Customer Reviews

A Million Open Doors

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'd recommend to anyone who feels like reading older-feeling hard sci-fi novel that is still modern enough for one to not be embarassed by the author referring to events of the late 20th century that obviously never happened. One review on the actual book cover calls Barnes "one of Heinlein's spiritual descendents" and that review is very accurate. I also saw another review here on Amazon.com that called this a "cultural sci-fi novel." All true. Barnes does something very rare among modern sci-fi writers (that I have seen, I must admit I haven't had time to read a lot recently)...he makes a story based on cultures interesting and truly engrossing.

When I was reading the book I couldn't decide when it was written. It feels like a 50's era sci-fi novel because so much importance is placed on the culture. But then there would be a reference to a technological idea that was obvious very current (such as "growing" buildings using nanomachines). I guess the true beauty of this novel is the refreshing way that technology--while believable and realistic enough--is not the centerpiece, instead it supports and compliments the plot. Very refreshing to read a novel about the integration of technology and culture that doesn't spend time belaboring the internet and information technology.

Finally, a quick plug for Amazon.com. Although I did buy this book at my local Barnes & Nobles store, their Internet site was clueless on John Barnes. Glad to see that Amazon.com has a better selection so I can explore other works by this author. I can't wait to do so (apparently there is now a sequel to "A Million Open Doors").

Much has been made of the similarities between Heinlein and Barnes, at least it seems to me. Most copies of the paperback I've seen have some reviewer or other touting Barnes as the "new Heinlein" which I think can be misleading. Much of what Heinlein did was similar, granted, but Heinlein tended to take more of a . . . shall we say radical bent toward his topics, which put off more than one reader. The difference between Barnes and Heinlein is that while a typical Heinlein book had revolution plastered all over it (and at his best the man was good enough to keep it from being distracting), the work of John Barnes, and especially of A Million Open Doors is more of a quiet, understated revolution. Instead of hitting the reader over the head with it, Barnes takes us through the tale of a boy finally learning to be a man on a world totally unlike his own. In the process he shows us both worlds and shows us what is wrong with those worlds and why. In this way, I think Barnes can make readers think without forcing them to think, which seems more like Ursula K. Le Guin than Heinlein. Either way, from this book it's clear that Barnes, while maintaining some vestiges of both Heinlein and Le Guin, is quickly on his way to becoming neither of them, instead he is becoming the next John Barnes. That's revolution enough.

A Million Open Doors is a well-crafted "cultural science fiction" novel in the vein of Jack Vance. The protagonist Giraut is a young epee-wielding "jovent" from Nou Occitan. Jovent culture apparently lies somewhere between that of 18th century aristocracy and that of Alex and his droog buddies in A Clockwork Orange.

Dissatisfied and dishonored, Giraut leaves his world through a "springer" (an instant teleportation device) to become an Ambassador for the Thousand Cultures. The world on which he lands contains two polar cultures: Caledon, where money becomes a holy arbiter of value, and austere St. Michael. Both cultures are deeply religious and theocratic although opposite in just about every other respect.

When the springers come for the first time to each of the Thousand Worlds, a "Connect depression" ensues. Giraut and the other ambassadors are there to help Caledon and St. Michael re-enter interstellar human culture ... but it turns out to be a challenge.

A Million Open Doors doesn't have a well-defined linear plot, per se. At the least, it is a coming-of-age story for Giraut, who grows out of his jovent ways as the story progresses. If you like atmospheric science fiction with interesting scenery and well-developed characters, you should find this book to your liking.

This was a wonderful book to read. As I'm writing this review I'm debating on whether to give it 4 or 4-1/2 stars. Although written in the vein of Heinlein's juvenile series, it's obvious it was written by an adult writing about people in their early 20's and many of the themes touched upon should be universal throughout life: friendship, integrity, compassion, so that should not subtract from it's worth. However, the book was a tad too drawn out, the government obviously oppressive, and the characters just a bit too idealistic, so 4 stars it is, which of course still makes it highly recommendable.

This book is probably not what you expect it to be. On my paperback cover is this very science fiction-y view of what looks like a giant aircraft carrier superstructure on what could be a space station with a huge flat plaza underneath and lines of monochrome people giving a sense of `something's' going to happen. And the title has a sci-fi tone to it. So it's with surprise that much of the story is around a protagonist that can best be described as a trobador, on a culture based on romanticized medieval Europe where grace, style, and honor are paramount. Disregard the few references that they are on other planets and a student of Medieval Literature could find this just as enjoyable as a science fiction reader. However, that should not dissuade science fiction readers from reading this. This book had me laughing out loud on almost every page from it's tongue in cheek humor, which can be best explained IMHO as similar to Terry Pratchett or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

The title, A Million Open Doors, refers to the human civilization in the novel that has a Thousand Cultures (not all of which are on separate planets) and an instant teleportation device is discovered called the `springer', and if each springer is considered as a door and if each of the thousand cultures has a door to the other thousand cultures then you have a million doors. Philosophically, Barnes makes a counterpoint to the theme in Dan Simmons first two novels of his Hyperion cantos. There Simmons is stating that instant teleportation is ruining the distinct cultures and/or ecosystems of individual locations. In this novel, Barnes is saying that communication, and because of vast distances between planets even going the speed light isn't sufficient, between cultures is occasionally needed to prevent a culture from going too extreme, as what happens in this novel. And instant teleportation, in addition to allowing cultures to learn tolerance of other cultures, then allows humanity to hopefully form a united front in case of first contact with a sentient alien species.

The protagonist leaves his medieval European culture and is transported to Caledony, an oppressive culture with a cold, raw climate. Even though this culture is described as repressively Christian and capitalistic because of the necessity of monetary tips for services, it really can be considered as similar to the culture of the Soviet Union, where favors replaced tips (I'll trade you hard-to-get chocolate for a lift in your automobile/trakcar/'cat'), and based, instead of on Christianity, on the Soviet System. Barnes may well have been following events of the dissolution of the Soviet Union that occurred in August 1991 when he wrote this book.

One more thing about the protagonist, Barnes makes him realistic in his attitudes from a culture that he is fully representative of to transportation and full immersion into a very different culture. The protagonist realizes there are a quite a few redeemable characteristics of the new culture he first considered bland, and that there are aspects of his previous culture that are somewhat reprehensible, and that as he tries to blend the best aspects of both cultures, he doesn't lose sense of where he came from.

I'm aware that Barnes has built quite a following and a reputation, but I had begun a couple of his more recent novels and they just weren't my kind of thing. However, a friend whose literary opinions I respect insisted this one was different, and worth the effort. I'm pleased to say he was right. The author has a real ear for what makes a society work. His comparison here between Nou Occitan on the planet Wilson (a sort of Portuguese-Catalan-Renaissance Italian mix, heavy on sexism and dueling, where Art is the most important thing) and Caledony (a Stalinist approach to Presbyterianism overlaid by strict -- and mandatory -- mathematical rationality) invites comparison to LeGuin's The Dispossessed, even though the two styles are entirely different. Giraut Leones, who travels from the first society to the second as part of a diplomatic mission from the Council of Humanity, the semi-governing body of the Thousand Cultures, and who is the lens through which Barnes refracts the two world-views, is a decent human being who gradually realizes his own previous cultural blindness and learns to appreciate the differences in others. I have to say the last few chapters were somewhat rushed in bringing everything together -- the author perhaps should have stretched out and explicated the plot for another fifty pages -- but I definitely enjoyed this. Since it turned out to be the first volume of a trilogy, I know what my next two books are going to be.

This was the first John Barnes book that I read, and while I agree with other reviewers that it's not perfect, it's an imaginative and enjoyable read, with enough light touches to let you know not to take it too seriously.

It interested me enough to go on to read several of his other works, most of which I've enjoyed (can't win 'em all).

John Barnes shows some promise in A Million Open Doors, enough that I would recommend it to a friend. Hes assembled a moderately original idea and some likeable characters into an enjoyable book, but there are some big flaws that drag it down, especially towards the end.

The main character, named Giraut, leaves his home and moves to a culture known as the Caledons. Caledon society is a distopia based on the idea of rationality. If a group of computers known as aintillects decides that a person is engaged in irrational behavior, such as doing favors for a friend or appreciating the wrong works of art, then they can be dragged off to a mental institution by the government. Upset by this stifling censorship, Giraut decides to open a school and teach dancing and music to some of the Caledon children.

While this concept may sound interesting, Barnes writing is all over the place. He cant seem to decide whether he wants to be writing a true hard science fiction novel or a parody. Are we really supposed to believe that Giraut could break through generations of conformity and start a revolution just by teaching some kids to play the guitar? Fortunately, he hurries the plot along without giving us too much time to worry about such questions. Also, Barnes is quite skillful at developing his characters. Unlike so many of todays SF writers, he gives them real motivations and allows us to see how their behavior and their thoughts change as they get exposed to new ideas.

However, I would be negligent if I didnt mention some important weaknesses. Barnes choice of language is pretty bland, and his descriptions dont give you any real sense of what hes trying to illustrate. Also, he needs a decent editor to crack down on sentences such as Thorwald started, I could see that his career as a blasphemer would be developing slowly; he seemed to be reacting as if what he had said a minute ago was hanging around in the air like old flatulence. He view of gender roles is still stuck in the 50s; somebody should politely inform him that women are capable of doing more than just having sex and doing secretarial work. And theres this annoying habit of substituting like-sounding futuristic words in place of common English ones. He writes merce instead of mercy, nop instead of nope, etc Finally, the conclusion is too rushed, as if he was working under a deadline and had to cram too much plot into too little space.

Still, if you can look past these problems,, you can find some decent science fiction in A Million Open Doors. While it doesnt rank up there with the masters like Heinlein or Clarke, its still a decent read.

Although "Mother of Storms" and "Encounter with Tiber" are no doubt more popular, this book contains his most interesting characters. The main character begins as a dilettante whose only concerns are women, defending his ego, sharing a laugh with his friends, and sharpening his swordplay. Soon he is drawn into the real world, where his actions have permanent consequences and people depend on him for survival. Barnes made me care about Giraut and his friends. And, for a culture in which young women are treated as exhalted (but brainless) objects of chivalry, Barnes' female characters are strong, smart, and witty

This is the first sci fi book I've read probably since I was nine years old. One of the best things about it is Barnes doesn't hit you over the head with the technology existing several centuries in the future, he just throws in casual references to it and lets you figure it out. The subtle commentary present in the simmilarities and differences between the cultures described in A MILLION OPEN DOORS and ours is though-provoking, to say the least. The plot is not as tight toward the end and the romantic plot twists are marginal at best in their importance to the novel as a whole; however, these minor flaws don't take much away from the overall reading experience. I know this novel will appeal to sci fi virgins and I'll bet it will to hard core fans as well

If I had not read any other John Barnes novels before this I might not have bothered and would have missed the brilliance of Mother of Storms, Orbital Resonance & Kaleidascope Century. This is a dull reworking of the 'Moon is a Harsh Mistress ' plot, with a bit of Charles Sheffield's 'Heritage' series thrown in at the end. Don't miss his other books - don't bother with this one.