Collision Course [Paperback]

Robert Silverberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1982

The crew of the XV-ftl was looking forward to shore leave, vacation, and a chance to see their families after a month in space. But once they brought back the news that they had discovered aliens, they were doomed to another, and longer, journey. Accompanying them on the return were several technical experts, who seemed to be more interested in squabbling with each other than meeting the first alien race in the history of humankind. But face to face with the blue humanoid Norglans, everyone began to realise just how important these first meetings could be - for they could make the difference between peaceful coexistence in space and interstellar war! (First published 1958)

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Ace (May 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044111511X
• ISBN-13: 978-0441115112
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,633,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Short book. Nice impact. Very well rounded, May 11, 2000

By 

Tim Lieder "Founder of Dybbuk Press" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Collision Course (Paperback)

This is a short book the more or less criticizes the entire notion of Manifest Destiny. It concerns a group of earth representatives of various fields trying to create a peace treaty with a newly discovered group of aliens who have similar empire building notions.

Most of the time the aliens are off screen, so to speak, and the action is on the group of experts who fight, cajole each other and generally get on each others nerves. The most fascinating character is the neo-Puritan who tries to accept everything with a religious calm and sensibility which generally bothers and annoys his less stabile co-workers. The hero of the story becomes less concerned with the mission and more concerned with his personal folly which is a reflection of the personal folly of expansionism.

This might not be a classic of science fiction and may only be one of the better books of the fifties when science fiction talked about space ships and technology more than real people, but it is a great work and it should rank up with Childhood's End and teh Foundation series because in many ways it surpasses these texts.