Poul Anderson Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR: Alan Tompkins
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| Review Summary |
A starship is about to depart for a nearby star with colonists and crew aboard. One of the crew (a female) and the ship's constable form a brief liaison, but both put their duties first. The ship leaves but after some time a technical problem prevents them from decelerating in time to rendezvous with their target planet.
The constable becomes the de facto leader of the expedition and maintains a strong belief that they can not only survive but somehow find an alternative destination. He encourages the rest of the people on board, but the plan involves them continuing to accelerate. Because of time dilation their journey becomes ever longer relative to Earth. Several attempts to slow down have to be aborted because they cannot be sure of finding a suitable destination, and meanwhile their speed increases at a faster rate. Many of the crew and colonists fall into deep depression because they can see not future beyond flying through space until their resources are exhausted.
Eventually they are going so fast that they watch the end of the universe approaching: stars dying and not being replaced, the whole cosmos becoming cold and dark. They conceive of one final plan to survive. Will it work?
Alan Tompkins, Resident Scholar
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 10%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 50%
Tone of book
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story
Yes
Plotlets:
- lost in spaceship
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50's
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
Setting
Takes place in spaceship?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
How much dialogue?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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