.’ She hates engineering school. Cries every night. Sometimes I’m afraid she’ll kill herself. You did that.”

Sloan didn’t say A girl who might kill herself wouldn’t have made a good doctor.

The story starts with Peregoy CEO getting info about a possible eleventh gate, which in turn is a plot of Landry youngest granddaughter, who is a bit psychically unhinged and in love with a guy from Polyglot. She wanted to unite different planets but actually started a war and the story is mostly about that war, attempts to stop it from escalation and internal unrest on both Libertarian Alliance and Peregoy Corporation as well as in their ruling families, which show that true path is neither of the extremes.

I liked the fact that unlike most more left-leaning SF both corporate state and libertarian are not portrayed as evil blood-suckers living on pain and misery or proletariat. I disliked a bit schematic and one-dimensional portrait of major characters and a simplistic way the future war may escalate.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 4.5

I’ve read a few books over the last years that play with different government systems: Infomocracy and the Just City come to mind. This is different in that two systems are contrasted: libertarianism and a benign dictatorship in the guise of a corporation. Each are doing well enough the first 100 years but the minuses start outweighing the pluses as the oldest statespeople are aging. This story could strike some people as didactic but I think the characters from both planets make it less so. The other part of the plot is a bit woo-woo hence the maybe 4.5 vs 4. Reminded me of when kim Stanley Robinson went a bit mystic in Blue Mars- not the plot but the woo-wooness. Anyway there is a mystical part that is wrapped in quantum physics that works to some extent.
But I did enjoy the story and the narrator of the audiobook was good.

[Andrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Simplistic to the point of being insulting

I kept thinking I was reading a book for middle schoolers except apparently its meant for adults. The plot, the science, the characters, the conflicts, the romance are all insufferably simplistic and naive in a bad way.

The main political conflict is a face off between the two possible futures of humanity- an economic libertarian hellhole and a brutal corporate totalitarian state. The level of understanding or examination of the glaring problems with both systems is non-existent. We don't ever see how people live and suffer in them, only the thoughts of the very most elite members of both societies lecturing us on the false benefits of libertarianism and totalitarianism.

By sheer page count, the next most important theme is an attempted connection between physics and the nature of consciousness. This is the scifi element of the novel but unfortunately is utterly hampered by total ignorance of everything from the scientific process to elementary school science. Concepts such as theory, evidence, experiment, momentum, velocity and time dilation are all simultaneously crucial to the plot and completely misunderstood by the author. You can't convincingly write about the quantum physical laws of a universal consciousness if you don't even grasp the physics of throwing a ball.

The treatment of history is somehow even more basic and incorrect than the author's understanding of physics. We are repeatedly bludgeoned over the head about having to learn lessons from history but there are never any parallels drawn to anything from human history, no themes or similarities examined.

The characters are flat and uninteresting, always being driven by the necessities of the plot rather than the other way around. We are privy to their thoughts but if you take a step back, you'd realize almost none of those are evident to outside observers (i.e. their actions almost never match up to what we are told they are thinking) and frequently they take logical leaps that are correct but completely nonsensical from the information they have. It's things like "no physicists understand how this works and I don't understand physics at all but the only explanation for this unique bizarre physical event could be \*insert totally insane that happens to be true\*."

The world is really bland and uninteresting. The action spans nine planets but there are actually only ever three room-sized locations that get any memorable description.

As an appropriate afterthought, the romance is definitely last and least important. I have never seen a less energetic or emotional buildup to a couple getting together. Then again that's somehow better than the attraction we do get described in the book which is just some guy so hot that multiple women just go crazy over him.

Overall the book has a lot of stuff in it and it all is handled in an insultingly simplistic way. It really has the level of detail and self-examination I would expect from an unremarkable book for 8-year-olds. The parts are all bad and the whole is still somehow worse than their sum.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually love Nancy Kress books, but not this one. The premise is that humans live in widely separated Earthlike worlds joined by ten stargates that provide instantaneous travel between the regions. Most worlds are controlled by one of the two main governments/empires, one corporate/totalitarian/welfare-state and one Libertarian. Each is headed by an elderly person who is almost ready to pass it on to their heirs, all of whom are granddaughters. But some of the granddaughters are looking unstable and unfit. I believe this situation is based on a myth or story (Greek? Roman? newer?), which is mentioned once but which I didn't get around to looking up.

The views of the two leaders, Sloane and Rachel, and their associates are caricatures of the two doctrines. A person would have to ignore a lot about human nature and actual events in their purview to be so single minded and literal. This put me off quite a bit, as it made people seem one dimensional. The result is the same for both governments: dissent that is turning into open revolt, suddenly now after hundreds of years of stability. (The dissenters are also caricatures.) Also, many of the characters seem to be defined by their pet causes or obsessions; as I said, one-dimensional.

Then there's Philip, the guy obsessed with consciousness mumbo jumbo quantum physics substratum of the universe. For references, there are about four names of physicists, three of which are from our recent history, and the "theory" apparently hasn't changed or evolved in the subsequent centuries.

So, one of the granddaughters discovers an eleventh gate, and unintentionally starts a war between the two empires, which makes everything worse for everyone. Sloane and Rachel both come to some realizations about their extreme governments and make moves to keep their crazy/rigid/genocidal/flaky grandchildren from screwing everything up even worse.

Once the book gets going, the action makes for pretty decent space opera. Two main players, one from each faction, are thrown together and try to fix the situation. And Philip...well...does some very unlikely things, which require major suspension of disbelief. I enjoyed the last hundred or so pages more than the earlier parts.

[Tim Hicks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I looked repeatedly to see if there was some mistake. Is this really a Kress? I gave An Alien Light and A rating and her short story book a B+.

Published in 2020? Because what I read before giving up could have been a Heinlein reject from 1965. And I've read a lot of that stuff. At least there isn't a lantern-jawed Manly Man captain with grey eyes (instead, one of the key families has green eyes; I don't know why brown-eyed people in SF even bother getting up in the morning.)

Okay. On yer left we have a caricature of libertarianism, run by a family of about 23 sisters, a couple of whom are crazy, and one of those is also an eight-year-old in an adult body. On yer right we have a caricature of corporatism, also run by a family of too many characters. Both face a crises as Dear Leader is aging out. Hello, King Lear. On both sides, the family has by sheer good fortune accumulated expertise and skill in every area required to run a planet.

In the middle, we have a laid-back planet of nice people (representing us, of course).

Off to the side, man, there's like Philip, who like wants to get his chakras aligned with his qi and do like out-of-body voyages. He's crazy handsome, which appears to be required only so that the hot female doctor can't resist ripping his clothes off, which he seems to view as his right and expectation anyway. Pfui.

All connected by a standard right-out-of-the-catalog gate system, with some two-way gates and some one-way endpoint gates.

The families clash, each acting according to their grotesque moral compasses. Phil experiments.

The author lost me when it became clear that Phil's meditations were bollixing the gates.

There wasn't a single character whose fate I cared about. At least 2/3 of them could have been yeeted into the sun and I would have cheered.

And I sure don't want to go into how the gates are, like, expressions of the oneness of everything, like through quantum connectivity, man.

Next, please.

[Ridel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eleven Categories

The Eleventh Gate misses the forest for the trees. The author has studiously researched consciousness theories and socioeconomic principles, creating two nations on extreme ends of the capitalist spectrum. But she knows nothing about leading an organization, state politics, or military warfare. It’s ridiculous then, to focus on two stellar superpowers dealing with conflicts foreign and domestic. Imagine a vegetarian master chef opening a pet store. Yes, the rabbits appreciate your salads, but what are you thinking?

Amateur flaws riddle the narrative: one-dimensional characters, inept info dumps that belong in Wikipedia, and literal deus ex machina. Most aggravating is a statistician-like categorization of every individual. People do not exist in The Eleventh Gate. They are Libertarian or Corporate, Authoritarian or Democratic. This stereotyping is as abhorrent as racism; the author’s stance is that one’s tribal membership dictates their personality and values. Citizens of Galt include train drivers debating the merits of charity for refugees, while those of Polyglot are prone to lengthy debate and a desire to hear every voice. The irony is that both the Corporatocracy and Libertarian states are actually Monarchies.

Much of the plot concerns the heads of state and their families. Leaders do everything in this universe; they audit the books of a multi-planet corporation, lead ambassadorial missions, and interrogate prisoners. Delegation is a foreign concept. The author even believes that a University Head would also be a leading virologist because research is synonymous with people management and organizational politics. The author spends much of The Eleventh Gate writing about governance, but she doesn’t understand the subject.

One might consider the novel a parody, were it not for the narrative tone. It’s desperately intellectual. It appeals to authorities and tells you what to think. It tries to establish every character as an expert, but only illustrates tremendous nepotism and the ineptitude of people in charge. Measured by page count, one would realize that the novel has nothing to do with star nations, military conflict, or explorations of consciousness. Instead, it’s a story about an elderly matriarch/patriarch struggling to connect with their extended family, out of touch with reality as the world changes beyond recognition.

Perhaps the author does understand the subject.

Not Recommended.

[Frank Hofer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Workable Societies?

It’s an entertaining space opera and I don’t regret reading it. I found the 2 main government systems not especially believable. A corporation as a government that didn’t destroy the planet through greed and didn’t treat employees as chattel because there was no one to stop them? Not buying it. A stable libertarian government that hasn’t made the planet unlivable through selfish exploitation within a generation and pours money into research for tech that doesn’t have an immediate benefit? Not likely.

Some of the technology solutions were basically hand waving. Need a new beam weapon? Call it a K Beam and move on. And don’t get me started about moving planetary defense weapons to a space ship. The thermal requirements, power requirements, mechanical and structural differences, and software interface issues alone make that solution unworkable.

Is the story a nice adventure you can spend time reading? Sure. Are there aspects of the story that will bother you if you stop and think about it? Definitely.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Violations of the laws of physics notwithstanding, there is a truly excellent reason to read this intriguing new exercise in space opera. It’s one of the best explorations I’ve ever come across in the genre about politics and political philosophy. (Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars trilogy offers much the same.) Oh, the book is about biowarfare, too, and some new-agey philosophy about how consciousness underpins all reality. But it’s the politics that shine. And in The Eleventh Gate award-winning science fiction author Nancy Kress excels in dramatizing the consequences of putting fully into practice two of the leading political philosophies of the early twenty-first century: libertarianism and the welfare state.

Civilization on Earth has died in this space opera

The Eleventh Gate is set a few hundred years in the future. Earth has long since become unlivable for all but a handful of primitive survivors. “Earth’s death agonies had been swift by extinction standards, but not instantaneous. It had taken four or five generations for desertification, biowarfare, rising oceans, and, finally, all-out war to kill Terran civilization.” But one hundred fifty years ago a small number of pioneers set out for the stars, taking advantage of the wormholes discovered near Earth-like planets across the galaxy. And now new human civilizations have sprung up on the Eight Worlds linked by those gates through the heavens. (Earth is counted as one of the eight.)

Two political philosophies contend for dominance

On three of the newly settled planets, the immensely wealthy Peregoy family rules over a corporate welfare state. Another three planets are governed by the superrich Landry family, which follows libertarian principles with religious zeal. The seventh planet more closely resembles old Earth, with twenty-six ethnically and linguistically diverse nations loosely collaborating in a planetwide Council of Nations akin to today’s UN.

The dichotomy between libertarianism and the authoritarian welfare state could not be more stark. On the Landry planets, inequality has run its course, demonstrating that unfettered capitalism will inevitably impoverish all but a handful of the very rich. (Don’t believe that? Read Piketty.) And where the Peregoys rule, and all basic needs are met by the state, millions have fallen prey to welfare dependency. The contrast is overdrawn, but the point is made.

On both the Landry planets and those run by the Peregoys, dissent has been on the rise for some time. The Landrys adamantly refuse to help those who are out of work in a society where precious few new jobs are created. And people living under the Peregoys have come to take for granted all the benefits the state confers on them—and they resent the loss of any ability to make the critical decisions that affect their lives. Both systems are on shaky ground as a result. Now, what happens when the Peregoys and the Landrys go to war? There is no better way to impose stress on a political system than to demand that people who already feel victimized by their government must sacrifice to support a war. And that’s the tale Nancy Kress tells so colorfully in this inventive if flawed space opera.

Now, about that spacey New Age philosophy

Since the days of live Greek theater, storytellers who write themselves into a box have solved seemingly unsolvable problems with a device called deus ex machina. Out of the blue, they introduce a god or supernatural being who can—miraculously!—fix everything. Now, in The Eleventh Gate, the deus ex machina doesn’t come out of the blue. We’ve been forewarned, in a sense, with frequent references to ruminations by philosophers and physicists such as Arthur Eddington, who speculated that “the stuff of the world is mind-stuff” and “the substratum of everything is of mental character.” But what Kress does with this line of thinking is . . . you got it . . . to create a god. I shun fantasy to avoid this sort of thing, and I could have done without it here.

And about those laws of physics

There’s a problem with space opera. A big one. The genre works only because science fiction authors imagine spaceships slipping rapidly through such theoretical devices as wormholes or “gates,” traveling from one distant planet to another. And those planets are often located tens or hundreds of light-years apart. Fair enough, I suppose. The genre asks us to suspend disbelief. But I find it strains credulity in the extreme for me to believe that a wormhole, or any other literary device, could so cavalierly challenge the laws of physics.

Assume, if you will, that such wormholes exist and work in the fashion that sci-fi writers presume. Now ask yourself, how much time would elapse if people traveled a distance of one hundred light-years? Well, for them, virtually none, presumably. Writers tend to assume that travel through a wormhole is instantaneous. But for the people they leave behind? Surely, a hundred years. Or, at least that’s how I’m forced to understand Albert Einstein’s concept of time dilation. Admittedly, I don’t know that’s what would happen—but nobody knows. And how often do we space opera fans read about that?

If the Empress back in the Brobdignagian Empire was fifty years old when a spaceship departed, chances are slim she’d still be on the throne two hundred years later when that spaceship returned. So, if you’re looking for a realistic depiction of time dilation, skip most of the genre and check out instead Joe Haldeman’s brilliant classic, The Forever War. There’s a very good reason to read Nancy Kress’ latest venture into space opera, as I’ve explained, but not that.

About the author

Nancy Kress has been writing science fiction and fantasy since 1976. Her breakthrough came in 1991, when she won the Hugo and Nebula Awards for her novella, Beggars in Spain. Kress’ published work includes more than thirty novels and ten collections of short stories. She has won the Nebula six times, the Hugo Award twice, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. Kress lives in Seattle with her husband, a fellow author.

[Susan Welch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this one. The two warring factions were both so short sighted and foolish they were basically caricatures of their respective political positions, and war started and continued in a very sitcom version of politics. Probably this is a critique of the foolishness of war and of certain extreme positions, but it felt clunky and frustrating. There was a lot of talking and political maneuvering and not so much with the action or examination of the interesting metaphysical themes that could have done with more attention. Sympathetic characters do emerge and take action, and some of the characters that start out ridiculous do wise up a bit, and it has an interesting ending, but overall it wasn't the exciting space opera I was hoping for.

[Samuel Lubell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really good space opera with a mix of politics and action. It also features older characters (old enough to have grandchildren) in the leading roles. My review is at http://www.sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.p...

[Daryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent story and concepts but the swearing in the book kept me from truly being engaged.

[Rain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic traditional space opera, plot-driven with a few interesting twists. World-building done well enough despite some implausible plot devices, but the characters were hard to like. Too many mentally ill ones for a start. Overall, an enjoyable light-weight summer read.

[Joe Karpierz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Kress has been busy, with two books out in 2020, starting with novella "Sea Change" from Tachyon Publications and then "THE ELEVENTH GATE" from Baen Books and Blackstone Publishing. "THE ELEVENTH GATE" is a different book from "Sea Change", being a space opera full of all the things one expects from a space opera, while "Sea Change" was grounded on Earth. Still, both books bear the unmistakable mark of being books by Nancy Kress, as we'll see shortly.

Humanity has spread to the stars via ten gates that provide access to eight habitable worlds. Eager to leave the home planet behind, as it has been destroyed by war and ecological disasters, the colonists and their descendants form three distinct political and economic factions: the Peregoy Corporation is as it sounds, run by an autocratic CEO named Sloan; the Landry Libertarian Alliance, and Polyglot, which most resembles earth with its individual nations and economies and no one ruling body.

That's the background. The story really begins when Tara Landry, granddaughter of the head of the LLA (for short), discovers an eleventh gate. Tara hatches a plan to bring peace to the Eight Worlds, but instead ends up starting a war between LLA and the Peregoy Corporation. Complicating matters is one Philip Anderson, a physicist and philosopher - there's a combination I'm not sure we see all that often any more - whom Tara is infatuated with and who doesn't return the feelings. He's interested in a higher level of consciousness, one that no one has reached before. Anderson's disappearance after he passes through the Eleventh Gate and lands on the planet behind it drives Tara to the brink. What happens to Anderson is the land of spoilers; suffice it to say that he plays a large part of the story ahead.

Both Landry and Peregoy have family problems within the power structures of their respective worlds. Rachel Landry, leader of the LLA, not only has to deal with Tara, but her granddaughter Jane who is hell bent on bringing the war to an end with a biological weapon that could wipe out most of civilization, while Sloan has to deal with his own daughter who is taking the corporation right out from underneath him with some policies that are very unlike the ones Sloan believes in.

Maybe policies isn't the right word. Maybe philosophies is a better word. All three factions believe in their own way of thinking more than anything else, with no room for compromise. The Landries and the Peregoys are constantly critical of the other, wondering how "those people" could survive in the world they do. And while Sloan does eventually try to change his way of thinking, his daughter Sofia goes on with the way things have always been.

This novel has all the classic things you'd expect in a Kress novel: family politics, biological science - in this case the bio warfare that is being waged by Jane Landry, and how it all affects humanity. There are space battles, peace conferences, and politics, all the things you'd expect in a space opera. Yes, there are aliens, and they play a very subtle but powerful role in the story, and they're not there for very long - blink and you miss them. All in all, THE ELEVENTH GATE is a very solid and
enjoyable effort from Kress, and one that I believe is worthy your time.

Braden Wright is like a good umpire in a major league baseball game. You don't notice that he's there until he does something wrong. And that's good enough. Wright does nothing to make his narration stand out, nor does he do anything jarring to take the listener out of the story. He does the job he was brought in to do, and he does it well enough.

[Fabio R. Crespi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy Kress è un'autrice che rientra nel mio giro degli affidabili, ma stavolta "L'undicesimo portale" ("The Eleventh Gate", 2020; Urania Mondadori 2023; trad. di Alessandro Vezzoli) mi ha lasciato un po' perplesso.
La storia ci sta tutta: si tratta di hard sf dal buon ritmo, ambientata su diversi pianeti e nello spazio profondo.

"Nell'universo non c'è nulla di statico"
Sono i particolari di contorno che mi hanno lasciato un po' freddo. Intanto le due diverse società sotto il controllo di due aziende (familiari) proprietarie di pianeti, che si fronteggiano a suon di diverse interpretazioni del capitalismo, sembrano solo abbozzate. Entrambe arrivano contemporaneamente, mezzo millennio dopo la diaspora da una Terra letteralmente consumata dai propri abitanti, ad avere delle crisi interne, sia dal punto di vista del malcontento diffuso tra le cittadinanza, sia dal punto di vista delle proprie organizzazioni. E la crisi manageriale ha più rilevanza, nella storia, rispetto al malcontento civile causato dalla non sostenibilità dei modelli capitalistici a fronte della scarsità di risorse.

"La stoffa del mondo è una stoffa mentale".
Il secondo fattore di perplessità è la fusione di un essere umano con "il campo della coscienza cosmica". Ci si va ad adagiare nella fisica quantistica per includere un'idea fideistica del mondo del reale: su questo "piano" di coscienza vengono accomodati gli alieni che stavano in prossimità dell'undicesimo portale (i portali, che consentono di viaggiare tra i mondi, sono tecnologia aliena) e una trasformazione post-umanista che parte dalla meditazione per arrivare alla trasfigurazione, passando per il potenziamento cerebrale. Diciamo che siamo un po' troppo contigui alla Forza, per i miei gusti.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

NEW SPACE OPERA FROM MULTIPLE NEBULA- AND HUGO-WINNING AUTHOR NANCY KRESSWHAT LIES BEYOND THE ELEVENTH GATE . . . Despite economic and territorial tensions, no one wants the city-states of the Eight Worlds to repeat the Terran Collapse by going to war. But when war accidentally happens, everyone seeks ways to exploit it for gain. The Landry and Peregoy ruling dynasties see opportunities to grab territory, increase profits, and settle old scores. Exploited underclasses use war to fuel rebellion. Ambitious heirs can finally topple their elders’ regimes—or try to. But the unexpected key to either victory or peace lies with two persons uninterested in conquest, profits, or power. Philip Anderson seeks only the transcendent meaning of the physics underlying the universe. Tara Landry, spoiled and defiant youngest granddaughter of dynasty head Rachel Landry, accidentally discovers an eleventh stargate, with a fabulous find on the planet behind it. Her discovery, and Philip’s use of it, alter everything for the Eight Worlds. About The Eleventh Gate: "Warring families and philosophies drive this complex science fiction thriller from Hugo and Nebula award-winner Kress (Sea Change.)...This swift, political story proves a rip-roaring diversion." —Publishers Weekly About Nancy Kress: "Nancy Kress at her very best . . . A first-contact novel like no other."—Greg Bear on Tomorrow's Kin "It's a rare and desirable hybrid: a literary, military, hard-SF novel."—Amazon.com on Probability Moon “Nancy Kress is one of the best science-fiction writers working today."—Kim Stanley Robinson

[Yupa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Scheletro senza carne

Libro che sembra scritto di gran fretta, come se l'autrice avesse buttato giù la trama e poi gliel'avessero pubblicata così com'è, senza aggiungere quel che dovrebbe farne un romanzo. Il risultato è uno scheletro senza carne. I personaggi si muovono, si spostano, parlano (parlano tanto), le astronavi vagano da un posto all'altro della galassia nell'arco di qualche paragrafo, ogni tanto sparacchiano, atterrano sui pianeti e sùbito ripartono, ci sono manufatti alieni di cui non ci viene detto quasi niente, poi qualcuno come niente fosse diventa una sorta di coscienza cosmica, e via così. Tutto succede troppo facilmente, troppo velocemente. I personaggi non hanno sviluppo e le ambientazioni restano sottili come un foglio di carta, quando ci sono. Non c'è la possibilità di assaporare nulla.
È un peccato, perché l'autrice in altri casi ha dimostrato ben altre capacità, e avrebbe anche potuto e dovuto mobilitarle considerata anche l'ambizione da cui questo libro parte. E invece sembra un libro di fantascienza scritto molti decennî addietro, quando il pubblico era meno esigente. Forse oggi ci meritiamo di meglio.

[Matthew Schiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting novel that I enjoyed and would recommend to sci-fi readers. There were a lot of concepts utilizing quantum physics that I have read about in other works and felt like I sort of understood what they were talking about and going for but I fully admit that I struggled to understand what was going on with Phillip Anderson’s character. Once I suspended my disbelief however and just said ok this is happening I was ok with it, it’s science fiction after all. I feel like each character or family could have multiple books dedicated to them and maybe the author intends to return to this world which I would like as I feel almost cheated about how short a time we spend with them. Maybe would have liked to see more time spent developing some of the characters but other than that really enjoyed the novel and look forward to more.

[Henry Lazarus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy Kress’s future settled eight worlds are linked by ten naturally occurring gates. Three of the eight worlds are controlled by the autocratic Peregoy family; three by the libertarian Landry family. The discovery of The Eleventh Gate (Hard from Baen) sets up a war in which one family is willing to use biologic weapons. Phillip Anderson has been on a quest, and even undergoes surgery, to deepen his meditation, not realizing that his really deep meditations shut down the gates. There’s too many interesting ideas here to coalesce into one theme. I can only hope that sequels are coming. Interesting.Review printed by Philadelphia Free Press

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This space opera pits a Libertarian world against a corporatist one, with interesting results to both. There's also a plotline that involves the interaction of physics and human consciousness, with universe-shaking results.

As with all Nancy Kress books, the science seems very plausible (if unlikely in the case of the physics/consciousness element), and the interpersonal dilemmas feel realistic, especially the family disputes. The consciousness theme reminded me of one of her earlier books, 'Steal Across the Sky', but with a different approach to a form of consciousness Beyond Our Knowledge.

[Kay Prell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I never actually connected with any of the characters, I did complete the book, and am interested enough that I'll probably read the sequels. Is this part of just expecting a Nancy Kress novel to be absorbing and thought provoking?

I did find the previous gate novels somewhat more engaging and would recommend reading them before trying this one.

I just keep hoping Kress will come up with another Beggars in Spain quality novel or series (even though the second and third books there went off the rails, it was at least entertaining; and I did feel invested in the characters).

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Kress is a new author to me however I shall be keeping an eye out for other books by her. Good story, well worth reading. Actually, given some of the recent books I have read, this has been a pleasure to read - a decent story, good writing, character development, mix of politics and conflict. The politics is fairly black and white, with some treachery thrown in; basically nothing near as delightful as politics by Jerry Pournelle, but good enough to suit the story.

[kvon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for fun space adventure, this was two warring political factions--corporate dictator (you work for us, we provide for you) vs hereditary capitalist libertarian (no handouts, you orphaned refugeees just need to get a job) that were pretty ludicrously drawn. Mentally ill characters. People doing dumb things for their family succession. I got about 1/2 of the way through it and skipped around to the end. I've liked other stuff by this author, I'm not sure what's going on here.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read a Nancy Kress book in high school, and wrote her a fan letter to which she responded. So she holds a very soft spot in my nerdy sci-fi heart, and though I've not kept up with her work much, I'm very glad to have read this one.

Some of the characters were a bit one-note, but the premise was well thought out and the plot held my interest. I finished it while walking to work--couldn't put it down.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The set up seemed too long to me, the choreography of the space battles ignores rules of physics, and like other reviewers I thought the literal deus ex machina solution at the climax was lazy. Still, once things got going, an OK space opera, decently paced, not entirely cast with cardboard characters, suspenseful, and best of all, a standalone.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid world-building and extrapolation, as usual, from Kress. My issue here is tissue-thin characters and motivations. This saga of world-shakers, social injustice, and political intrigue delivers a tense, plot-driven story that feels like the start of a solid adventure series.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is typical Nancy Kress as in nothing in the plot is typical. What starts as an accident war moves on to follow different characters as some try to win and some try to stop the coming action Interesting concepts, a different conclusion and a hard to put down story.

[M.E. Garber · Rating 4 out of 5]

More wonderful Kress mingling of worlds-altering events with personal ethics and interpersonal relations. The Black-and-White of world-spanning politics shown to be shades of gray all along, something Kress does masterfully and with great drama and storytelling flair.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story although some of the main characters are a bit strange and manipulative. The plot itself is good but the tone is a bit flat which weakens the uniqueness of the story line. And Phillip is just beyond understanding.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just what I needed after wrestling with two difficult books in the Hogarth Shakespeare series. I can always count on Kress to tell a good story. This one is space opera infused with quantum philosophy, historical allusions, politically-conflicted characters, and even a bit of romance. Great fun!