Land's End

by Frederik Pohl, Jack Williamson

When Comet Sicara brushed near enough to strip the ozone layer form the Earth's atmosphere, civilization effectively ended--in fact, life on Earth was nearly extinguished. But the underwater cities survived, and some heavily protected land enclaves as well. When the "ozone summer" years were ending, submarine captain Ron Tregarth rediscovered his lost love, Graciela Navarro. but their triumph against all odds was only the beginning, for the alien known as the Eternal stood between them and threatened to destroy all they held dearest. The Eternal's goal was to absorb the minds of every living thing, to create a death-in-life to enslave the planet.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Frederik George Pohl, Jr. was an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years. From about 1959 until 1969, Pohl edited Galaxy magazine and its sister magazine IF winning the Hugo for IF three years in a row. His writing also won him three Hugos and multiple Nebula Awards. He became a Nebula Grand Master in 1993.

Reviews

[Xabi1990 · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10. Media de los 13 libros leídos del autor: 7/10

Aunque tiene este y muchos otros libros muy legibles, me quedo con su Saga Heeche y, en menos medida, con la de "Mercaderes del espacio".

Me gustan Pohl y Williamson, pero esta colaboración fue muy flojita.

[Tex-49 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Due stelle e mezzo
Il romanzo si legge piacevolmente, ma la storia dell'Eterno non mi ha convinto

[Kevin Phyland · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a future where large cities have been built two kilometres under the sea and the countries on land are ruled by factions of the powerful McKen family, a rogue comet imperils the planet. Hasty missions to destroy it are mostly successful with only small swathes of fragments impacting the planet but the
released gases have stripped the planet of its ozone layer causing deadly UV radiation to flood the surface and burn most life from the land. Meanwhile, deep undersea, an ancient crystal lifeform, the Eternal, has been woken from its billion-year slumber and begins its mission of mind assimilation. Frederik Pohl & Jack Williamson have created a 1930s tale of superscience and polished it with 1980s prose and technology to give us a readable if rather unbelievable tale of two lovers, forced by global disaster and totally evil rulers to be split apart. But will true love find a way?

[Martine Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This bordered on a grand sci-fi adventure classic, but suffered from a plot was all over the place: giant squids, underwater cities, comet, loss of ozone, giant alligators, post apocalyptic political struggles, monkey girl, mind control, submarines, spaceships, space missiles, and the bizarre cult of the Eternal. At the end, I am not even 100% sure what the last page was supposed to mean.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

We spend a lot of time with characters but never really develop any connection to them. The overall story arc is plodding and doesn't draw you in in a compelling way. Plausible caricatures of decadent evil human behaviour that leaves nothing redeeming or complex to uncover.

[Kurt Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed the book and that's the main thing. I was left wondering whether the asteroid hitting the Earth was actually caused by the Eternal. There seemed to be too many competing story pieces here, and as others here have already said, not enough development.

[Jessica Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not a great book, but I find it enjoyable in the same way that people like the Transformers movies. It may have tons of plot holes and problems, but it's a fun read that you only need to pay some attention to.

[Lord Dimwit Flathead III · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is not worth reading. The plot is completely unbelievable and the ending is unsatisfying.

[Leila P · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very well written - the authors had a weird detached way of describing events (they didn't obey the rule "show, don't tell"). Nevertheless, the story was interesting enough to read.

[Daniel Máscolo · Rating 1 out of 5]

80 minutos de lectura.
80 minutos perdidos.

[I. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about the story at the start, but it really ended well. Very creative and in some ways retro sci-fi.

[Xkander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avventura ed ecologia
Negli anni in cui si sentiva parlare per la prima volta di "buco nell'ozono", Pohl e Williamson propongono un avventura fantascientifica che porta alle estreme conseguenze per la Terra la distruzione della fascia di ozono.
Questa Terra di fine XXI secolo, dominata dal Consorzio PanMack è abbastanza improbabile, ma ancor di più lo è il misterioso "Eterno" nascosto negli abissi marini, pronto a sfruttare la catastrofe provocata dalla cometa per rendere simili a zombie l'umanità sopravvissuta.

[Roy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story, supposedly intended for adults, is so simplistically and childishly written that I was shocked. My intelligence was so insulted and ridiculed that I literally threw the book across the room in disgust, long before I even made it to the main plotline. I would not have surprised to see the line "See Spot run" if there had been a character called Spot in this travesty. Who knows, there may have been but I didn't stick around.

[Dietmar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really bad ... but it didn't really get to me. The characters were a bit flat and two-dimensional. The story was predictable. Something to read in the bathtub ... but nothing to get excited about.

[Larry Downey]

DNF (Did Not Finish)... One word summary... BORING!