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Going Interstellar [Mass Market Paperback]

Les Johnson , Jack McDevitt
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 29, 2012
Essays by space scientists and engineers teamed with a collection of tales by an all-star assortment of award winning authors all taking on new methods of star travel.

Some humans may be content staying in one place, but many of us are curious about what’s beyond the next village, the next ocean, the next horizon.  Are there others like us out there? How will we reach them?  Others are concerned with the survival of the species. It may be that we have to get out of Dodge before the lights go out on Earth.  How can we accomplish this?

Wonderful questions.  Now get ready for some answers. 

Here is the science behind interstellar propulsion: reports from top tier scientists and engineers on starflight propulsion techniques that use only means and methods that we currently know are scientifically possible. Here are in-depth essays on antimatter containment, solar sails, and fusion propulsion.  

And the human consequences?  Here is speculation by a magnificent array of award-winning SF writers on what an interstellar voyage might look like, might feel like—might be like.  It’s an all-star cast abounding with Hugo and Nebula award winners: Ben Bova, Mike Resnick, Jack McDevitt, Michael Bishop, Sarah Hoyt and more.

About Going Interstellar:

In our age of amazing progress, why let our dreams shrink? This book helps us to think bold! Let's forge ahead by Going Interstellar."–David Brin 

About Jack McDevitt’s Time Travelers Never Die:

“[A] masterpiece of storytelling and exploration of the paradoxes of time travel … ranks very highly in McDevitt’s quarter-century of work distinguished by high intelligence, fine world building, and superb characterization.” –Booklist

“Jack McDevitt has a well-deserved reputation for writing beautifully extrapolated interplanetary and interstellar narratives…” –Michael Bishop

About Les Johnson and Travis S. Taylor’s Back to the Moon:

"[F]or everyone whose heart skipped a beat at Armstrong's first step…Back to the Moon is a reminder of a lost era.” –Analog

About Les Johnson’s Paradise Regained:

“[A] fantastic, gorgeous broad sweep book buzzing with ideas…” –Astroblog


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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack McDevitt is a former English teacher, naval officer, Philadelphia taxi driver, customs officer, and motivational trainer. McDevitt is the winner of the Nebula award, the Philip K. Dick Special Award, and the UPC International Novella award. McDevitt lives in Georgia with his wife Maureen, where he plays chess, reads mysteries, and eats lunch regularly with his cronies.

Les Johnson is a NASA physicist, manager, author, husband and father.  By day, he serves as the Deputy Manager for the Advanced Concepts Office at the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  Johnson is also an on-screen consultant and commentator for National Geographic Channel special programming, including Evacuate Earth.  He is the co-author with Travis S. Taylor of science fiction thriller Back to the Moon from Baen Books.


Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Baen (May 29, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1451637780
  • ISBN-13: 978-1451637786
  • Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #217,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
(11)
4.2 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to Read, Nice to See June 4, 2012
Format:Mass Market Paperback
It's a tough market for trying to "sell space" right now. Budgets are tight for space agencies worldwide, and there's no telling how long it will take for some of our more ambitious missions to the moon, Mars, or an asteroid to come to pass. So it might seem a little outlandish to be talking about missions out of the solar system--to other stars, no less!--but that is the exact point of Going Interstellar, a new anthology of articles and short stories about interstellar travel using current technologies.

The editors (Les Johnson and Jack McDevitt) and writers of this book have decided to throw caution to the wind, daring to talk about how human missions beyond our solar system might unfold. The technical articles in the book are brisk and light on equations or technobabble. In addition to Johnson, who's written extensively about solar sails and other high-tech propulsion systems, Dr. Greg Matloff has added articles on fusion and antimatter starships. They make it clear that the systems needed to span the incredible distances between stars are all technologically feasible, and none of them require "warp drive" or violations of known physics. Of course it should be pointed out that "feasible" is a long way from "doable right now." For instance, the ability to generate every Star Trek fan's favorite, antimatter, would take years. The energy output would be akin to half the world's total current production and would require special facilities out near Mercury's orbit. Hydrogen fusion, another favorite of science fiction writers, is also elusive, but we're at least working on it. "The rest," as physicists might say, "is just engineering."

The stories in this book are quite engaging. In fact, I finished this book over the course of three days. With stories by Ben Bova, Jack McDevitt, Louise Marley, Michael Bishop, Sarah A. Hoyt, and Mike Resnick, Going Interstellar looks at adventures beyond the solar system from a variety of unique perspectives, including an aging astrophysicist, a technologist in an interstellar feudal society, an artificial intelligence program, a teenager, and the next Dalai Lama. Interstellar travel is a bit like other frontiers for writers where there is little known about the place or the experience of getting there. It allows them to impose their own dreams and obsessions on a blank slate, much like Sir Thomas More place his Utopia in America. Intelligent machines? A reborn Tibetan culture? Why not?

What I liked about this book, beyond the brisk pace of the writing by multiple authors, was its willingness to touch on something that sometimes is sorely lacking: technological optimism without "magic." As I noted above, there is no faster-than-light-speed travel, no instantaneous travel between stars. This is a look at what really ambitious human spaceflight could look like using tools and machines accessible to us today, and the stories are informed by emotion, imagination, and technical know-how. In short, it's everything you'd like hard science fiction to be, and it's a pleasure to read.

PS, You can find additional reviews by me at http://bartacus.blogspot.com/search?q=book+review
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars For would-be interstellar colonist in all of us July 5, 2012
By David
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I still swear I remember watching one of the moon landings on TV. I was barely five years old when Apollo 17 sent the last men to the moon, so maybe I am mistaken, but I am sure this is one of my earliest memories.

Going Interstellar is a collection of short stories and essays by notable science fiction authors and physicists with the obvious theme of going interstellar. This book appears to be a labor of love, published by Baen, that stalwart of hardcore hard SF nerds. These people (the editors and authors) really, really want to see us launch interstellar missions. There is a certain sense of futility in their cause, which is evident when even the most optimistic of the non-fiction essays acknowledges that the technological and economic challenges dwarf anything mankind has ever attempted, but still... it's possible! It could be done!

Certainly not in our lifetimes, though.

Every story sticks to the strictly plausible, or at least mostly plausible, so there is no FTL travel here, no wormholes or aliens, and no other "super-science." All the technology is, if not currently possible, at least within the realm of our current understanding of physics.

The non-fiction essays describe the means by which a ship could be sent interstellar distances: antimatter, fusion, and solar/beamed energy sails. Each one has potential and is theoretically possible, each one also has some major drawbacks that physicists refer to as "simply a matter of engineering."

The stories ranged from "okay" to "pretty good." All are fairly typical SF short stories built around the theme of interstellar colonization. Since they were all limited to known physics, there are basically three options for a starship: unmanned; sleeper ships in which the passengers are kept in some sort of suspended animation for most or all of the trip (this, of course, is another "matter of engineering" that currently remains purely hypothetical technology since no one has figured out how to bring back to life something that's been cryogenically frozen); and generation ships. There are stories with each option featured.

My favorites were probably Lesser Beings, by Charles E. Gannon, in which humans go to the stars and continue being their old warlike selves; Lucy, by Jack McDevitt, in which Artificial Intelligences are the first to pilot starships; Twenty Lights to the "Land of Snow" by Michael Bishop, featuring a sleeper ship called the Kalachakra carrying a group of Tibetan Buddhists; and The Big Ship and the Wise Old Owl, by Sarah Hoyt, in which the inhabitants of a generation ship have to uncover a mystery before they reach their destination. These stories I would give 4 stars each to; the others, by Ben Bova, Louise Marley, and Mike Resnick, were okay but only 3-star reads for me. YMMV.

Overall, a 4-star book for anyone who is a true space nerd or physics geek.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Collection December 26, 2012
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm a big fan of short-story collections such of this, and given the subject it was only a matter of time before it migrated from my Wish List to my Cart. I just finished it the other day.

This is a good collection, very solid. I had expected it to be a collection of short stories devoted to aspects of interstellar travel and those ARE there, but it's more than that....there's a focus (which I didn't know prior to purchase) on stories that used *known* physics and current or near-current technologies....no warp drives or Stargates here! Interspersed are various essays on starship design, various propulsion options (solar sails, fusion, anti-matter), etc. Because the focus is on known or plausibly-known propulsion options, the stories themselves revolve around expeditions to nearby stars only....the "early days" of interstellar travel as it were.

The stories themselves are the usual mixed lot, some so fascinating I couldn't wait to turn the page and others so "weird" (for lack of a better phrase) that I skipped them after a few pages. This is typical for any collection such as this, and the ones that didn't work for me might very well be favorites for somebody else...there's plenty to go around here.

The design essays were generally very solid with some interesting designs postulated; they formed an excellent background for some of stories.

Recommended for anybody who likes this type of focus and a little different take from the more space opera style stories one often finds.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Good enough.
Almost all the stories in this book are entertaining and that's all I ask. Only a dull one or two and that's better than most collections.
Published 2 months ago by Bob E
5.0 out of 5 stars This Is A Good Book!
I bought this book a few months ago and enjoyed it. It is a good combination of science fiction and chapters on real science. It is a good read and I think you will enjoy it.
Published 6 months ago by Terry P.
4.0 out of 5 stars A bit of a mixed bag, but pretty good
I've reviewed other novels by McDevitt and enjoyed them quite a bit, so when this anthology came out, I was quick to buy it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by D. Thompson
4.0 out of 5 stars A new type of story telling
"Going interstellar" marks a turning point in the storytelling tradition of space travel fiction. It tells stories that address the conflicts humanity is facing on how to dream... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Alex Coletti
2.0 out of 5 stars Going Interstellar
I am a huge fan of Jack McDevitt and almost always buy his books in hardcover because I know I will read them again and again. Read more
Published 9 months ago by D. Scott
4.0 out of 5 stars going interstellar
I enjoyed this mix of science and sci-fi and gained some new knowledge along the way about future means of reaching some of the nearest stars.
Published 9 months ago by battbooks
4.0 out of 5 stars wheres the e-book?
Stories about technology taking us to other solar systems but which still relies on dead trees being posted to the other side of the world! Read more
Published 10 months ago by Boz
5.0 out of 5 stars Crafting the Interstellar Vision
Les Johnson and Jack McDevitt's book Going Interstellar challenges many of our assumptions about interstellar flight in an insightful way. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Paul A. Gilster
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