Thoughtworld

by Terry Greenhough

Thoughtworld is an artificial planetoid placed in the emptiest sector of space. Its purpose is to test a theory known as Tynar's Hypothesis - that thought, being affected adversely by gravity, should prove feer and clearer in conditions of minimal gravity, or, better still, no gravity at all. On Thoughtworld the best brains are gathered together to work on the major problems affecting the universe.
Someone or something is trying to destroy Thoughtworld and all it represents. The planetoid must survive for the good of all - it is a race against time.

Cover Illustration: Tim White

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

Paperback

Published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this little Sci-Fi novel. It's basically a detective-in-space. The space station/artificial planet 'Thoughtworld' witnesses repeated minor acts of sabotage. In searching for the culprit, an entire web of intrigue and political rivalries are uncovered. Despite it being only some 150 pages long, it's not a simple and straightforward whodunnit. The story features complex relationships between the crew members, between the day-to-day running of Thoughtworld and the various overarching governments that finance the project.
Despite its age (first published in 1977) it rarely feels dated. The book is rather short but the story and characters all feel well developed. In this small number of pages, the author manages very well to make his complex world, with a complex political system, seem real. While many parts could have been more elaborately written out (I would not mind getting some more background on, for example, the Thirteen, the Confed or the Empire…), it never feels like the story is under-developped. Some, mostly descriptive scenes seem to be a bit too long, compared to the overall length of the book.
One point of criticism would be that the whole story has some lingering Judeo-Christian religion and morality. This seems somewhat 20th century earth-centered for a story that plays in a space and time where empires span several galaxies and humans live alongside alien species.
As a personal appreciation, I completely plunged into the Thoughtworld-universe. It felt like a thousand-page immersive sci-fi saga, but with the speed and fluidity of a short story. A nice and refreshing combination that I would definitely recommend.

[Brian Long · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately the worst book I’ve ever read, but you know what. At least it makes you appreciate good work. It puts me in a bad mood just thinking about how poorly it was written. But it has a lot of heart and it makes me lol. Dizzy Dave omg. Sorry to this man who wrote it xxx