The Ascension Factor [Paperback]

Frank Herbert (Author), Bill Ransom (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This final collaboration between the late Herbert (Dune) and Ransom is a worthy sequel to their novel The Lazarus Effect. On the water planet Pandora, the tyrannical Director, a clone named Raja Flattery, is impoverishing the inhabitants to the point of starvation as he builds a new Voidship to orbit the spheres. Popular newscaster Ben Ozette has gone underground to broadcast the true facts about the Voidship project, taking with him Flattery's captive, Crista Galli, a woman raised by the planet's sentient kelp and now considered a god by the populace. Though Crista grew up in complete isolation, the kelp gave her a prodigious memory and other mental powers that she uses to aid the resistance. The thematic richness one associates with Herbert is again present, here centering on mind/body dislocations, from the torture victims driven mad to the bodyless brains in cyborgs, and Crista herself.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ace (February 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441977596
• ISBN-13: 978-0441977598
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,022,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frank Herbert (1920-86) was born in Tacoma, Washington and worked as a reporter and later editor of a number of West Coast newspapers before becoming a full-time writer. His first sf story was published in 1952 but he achieved fame more than ten years later with the publication in Analog of Dune World and The Prophet of Dune that were amalgamated in the novel Dune in 1965.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ascension Factor -- Frank Herbert's other sci-fi world, October 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ascension Factor (Paperback)

This is not a story of empire, such as in his great classic series, "Dune; but rather, Herbert and Ransom tell the story of an ill-fated interstellar colonial expedition gone horribly wrong. I am looking for a hard copy of this work because I believe that the general theme of the mega-hit Strategy software game, "Alpha Centauri" is inspired by some of the vicious alien creatures described in Herbert's story of the adaptation of humanity to a brutal alien world. Characterization is a lot deeper than most sci-fi, and the "run around the fortress" scene is something I've remembered for more than two decades since I last read the book. In our world of animated feature films, this would make an incredible movie.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars May be Herbert's greatest work, November 23, 2007

By 

C. Lynch (Ellicott City, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ascension Factor (Paperback)

I really don't understand how this work could have been so poorly received. The entire Voidship series is one of the most provocative and deeply moving works of science fiction that I have ever read. I actually found this series far more provocative than the Dune series. I don't know how much is Herbert and how much is Ransom, but this is an incredible collaboration. It is a long inquiry into the nature of existence, consiousness, and humanity. It is also a great story. It a truly original, unique work.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Voidship, August 27, 2001

By 

desmoinesmusiclover (Iowa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ascension Factor (Hardcover)

Unlike Dune, this series has been out of print for some time. Shame! No one does it better than Herbert but Dune-Mania has left too much of his best work unread and unknown. Dune was a masterpiece, no question. But the series devolved into action novels - the work of creating his universe did not have to be re-done so the rest was just what happens next (and as Brian continues the series, what happened before). The Voidship series is different. Beginning with Destination: Void, which establishes the premise, each novel must reestablish the world in which it is set. Each set of characters has very new hurdles and new forms of intelligent life(? at least self-awareness) to deal with, each with their own world view. A good marketing bet would be to reintroduce these novels in paperback, capitalizing on the popularity of the Dune series. Let the new generation of sf readers discover the other worlds of Frank Herbert. This review refers to the series - Destination: Void, The Jesus Incident, The Lazarus Effect, and The Ascension Factor