Customer Reviews

Across the Sea of Suns (Galactic Center)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In reading science fiction of all kinds for over 25 years, I came across the best novels in the genre and also across some real stinkers. I've been a bit disappointed with my most recent sci-fi reads and have resorted to research reviews at Amazon.com to discover some "sure bets". It paid off. I recently discovered Benford's Galactic Center Series and although I wasn't terribly excited with the first book, this one, the second in the series is beyond my wildest expectations.

The range of themes Benford explores in this volume is ambitious, but he still manages to deliver a page turner that invites the reader into deep questionings in topics from first contact, to exobiology, to sociology, and even gender issues. What I have come to expect from science fiction (specially in hard sci-fi) is exactly what Benford put in this book: a good amount of speculation based on whatever scientific knowledge is available at the time of writing. And to his benefit, he does it in a way that fits the story arc and keeps you wanting more.

The narrative is linear, but progresses in two different fronts. In one, we follow the discoveries of the Lancer spaceship, which travels the galaxy trying to find life, or the remnants of life, in planetary systems that show potential. What they find is not very encouraging and leads one to hypothesize that biological life has been systematically eradicated from the galaxy by some advanced intelligence. The other front deals with what is happening on Earth as Lancer roams about and what a lot is happening! Alien life forms arrive on Earth and start to thrive in our oceans destroying existing marine life and attacking also large ships. It seems two different populations of being share our oceans and a survivor from a ship that was attack tries to make sense of their behavior. Top it off with human, petty political/military intrigue and you have a plot like that contends for the reader attention on equal footing with the galactic exploration. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

The best hard science fiction book ever written. Imagine that technology is viewed as a disease by a race of alien AI machines and humans are the mosquitoes (that spread the disease) that must be eradicated. Big concept science fiction.If you like Greg Bear, Dan Simmons, Neal Stevenson - this is going to be added to your favorite books list.

It was. But this is probably one of the top three hard sf books I have ever read. Following and building on the characters in the first book, 'Across the Sea of Suns' carries off a near perfect sequel and handily sets up the rest of the series. An amusing note... I acquired the book when it was first published and didn't notice the last chapter was missing. It wasn't until years later when a friend had bought the paperback and we were talking about it that I discovered the problem. What an ending... even if I had to wait several years to actually read it.

The negative reviewers here in a way reveal something to be aware of in regards to this book. It is a difficult read. It is "science fiction" that not only features space ships and aliens, but also deep themes, challenging literary techniques, and significant amounts of hard science and theory.

The negative reviewers have mistaken certain literary and narrative techniques for "bad writing". Their own lack of experience with, or interest in, non-standard formal devices and methods makes them think the writer is unskilled. In fact, far from it, the author is an employer of sophisticated formal means and a highly oblique story-telling method, which these dullard reviewers are incapable of recognizing or appreciating.

That's not to say that if this is not your cup of tea, that you are stupid. I found this book challenging and sometimes frustrating. Many readers may grow fatigued: highly suspenseful and complex moments in the story are sometimes difficult to follow, as the reader is forced to decipher what is taking place by shifting through the subjective narrative told from the protagonist's viewpoint. As some reviewers have pointed out, at certain points the text is made up of strings of unattributed, undifferentiated, non-punctuated dialog, and it is up to the reader to plow through it while trying to figure out who is saying what, and to sift lines of significance from lines of verbal static.

In addition, nowhere in the book is the reader explicitly told exactly what is happening in the larger narrative. Rather, the reader must piece events together, guessing at some, and in many cases can be confused as to the true nature of events, or the correct interpretation of them, as the only sources of information are the subjective and jumbled thoughts of the characters, and their dialogs, which are usually recorded without commentary or interpretation by the writer.

All that being said, the payoff, for those who can make it through, is a unique and moving experience. The writer creates a grand theme that ties natural evolutionary processes to the fabric of the cosmos, the interaction of species and civilizations, the functioning of social groups, and the biology of individual bodies and minds. This theme is wrapped in a truly suspenseful story of humanity's first encounter with alien life forms and artificial intelligences, its first forays to other solar systems, and the massive and devastating conflict which results.

The book incorporates an incredible amount of science, but also an adventurous formal literary structure and technique, with a profound vision of the nature of life, evolution, and humanity's place in the cosmos.

Although Across The Sea Of Suns was first published twenty years ago, it is still good. Twenty years of evolving science, medicine and technology have not turned this book into an annoying or worse yet, humorous, science fiction. This is book two of the six book Galactic Center Series. I have not read the other five books in the series, but I have added them to my list of books I want read.

In 2064 the starship Lancer is launched to investigate near earth stars. A dozen years or so later, the Lancer approaches its first target. The life aboard the starship is described in enough detail to be interesting but is not plot-numbingly exhaustive. The relationships of the characters develop and change as the years pass. The crew faces challenges with both success and failure. While the Lancer travels through space, Earth is having its own challenges. Author Benford alternates between following Lancer and Earth. I thoroughly enjoyed the Lancer plot, but I found myself looking ahead to discover how many pages I would read of the Lancer plot before returning to Earth.

A one page star chart at the beginning of the book is helpful in following the Lancer's travels. A timeline at the end of the book is an interesting summary.

Warner Books published a paperback edition in 2004, so it will not be necessary to purchase a used copy of this book. I have not read the first book of the series, In The Ocean Of The Night, (yet), but if available to you, I would read that book before reading this one.

King of run-on sentences, that is.

The problem with Benford's books isn't the story. This book, along with the first in the series, In the Ocean of Night, presents an absolutely fabulous story. Benford has come up with a really excellent idea for a series of books. The problem is Benford's writing.

For some reason, Benford forgets that "science fiction" consists of two words. He places much emphasis on the first word, but doesn't realize that it's fiction. Mr. Benford, this is not a science textbook!!!!!!! Getting the science right in a fictional book is all well and good, but if one can use the book to teach a physics class, then the writer's priorities are a wee bit skewed. If you wish to write a textbook, then write a textbook, and leave the fiction to fiction authors.

In addition to putting waaaaaaaaaaay too much emphasis on the science, the structure of his writing leaves much to be desired. As previously mentioned, he seems to have an ongoing love affair with the run-on sentence. There are literally whole paragraphs in the book which are nothing but one huge sentence. And you can forget trying to follow a conversation via the use of properly placed quotation marks. A quotation mark is to Benford what holy water and crosses are to vampires.

I give this book 2 stars simply because the writing is so horribly bad. The idea behind the story rates a stellar 5 stars, but I had to subtract at least 3 for Benford's pitiful excuse for prose. I actually feel that giving it 2 stars is a generous showing on my part, as I was sorely tempted to give it 1.

A word of advice to the prospective reader of this series: Read it after having a couple of glasses of wine. It helps. (Seriously.)

This book is awesome! I have never read a book so good and the alien worlds are extraordinary. I never knew what the aliens were or who is who until I have finally got to the part where the character solves EVERYTHING!

It is 2021. Lancer, a space colony converted with technology gleaned from the wreckage on the moon into powered interstellar ship, is sent to investigate radio signal found by Radio telescopes broadcasting old TV shows. On closer look the alien life forms, the primitive biological race of EMs, are en masse the source of the broadcast. Something made them to force go through genetically engineered evolution in order to survive and warn rest of the galaxy. A Watcher, satellite, is orbiting around the planet. Its dating shown it being there for 500 000 years. At the same time something is happening back on earth. Odd sea creatures, called Swarmers, are bringing the economy to a collapse. In swarms they sink all the ships and now they are grounding ashore to infect deadly disease. Something is happening, something ancient.

Tightly following the previous book In the Ocean of Night scientist Nigel Walmsley is now older. He earned his ticket to Lancer due to his extraordinary intelligence that was altered by the previously found alien starship on the moon. He sees connections and can follow hunches where nobody other can imagine. The progression of the ship to meet the EMs and the mystery of Watchers, that are later witnessed to orbit in other nearby star systems as well, is the jungle drum that keeps pounding at heartbeat rhythm. The social commentary of the ship to form families of triads and exhibiting command structure of voting elevates book from mere science fiction to consider ideologies, like socialism and they effect in long trip voyages. Humanity changes and groups must form new social interactions. The radical gender reassignment are for the oldest member, Nigel, hard to gulp. In parallel to the ship's mission to scout the space, the events in earth are told by eyes of sailor that drifts with his wife on the sea. Fighting to survive and surrounded by the swarmers. The first contact with another group, skimmers, starts with a tube that contains printed letters. They want to tell something important. The scale of events, million of years, start deepening the drum's sound as more information about the Watchers is gathered.

Three (3) stars. Written in 1984 is book 2 of 6 in loose saga of Galactic Center. This is hard science fiction. Nigel being the lead figure in the ship's expedition, this book is best read only after In the Ocean of Night. Seven years between the books has done good to the story. The plot is more focused and the events described in the distant extremities of Earth invasion and the ship are well linked. Adequate amount of pages is given to both to make the reader want to continue reading the sailor robinson crusoe'd to an island with Chinese Gijan and to follow mystery of Watcher satellites. It's a an interesting mix of salt and lemon, like in Tequila. But there are chips and dings. The reader must piece events together in places where overlapping conversations appearing in communication channels like ship's intercom and everybody talking at once with no note of who was saying what, cut up verbal structures into poetic forms. The lack of punctuation and clear sentences in places is surely a carefully though narrative technique which unfortunately requires muscle to comprehend properly. The interpersonal and psychological studies are a little deep for a modern reader but attestedly typical to the zeitgeist. Unique and a moving experience, classic read, but not directly engrossing.

Benford balances the story of struggle against a peculiar invasion on Earth with that of a captivating voyage of discovery in space. While the Earth based story is engaging, the latter plot with fascinating and intricately creative descriptions of far-off worlds makes this book truly excellent.

This story has been done a thousand times. Still Benford has done a slamup job on making the old into something new. There is the usual mix of humans and their meeting other sentient beings. In this case the surprise comes as the main guy figures out just who the aliens are and why they are the way they are. Great read.