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Objectif Pollux
Il avait fallu des milliers de tonnes de métal pour construire ce gigantesque œuf d'acier qui fonçait depuis trois cents ans à travers l'espace. Il avait fallu le génie de centaines et de centaines d'ingénieurs et de savants pour recréer à bord du prodigieux spacionef toutes les conditions indispensables à la vie.
Il avait fallu trouver cinq mille volontaires pour habiter ce monde étrange. Cinq mille êtres humains qui acceptent de vivre, de procréer et de mourir entre les frontières de ce monstre d'acier. Tous ces sacrifices n'avaient-ils pas été faits en vain ?
Le Vaisseau aborderait-il un jour les rivages de Pollux ?
C'étaient les questions que se posaient avec angoisse les membres de la plus fantastique expédition de tous les temps.
Il avait fallu trouver cinq mille volontaires pour habiter ce monde étrange. Cinq mille êtres humains qui acceptent de vivre, de procréer et de mourir entre les frontières de ce monstre d'acier. Tous ces sacrifices n'avaient-ils pas été faits en vain ?
Le Vaisseau aborderait-il un jour les rivages de Pollux ?
C'étaient les questions que se posaient avec angoisse les membres de la plus fantastique expédition de tous les temps.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
91 people want to read
About the author
E.C. Tubb
382 books85 followersEdwin Charles Tubb was a writer of science fiction, fantasy and western novels. He published over 140 novels and 230 short stories and novellas, and is best known for The Dumarest Saga (US collective title: Dumarest of Terra) an epic science-fiction saga set in the far future.
Much of Tubb's work has been written under pseudonyms including Gregory Kern, Carl Maddox, Alan Guthrie, Eric Storm and George Holt. He has used 58 pen names over five decades of writing although some of these were publishers' house names also used by other writers: Volsted Gridban (along with John Russell Fearn), Gill Hunt (with John Brunner and Dennis Hughes), King Lang (with George Hay and John W Jennison), Roy Sheldon (with H. J. Campbell) and Brian Shaw. Tubb's Charles Grey alias was solely his own and acquired a big following in the early 1950s.
An avid reader of pulp science-fiction and fantasy in his youth, Tubb found that he had a particular talent as a writer of stories in that genre when his short story 'No Short Cuts' was published in New Worlds magazine in 1951. He opted for a full-time career as a writer and soon became renowned for the speed and diversity of his output.
Tubb contributed to many of the science fiction magazines of the 1950s including Futuristic Science Stories, Science Fantasy, Nebula and Galaxy Science Fiction. He contributed heavily to Authentic Science Fiction editing the magazine for nearly two years, from February 1956 until it folded in October 1957. During this time, he found it so difficult to find good writers to contribute to the magazine, that he often wrote most of the stories himself under a variety of pseudonyms: one issue of Authentic was written entirely by Tubb, including the letters column.
His main work in the science fiction genre, the Dumarest series, appeared from 1967 to 1985, with two final volumes in 1997 and 2008. His second major series, the Cap Kennedy series, was written from 1973 to 1983.
In recent years Tubb updated many of his 1950s science fiction novels for 21st century readers.
Tubb was one of the co-founders of the British Science Fiction Association.
Much of Tubb's work has been written under pseudonyms including Gregory Kern, Carl Maddox, Alan Guthrie, Eric Storm and George Holt. He has used 58 pen names over five decades of writing although some of these were publishers' house names also used by other writers: Volsted Gridban (along with John Russell Fearn), Gill Hunt (with John Brunner and Dennis Hughes), King Lang (with George Hay and John W Jennison), Roy Sheldon (with H. J. Campbell) and Brian Shaw. Tubb's Charles Grey alias was solely his own and acquired a big following in the early 1950s.
An avid reader of pulp science-fiction and fantasy in his youth, Tubb found that he had a particular talent as a writer of stories in that genre when his short story 'No Short Cuts' was published in New Worlds magazine in 1951. He opted for a full-time career as a writer and soon became renowned for the speed and diversity of his output.
Tubb contributed to many of the science fiction magazines of the 1950s including Futuristic Science Stories, Science Fantasy, Nebula and Galaxy Science Fiction. He contributed heavily to Authentic Science Fiction editing the magazine for nearly two years, from February 1956 until it folded in October 1957. During this time, he found it so difficult to find good writers to contribute to the magazine, that he often wrote most of the stories himself under a variety of pseudonyms: one issue of Authentic was written entirely by Tubb, including the letters column.
His main work in the science fiction genre, the Dumarest series, appeared from 1967 to 1985, with two final volumes in 1997 and 2008. His second major series, the Cap Kennedy series, was written from 1973 to 1983.
In recent years Tubb updated many of his 1950s science fiction novels for 21st century readers.
Tubb was one of the co-founders of the British Science Fiction Association.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 7, 2011
This is really like stepping onto another planet: "She was annoyed with him for changing the subject and, woman-like, annoyed too that he hadn't found her attractions irresistible to logic and good sense." AND "She didn't really believe that he was guilty of the crime, however much outraged feminine pride had made her accuse him."
E.C.Tubb writes as if he were a hulking, steroidal rogue --- his picture on Wikipedia shows a somewhat different profile.
Anyway, aside from entering a different mind-set regarding gender, The Space-Born was a pretty good read.
E.C.Tubb writes as if he were a hulking, steroidal rogue --- his picture on Wikipedia shows a somewhat different profile.
Anyway, aside from entering a different mind-set regarding gender, The Space-Born was a pretty good read.
June 9, 2022
The Space-Born by E. C. Tubb
The volume is undated, though it notes that the novel was first published in 1956 by Ace books, and is copyright A. A. Wyu, Inc., which should be A. A. Wyn, I think.
This is typical 50s SF adventure. A generation starship is inhabited by a manufactured society, designed by the people who sent if off. People are educated to believe that 40 is old -- and so they should not be shocked if 40-year-old people happen to tend to die, when in fact it is a secret police unit that is killing them. Why? Because we need a population of vibrant, young people, and we need rapid turnover to allow continual breeding.
This is an adventure novel. Fights, betrayals, romances, escapes, ambitious underlings; they all jostle through the book. Is it great literature? No. The writing is suited to the goal -- fast-paced action, no purple prose, existential agonising or poetic descriptions.
Is it a good book? Well, the characterisation is minimal, stereotypes abound, women have little agency and are talked down to -- in short, it is a typical sci-fi novel of the 50s, and typical of the ones that are long forgotten. Obviously it is a bit dated insome many ways, but I was in the mood for an easy read, something I did not have to ponder over or puzzle out, and I got it. Probably best not to think too hard about whether the society posited would really function, best to allow the plot, which is what the book is all about, to carry you along and drop you out at the much-as-we-might-have-expected ending.
Because this book is really fodder, meant to be read, enjoyed and replaced with another, similar one, it is good that it is relatively brief. You'll have a pretty good idea of the broad outlines of how it is going to be resolved by the time the pieces are all on the board, so you don't want to have to plough through 300 more pages when you know (more or less, especially if you make the mistake of reading the back cover and inside blurb) what's going to happen -- but 50 more is fine.
What can I say? Not a 'great book', but it suited me at the time of reading.
Tale of a Tubb.
The volume is undated, though it notes that the novel was first published in 1956 by Ace books, and is copyright A. A. Wyu, Inc., which should be A. A. Wyn, I think.
This is typical 50s SF adventure. A generation starship is inhabited by a manufactured society, designed by the people who sent if off. People are educated to believe that 40 is old -- and so they should not be shocked if 40-year-old people happen to tend to die, when in fact it is a secret police unit that is killing them. Why? Because we need a population of vibrant, young people, and we need rapid turnover to allow continual breeding.
This is an adventure novel. Fights, betrayals, romances, escapes, ambitious underlings; they all jostle through the book. Is it great literature? No. The writing is suited to the goal -- fast-paced action, no purple prose, existential agonising or poetic descriptions.
Is it a good book? Well, the characterisation is minimal, stereotypes abound, women have little agency and are talked down to -- in short, it is a typical sci-fi novel of the 50s, and typical of the ones that are long forgotten. Obviously it is a bit dated in
Because this book is really fodder, meant to be read, enjoyed and replaced with another, similar one, it is good that it is relatively brief. You'll have a pretty good idea of the broad outlines of how it is going to be resolved by the time the pieces are all on the board, so you don't want to have to plough through 300 more pages when you know (more or less, especially if you make the mistake of reading the back cover and inside blurb) what's going to happen -- but 50 more is fine.
What can I say? Not a 'great book', but it suited me at the time of reading.
Tale of a Tubb.
December 23, 2024
Foram necessários muitos milhares de toneladas de metais e outros materiais para construir a nave ovóide gigantesca que desde há 300 anos atravessava o espaço a uma velocidade sub-lumínica rumo à estrela Pollux situada a 32 anos-luz da Terra. Ao fim de dezasseis gerações, os descendentes dos cinco mil voluntários que constituíam a tripulação inicial da nave tinham criado uma sociedade totalitária tão despótica quanto estranha cujos membros acabaram por esquecer o objectivo da viagem e o próprio facto de se encontrarem numa nave espacial. Um mundo autónomo, voltado sobre si próprio, e inteiramente submetido ao jugo das leis imutáveis dos Construtores: a conservação e reciclagem de todos os materiais e a liquidação imediata, embora camuflada, de todos os membros da tripulação ao atingirem os 40 anos de idade.
Jay é um tripulante diligente e um executante zeloso dessas leis. No entanto, uma missão de aparente rotina, vai arrastá-lo para uma aventura extraordinária e aterradora. Lançado numa perseguição implacável vai mudar radicalmente a sua vida e a vida de todos os outros ocupantes da nave. A nave acaba por atingir o sistema estelar de Pollux e Jay é designado para suceder ao comandante da nave. A cotejar com "Universo Cativo" de Harry Harrison
Jay é um tripulante diligente e um executante zeloso dessas leis. No entanto, uma missão de aparente rotina, vai arrastá-lo para uma aventura extraordinária e aterradora. Lançado numa perseguição implacável vai mudar radicalmente a sua vida e a vida de todos os outros ocupantes da nave. A nave acaba por atingir o sistema estelar de Pollux e Jay é designado para suceder ao comandante da nave. A cotejar com "Universo Cativo" de Harry Harrison
July 11, 2020
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"Almost the surprise of the year! E. C. Tubb’s The Space-Born (variant title: Star Ship) (1955) first appeared as a serial in New Worlds (April, May, and June 1955 issues). For American audiences, Tubb’s novel was paired with Philip K. Dick’s The Man Who Japed (1956) as an Ace Double. My only previous exposure to the prolific British author’s SF was “The Seekers” (1965), a paranoid vision of spacemen possessed by delusions of grandeur after their captain’s death. The Space-Born is a fascinating generation ship novel with a catastrophic flaw.
While a routine adventure story at heart, The Space-Born presents a disturbing dystopic vision of life [...]"
"Almost the surprise of the year! E. C. Tubb’s The Space-Born (variant title: Star Ship) (1955) first appeared as a serial in New Worlds (April, May, and June 1955 issues). For American audiences, Tubb’s novel was paired with Philip K. Dick’s The Man Who Japed (1956) as an Ace Double. My only previous exposure to the prolific British author’s SF was “The Seekers” (1965), a paranoid vision of spacemen possessed by delusions of grandeur after their captain’s death. The Space-Born is a fascinating generation ship novel with a catastrophic flaw.
While a routine adventure story at heart, The Space-Born presents a disturbing dystopic vision of life [...]"
November 19, 2019
Gelesen als Kinder des Weltalls
Der folgende Text stammt von der deutschen Neuausgabe Die Sterngeborenen und eignet sich perfekt als Zusammenfassung.
Jay West ist ein Polizist besonderer Art: Auf einem Generationenraumschiff, das seit endloser Zeit durch das All zieht, eliminiert er jeden, der älter als 40 Jahre alt wird. Doch das System droht zu kippen, als immer mehr Besatzungsmitglieder sich der Exekution entziehen und auch Männer der Schiffsführung versuchen, dem Ende zu entkommen. Als der Vater seiner Verlobten auf der Todesliste erscheint, muss Jay eine schwierige Entscheidung treffen ...
Ein Roman über ein Generationenraumschiff, wie es noch viele gibt, mit dem Unterschied das für einmal seine Besatzung nicht zu Jägern und Sammlern degeneriert ist (siehe z. B. hier Non-Stop ). Alles in allem ein guter Roman.
Der folgende Text stammt von der deutschen Neuausgabe Die Sterngeborenen und eignet sich perfekt als Zusammenfassung.
Jay West ist ein Polizist besonderer Art: Auf einem Generationenraumschiff, das seit endloser Zeit durch das All zieht, eliminiert er jeden, der älter als 40 Jahre alt wird. Doch das System droht zu kippen, als immer mehr Besatzungsmitglieder sich der Exekution entziehen und auch Männer der Schiffsführung versuchen, dem Ende zu entkommen. Als der Vater seiner Verlobten auf der Todesliste erscheint, muss Jay eine schwierige Entscheidung treffen ...
Ein Roman über ein Generationenraumschiff, wie es noch viele gibt, mit dem Unterschied das für einmal seine Besatzung nicht zu Jägern und Sammlern degeneriert ist (siehe z. B. hier Non-Stop ). Alles in allem ein guter Roman.
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February 25, 2013Loved it.. and even being a tad out of date tech wise the story is in fact not only relevant but should be seen as a possible outlook to what we shall be facing soon.
read it
read it
October 17, 2014
Loved this book, quick read but a good pace.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews