Customer Reviews

The Grayspace Beast

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I've only recently resumed reading science-fiction, having been an avid fan during the days of Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein & Arthur C. Clarke. A bit daunted by "hard" science-fiction, I found this book to be a relief.

It's a fairly light hearted tale, but as it progresses, one does become fascinated with the characters.

The story is narrated by a school teacher who is telling the story to a class of obviously advanced & bratty youngsters. The story is often interrupted with comments & questions from the class. One of the questions is which of the story's characters is the teacher, and I'm a bit shamed to admit that I was surprised by the answer which I realized too late was the only logical possibility.

Basically, the plotline involves an eighteen-year old boy exiled from the planet on which he was born & raised, and given the mission to recruit another human who had previously resided on the same planet to hire a crew and track down & kill the mysterious "grayspace beast", a creature regarded by most as a myth. There's great interplay among the various characters and a fast moving narrative.

This isn't the most challenging science-fiction novel around, but it is indeed entertaining and recommended.

I ordered this off Amazon because this was the first science fiction novel I ever read. I think I picked it up when I was seven or eight years old and struggled through it. Since growing up, I've always wondered what it was like, since I only carried a vague memory of the plot with me. Well, take it from me, G. Eklund is a godawful writer. The book is alternately boring, depressing and interminable, and usally all three at once. Somehow I got through it for the second time, though it cost me just as much effort as when I was seven years old.

With this as an introduction, it's a wonder I grew up loving Sci Fi.