Customer Reviews

Berserker

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I liked the idea of the man versus machine, but felt that none of the characters were really developed. Although it was competently written, it seemed more like an outline than a finished book.
I like some of Saberhagen's Berserker short stories, and bought this book on the basis of those, but the book just didnt hold my interest. About halfway through I found myself skimming through it, and realized I just wasnt connecting with the book. I found the premise more compelling than the actual reading. Some good moments, but it just didnt grab me emotionally. Saberhagen's style is terse and dry, and I prefer writers with a more poetic style.
Like Asimov's 'Foundation', it is really a collection of separate stories, so it lacks the continuity and plot threads of a fully realized novel. Not bad, but I wouldnt rate it a classic.

If, somewhere in this universe two interstellar enemies assumed the trait humanity demonstrated during the 20th Century, took 'I'd rather be dead than Red' to the ultimate logical extreme, killed one another off entirely after having set their killing machines on autopilot, just to make certain, you'd have the 'other side' in the Berserkers series. Mankind innocently encounters the machines somewhere in his future and finds himself at war with them.

This series appears on the surface to be a relatively simple, fairly shallow-but-entertaining set of stories. Maybe that's the way it was intended. But if you scrape off the surface and consider the implications I believe you'll appreciate it more.

This book and all those in the Berserker series are worth reading for their intertainment value. If you pause afterward and ponder what the author might have been saying about humanity, so much the better.

This week I read "Berserker" by Fred Saberhagen. If you are a "Star Wars" fan, you will hate this book. Originally written in 1967, it contains most of the plots that George Lucas "adapted" for his well-known movies. What Lucas didn't manage to capture was Saberhagen's direct, no-nonsense style. His ideas are unique and fresh, even after all these years.

The big thing he does that many sci-fi authors fail to do is he creates believable technology that withstands the march of time. I think the key is: he doesn't explain _how_ the technology works, just _what_ it does. I plan to continue reading works by this author until I have read them all, and then start over again.

Berserker is a true classic. The theme of humanity fighting machines has been used many different times: in the fiction of Gregory Benford and Greg Bear; in television shows like Star Trek; and in movies like the Matrix and the Terminator. It is refreshing to read one of the earliest versions of this story because Saberhagen's writing - which was doubtlessly an inspiration to others pursuing similar stories - remains distinct and his stories unique.

The structure of this Berserker book is a bit loose - it has perhaps 10 stories bracketed by the narration of an alien historian (whose introduction to the book is one of its finest parts). This narration has an intentionally Homeric effect - Saberhagen clearly had Greek epics in mind. Some of his characters recall figures in Greek mythology: the stoic Johann Karlsen, the vengeful Hemphill, and the vain Felipe Nogara.

The stories themselves are very well-crafted. Saberhagen applies an admirable minimalism when writing, though at times he will indulge in descriptive prose (most notably in the excellent final story). Humanity is depicted with both its flaws and virtues, as the struggle against the Berserkers brings out the best and worst in us.

Other reviewers disliked the loose structure - I rather liked it. Novels can often tightly confine their worlds and limit them. These somewhat connected stories hint at a much larger and grander story arc with all manners of other untold stories.

Finally, if you stumble on the audio edition of this, I would strongly recommend it. The narrator who handles the Campan historian is excellent; the second narrators rendition of the voices of Berserkers is truly chilling.

If, somewhere in this universe two interstellar enemies assumed the trait humanity demonstrated during the 20th Century, took 'I'd rather be dead than Red' to the ultimate logical extreme, killed one another off entirely after having set their killing machines on autopilot, just to make certain, you'd have the 'other side' in the Berserkers series. Mankind innocently encounters the machines somewhere in his future and finds himself at war with them.

This series appears on the surface to be a relatively simple, fairly shallow-but-entertaining set of stories. Maybe that's the way it was intended. But if you scrape off the surface and consider the implications I believe you'll appreciated it more.

This book and all those in the Berserker series are worth reading for their intertainment value. If you pause afterward and ponder what the author might have been saying about humanity, so much the better.

Fred Saberhagen, in the first book of the Berserker series, introduces us to an unstoppable enemy to whom life itself is irrelevant. This collection of stories on a common theme predates the Terminator, the Borg and the Matrix by at least 30 years, and presents the idea of man's triumph over machines in a high-energy format which borders on the positive side of the classic pulp magazines. If you REALLY want to see the man vs. machine conflict dealt with in an original way, get this book NOW.

Berserker is one of the better science fiction novels that I've read in recent years. It deals with a futuristic war between humans and gigantic starships named berserkers, whose orgins are not revealed in this volume. While the plot may sound like a cliche, the writing is crisp and original.

The best part of the novel is the lengthy chapter in the middle that covers the climactic battle between humanity and the berserkers. It's a scene of high suspense and excellent descriptions of the action. Afterwards, there are several chapters pertaining to other incidents that are only loosely connected to the main storyline. These chapters aren't quite as entertaining, and some of them are downright silly. It would have been nice if the author had stuck to just one single plotline. Even so, the overall book is highly original and well worth reading.

This is book is well ahead of it's time. The author's writing style is original, and refreshing. If you like sci-fi but are dissapointed with the lack of depth of most sci-fi novels this is the book for you.

....of a time when humanity fights to the death with Berserkers, the automated killing machines left from some ancient interstellar war. Exciting short stories with interesting plots...and characters true to this alien telepath's remark about us:

"Under this burden some men became like brutes, and the minds of others grew to be as terrible and implacable as the machines they fought against. But I have touched a few rare human minds, the jewels of life, who rise to meet the greatest challenges by becoming supremely men."

Long live Johann Karlsen!

I just stumbled upon "Berserker", not realizing that there is an entire series of these books. I'm not terribly surprised, the structure of the first book lends itself to sequel after sequel.

The premise of the book is that giant intelligent killing space machines are out to destroy all of the life they discover. Why? We are never told, but we assume that they are by-products of a long-ended war by a long-forgotten people.

This first volume was written in the late 1960s. The only reason I point this out is that I believe that the 1960s was an especially fertile time for science fiction, especially sci-fi that wanted to discuss big issues and themes. For example, TV's "Star Trek" and "Twilight Zone" are often more than a creepy story or a space alien story - they explore deep themes, such as "What is beauty?" and "What does it mean to be human?". Saberhagen openly explores these themes and more.

Saberhagen bounces around from one episode in humankind's struggle against these machines to another, giving the reader (in my case, listener) a bit of the flavor of the struggle as a whole. There are minor battles, major battles, backroom political struggles, stories of prisoners, accidental encounters and attempts to make peace. All stories are told by an alien historian in short story format. Some characters overlap from story to story but many do not.

Abuse of power, treason, forgiveness, revenge and what it means to be human are themes that Saberhagen explores. The quality of the stories vary. The first one is particularly weak in my opinion, so don't let it deter you from continuing on.

The audiobook is well read, with Aaron Lustig and Henry Strozier sharing the work - one acts as the historian narrator that introduces each short story while the other reads the main body of the book.