Lords of the starship (The Gregg Press science fiction series) [Unknown Binding]

Mark S Geston (Author)

Product Details

• Unknown Binding: 158 pages
• Publisher: Gregg Press (1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0839824475
• ISBN-13: 978-0839824473
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,252,391 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ok, but not a masterpiece, December 18, 2008

By 

Christopher Lee "Kristof" (Brisbane, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lords of the starship (The Gregg Press science fiction series)

I just finished this book a couple of days ago, and i found it to be acceptable but hardly exceptional. The concept is interesting but it is executed in a somewhat perfunctory manner. For a novel set in a post-apocalyptic landscape and era, for me it failed to conjure up much sense of despair of hopelessness. The characters are all pretty similar and they are given little actual development, have limited emotional ranges and all seem to have the same sorts of characteristics. In fact parts of this read like a narrative of ideas and images rather than an integrated novel. In regards the 250 year story arc, credit must go to the author for brevity. If this novel were written now it would be a trilogy of massive tomes, each outlining every minute degtail such as how many cats the main characters had in childhood and what their names were. That said though each different era of the novel recieves only pretty cursory treatment, sometimes entire generations are skipped because, well, nothing happened. There are elements of the book that are left un-explored and unexplained and ideas crop up and are forgotten within a page or two. The plot twist that some have referred to was telegraphed from only a short way into the book and was hardly a major surprise.

Overall, the limited depth, characterisation and somewhat limited scope of the authors expression all serve to hold this book back. Basically, yes, you can feel that this is a first novel from a young man, writing a book with guns and swords and tanks, etc. On occassions the characters take second place to the descriptions of machines and battles. Middling writing, fairly average character development.

So, its ok, its not a masterpiece and its not exceptional, its alright, but not great, its so so, the sort of book that you could read amongst a dozen other sci-fi and forget in a week.

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful futility, September 25, 2000

By 

William Timothy Lukeman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lords of the starship (The Gregg Press science fiction series)

This first novel, written while the author was still in college, would be a remarkable achievement for a writer of any age. The premise: in a war-wracked, decaying future, the building of a magnificent starship is planned in order to inspire the populace and help rebuild society. But what sinister power lies behind this noble plan? Not merely generic Evil, but the empty spirits of Entropy and Despair, suggesting that humanity's striving for something wonderful and uplifting is doomed by its own nature ... or is it the uncaring Universe itself that crushes hope? A powerful, thought-provoking novel that deserves to be reprinted. Highly recommended!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the least well known, but best SF books ever written, April 19, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Lords of the starship (The Gregg Press science fiction series)

Mark Geston wrote this thin book almost 30 years ago and the sense of wonder he is able to invoke in this story is incredible. You actually feel a great sense of the history of the world he fabricates, and the hoplessness, and the hopefulness, too. The idea of building a starship that is seven miles long and a wingspan of three and a half miles, with the exact purpose of carrying man to the new 'Eden' is what grabs you from the get-go, but the further into the book you travel, the more intensely interested you become, for his world is a unique one, and completely unforgettable. I hope someday, he will write another book set in this world