Dark Universe [Paperback]

Daniel F. Galouye (Author)

Book Description

Series: Gollancz Sf Collectors' Editions | Publication Date: October 19, 2000

The survivors live deep underground, as far from the Original World as possible. It's true that some of the hot springs that sustain life are failing, and they are plagued by the huge and vicious soubats, and subject to sudden raids from other tribes. But they are safe from the Twin Devils, Strontium and Cobalt, and protected from the ultimate evil, Radiation. Then something strange and frightening starts to happen: terrible monsters, who bring with them a screaming silence, are seen and people are disappearing. One young man knows that to find out what's going on he must question the orthodoxies of his faith and defy the law. He must discover the nature of Darkness itself...

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Daniel F. Galouye (1920-1976) was born and died in New Orleans. He was a Naval test pilot during the Second World War and subsequently worked as a journalist. The delayed effect of war injuries forced him to retire in 1965. Dark Universe was his first novel and was shortlisted for the Hugo Award. His other novels include Counterfeit World, The Lost Perception and The Infinite Man. Ursula K. Le Guin has won many Nebula and Hugo Awards, as well as a National Book Award, a Pushcart Prize, the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Newbery Honor and the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.

Product Details

• Paperback: 154 pages
• Publisher: Victor Gollancz Sf (October 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575071370
• ISBN-13: 978-0575071377
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,840,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars lesser-known, but brilliant, October 17, 2003

By 

J. Kruppa "JKruppa" (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark Universe (Paperback)

After nearly a decade writing action-oriented stories for a variety of pulp science fiction magazines, in 1961 Daniel Galouye published Dark Universe, the first and best of his six novels. For his remarkable effort, he was rewarded with a Hugo nomination for best novel, losing by a slim margin to Heinlein's Stranger In A Strange Land.

The glory of Dark Universe is not simply Galouye's creation of an alien world, but his success in describing an alien way of *perceiving* that world. The characters of the novel are humans who live underground in total darkness and have finely tuned their other senses -- particularly their hearing -- to compensate for the lack of sight, as a blind person might. That whole communities exist in this state and navigate their world accordingly hightens the novel's sensory effect, challenging the reader to perceive as the characters do. Initial disorientation leads slowly to an understanding of the internal "language" these characters use to interact with each other and their environment, an achievement similar to Burgess's in A Clockwork Orange, where the narrarator's slang-dominated prose gradually begins to make sense by way of context. As a display of technique that engages the reader and demands thoughtful attention, Dark Universe is a masterpiece.

Perhaps predictably, Galouye's history in the pulps results in a run-of-the-mill plot with thin characterizations -- lots of SF writers admittedly have these problems -- but despite these flaws, and an abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying ending, Dark Universe is still an impressive book. It's also a quick read, considerably shorter -- and arguably more enjoyable -- than Heinlein's more famous work of that same year. Galouye's other books are also worth searching for, especially Simulacron-3 (1964), an early exploration of what would eventually come to be known as "virtual reality."

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love you Papere!, May 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dark universe (The Gregg Press science fiction series) (Hardcover)

This book is one of many written by my grandfather, Daniel F. Galouye. My grandfather passed away when I was a little girl and my memories of him are few and precious. I have read most of his works and have enjoyed them all. One of his books, Simulacron-3, has been made into a movie entitled The Thirteenth Floor. It will be release this May. I hope you enjoy his books as much as I do! I love and miss you Papere

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars After the bomb adventure, March 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dark universe (The Gregg Press science fiction series) (Hardcover)

Great story fo a group of people whose ancestors escaped underground to avoid radiation from a war. Somewhere in the past their power plant goes defunct and they lose light. Their descendants worship light and the devil radiation. They move around by clicking stones together to produce echos. Very good book, fast paced, with an interesting plot