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The Sudden Star
Insanity was rampant…Rape and murder was as common as suicide. Medical help was allowed only for certain diseases, and disobedience incurred the worst of punishments. Ever since the sudden appearance of the white hole over Earth in the year 2000, society had decayed—and now only the corrupt survived.
Dr. Simon Negron knew the odds were against him, but he dared to defy the medical code. His 'crime': giving insulin to a diabetic. And because of it he became a fugitive…a hunted outlaw with only a teenaged prostitute and a gang youth for allies…a haunted man running for his life in a nightmare world of increasing madness…a desperate human being who would dare to take a stand against the evil domination of THE SUDDEN STAR.
Dr. Simon Negron knew the odds were against him, but he dared to defy the medical code. His 'crime': giving insulin to a diabetic. And because of it he became a fugitive…a hunted outlaw with only a teenaged prostitute and a gang youth for allies…a haunted man running for his life in a nightmare world of increasing madness…a desperate human being who would dare to take a stand against the evil domination of THE SUDDEN STAR.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
285 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
5 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Pamela Sargent
161 books207 followersPamela Sargent has won the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and has been a finalist for the Hugo Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and the Sidewise Award for alternate history. In 2012, she was honored with the Pilgrim Award by the Science Fiction Research Association for lifetime achievement in science fiction scholarship. She is the author of the novels Cloned Lives, The Sudden Star, Watchstar, The Golden Space, The Alien Upstairs, Eye of the Comet, Homesmind, Alien Child, The Shore of Women, Venus of Dreams, Venus of Shadows, Child of Venus, Climb the Wind, and Ruler of the Sky. Her most recent short story collection is Thumbprints, published by Golden Gryphon Press, with an introduction by James Morrow. The Washington Post Book World has called her “one of the genre's best writers.”
In the 1970s, she edited the Women of Wonder series, the first collections of science fiction by women; her other anthologies include Bio-Futures and, with British writer Ian Watson as co-editor, Afterlives. Two anthologies, Women of Wonder, The Classic Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1940s to the 1970s and Women of Wonder, The Contemporary Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1970s to the 1990s, were published by Harcourt Brace in 1995; Publishers Weekly called these two books “essential reading for any serious sf fan.” Her most recent anthology is Conqueror Fantastic, out from DAW Books in 2004. Tor Books reissued her 1983 young adult novel Earthseed, selected as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and a sequel, Farseed, in early 2007. A third volume, Seed Seeker, was published in November of 2010 by Tor. Earthseed has been optioned by Paramount Pictures, with Melissa Rosenberg, scriptwriter for all of the Twilight films, writing the script and producing through her Tall Girls Productions.
A collection, Puss in D.C. and Other Stories, is out; her novel Season of the Cats is out in hardcover and will be available in paperback from Wildside Press. The Shore of Women has been optioned for development as a TV series by Super Deluxe Films, part of Turner Broadcasting.
Pamela Sargent lives in Albany, New York.
In the 1970s, she edited the Women of Wonder series, the first collections of science fiction by women; her other anthologies include Bio-Futures and, with British writer Ian Watson as co-editor, Afterlives. Two anthologies, Women of Wonder, The Classic Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1940s to the 1970s and Women of Wonder, The Contemporary Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1970s to the 1990s, were published by Harcourt Brace in 1995; Publishers Weekly called these two books “essential reading for any serious sf fan.” Her most recent anthology is Conqueror Fantastic, out from DAW Books in 2004. Tor Books reissued her 1983 young adult novel Earthseed, selected as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and a sequel, Farseed, in early 2007. A third volume, Seed Seeker, was published in November of 2010 by Tor. Earthseed has been optioned by Paramount Pictures, with Melissa Rosenberg, scriptwriter for all of the Twilight films, writing the script and producing through her Tall Girls Productions.
A collection, Puss in D.C. and Other Stories, is out; her novel Season of the Cats is out in hardcover and will be available in paperback from Wildside Press. The Shore of Women has been optioned for development as a TV series by Super Deluxe Films, part of Turner Broadcasting.
Pamela Sargent lives in Albany, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 9, 2022
The Sudden Star / Pamela Sargent / 1979
Old dystopian stories are a favorite of mine. This one doesn't live up to my expectations though. Dr. Simon Negron is arrested for practicing medicine illegally, that is he was treating patients whose diseases are on the list of "do not treat" conditions. Simon might have been doing a good thing, but he was doing it for all the wrong reasons. He's no hero, he's an opportunist in a degraded world full of mostly awful, rotten humans. He charged handsomely for his services, the only patients able to afford their medicines are crime lords and corrupt rich people.
In the year 2000 a "white hole" opened up over the earth. It was so bright it could be seen even in the middle of the day. Scientists called it Mura's Star, and as soon as it showed up terrible things began happening. Humans became violent. Murder, rape and horrible behaviors became the norm. Only two classes of people exist, the very rich and the very, very poor. Technology has fallen by the wayside, the Army and the Police are corrupt.
The author may have intentionally created all the characters to be unlikeable, with few to no redeemable qualities. Many characters are introduced so we see how horrible their lives are and they're killed off within the same chapter. Many of the characters have Mura's Syndrome, an ailment that causes horrific migraines and eventually madness and death. The disease is blamed on the appearance of the star. Spoiler alert: it wasn't the star at all but a bio-weapon that escaped a government laboratory and spread thru the world. The plot meanders aimlessly for a few years while disease and gang wars and random violence decimate the human population. The few human survivors who are old enough to remember life before the star are trying to archive information but their plot lines get left behind and we never find out of they survive or what happens to then. Bleak and pointless, the future looms ahead with a new generation of humans who have managed to survive and are immune to the syndrome. 2/5 stars. A disappointment.
Old dystopian stories are a favorite of mine. This one doesn't live up to my expectations though. Dr. Simon Negron is arrested for practicing medicine illegally, that is he was treating patients whose diseases are on the list of "do not treat" conditions. Simon might have been doing a good thing, but he was doing it for all the wrong reasons. He's no hero, he's an opportunist in a degraded world full of mostly awful, rotten humans. He charged handsomely for his services, the only patients able to afford their medicines are crime lords and corrupt rich people.
In the year 2000 a "white hole" opened up over the earth. It was so bright it could be seen even in the middle of the day. Scientists called it Mura's Star, and as soon as it showed up terrible things began happening. Humans became violent. Murder, rape and horrible behaviors became the norm. Only two classes of people exist, the very rich and the very, very poor. Technology has fallen by the wayside, the Army and the Police are corrupt.
The author may have intentionally created all the characters to be unlikeable, with few to no redeemable qualities. Many characters are introduced so we see how horrible their lives are and they're killed off within the same chapter. Many of the characters have Mura's Syndrome, an ailment that causes horrific migraines and eventually madness and death. The disease is blamed on the appearance of the star. Spoiler alert: it wasn't the star at all but a bio-weapon that escaped a government laboratory and spread thru the world. The plot meanders aimlessly for a few years while disease and gang wars and random violence decimate the human population. The few human survivors who are old enough to remember life before the star are trying to archive information but their plot lines get left behind and we never find out of they survive or what happens to then. Bleak and pointless, the future looms ahead with a new generation of humans who have managed to survive and are immune to the syndrome. 2/5 stars. A disappointment.
May 13, 2020
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"Pamela Sargent’s The Sudden Star (1979) posits the arrival of a “white star” in 2000 AD—initially a source of fascination, later a force of destruction–that transforms society. How the appearance of the “star”–really the light of a dying sun shining through a black hole (6)–turns the world into a cesspool [...]"
"Pamela Sargent’s The Sudden Star (1979) posits the arrival of a “white star” in 2000 AD—initially a source of fascination, later a force of destruction–that transforms society. How the appearance of the “star”–really the light of a dying sun shining through a black hole (6)–turns the world into a cesspool [...]"
September 8, 2018
a nightmare world of increasing madness -- ever since the sudden appearance of the white hold over Earth.
Strange. Had to finish it even if I found it depression. Like Pandora's Box however, there is always hope.
Strange. Had to finish it even if I found it depression. Like Pandora's Box however, there is always hope.
February 27, 2021
Ok
Reminds me of Cormac McCarthy 's book The Road. There really isn't a story, but 12 snapshots of life in a ravaged world after some type of non human attack.
Reminds me of Cormac McCarthy 's book The Road. There really isn't a story, but 12 snapshots of life in a ravaged world after some type of non human attack.
July 21, 2015
I am a huge fan of Pamela Sargent's novels and am always looking for an out-of-print book I missed. I did like this one and thought it had an interesting premise. However, overall it was a depressing picture of a post apocalyptic future, and I did not really connect to any of the characters. I would like to know how the human race turned out though:-)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews