Nautilus (Starfarers, No. 4) [Paperback]

Vonda McIntyre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1994

In the final volume in the Starfarers series, the crew of the Starfarer must decide, on the behalf of Earth, whether to join the interstellar Civilization of the aliens or risk being stranded in space. NYT.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Pursuit of paradise. . .The death of her cherished friend and guide Nemo, the alien squidmouth, came as a crushing blow to J.D. Sauvage. But J.D. and the first contact crew of the Earth ship Starfarer hope that the enigmatic being's legacy-the starship Nautilus-will lead them closer to communion with alien intelligence. Awaiting them on their journey are the representatives of the Four Worlds and one last chance to join interstellar civilization, from which Earth has long been barred. But first J.D. and her fellow wayfarers must convince the aliens that humanity is worthy of civilization. It is an argument they will find hard to win, given humanity's violent past. What's worse, they don't have much time to win it. For the cosmic string that can guide the Starfarer home is fast unraveling. soon the beleaguered crew will have to make a decision that will affect all the people of the Earth: whether to turn back to Earth while there's still time-or make one last desperate effort to win over their implacable alien hosts.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Spectra (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553560263
• ISBN-13: 978-0553560268
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,617,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars intriguing relationship dynamics, May 6, 2007

By 

hyperjoy7 (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nautilus (Starfarers, No. 4) (Paperback)

I was sucked into this story by the fascinating relationships between its characters -- main characters AND secondary characters. You've got the family dynamics among one main character's family (she and two men in a three-way marriage); a slow-growing, threatened-but-hopeful lesbian relationship; a romantic relationship between a human and a used-to-be-human; a father-son/competitors relationship between an old aeronaut and a young spy; an I-can't-even-describe it relationship between a baby alien squidmoth and the human woman who has protected it; and so on. The ways in which all of these relationships become built throughout the series into a network of interconnected people trying to work through the usual issues (jealousy, fears still around from childhood, parental responsibilities, age differences, etc.) as well as some less-usual issues (We're in space! We're encountering alien civilizations! We're all stuck in this ship, and I'm going to SMACK someone if I don't get some privacy! We're all connected through an AI computer network! etc.) kept me reading eagerly all the way through to the end.

If you're looking for a SF version of a "wild wild west" flick (shoot 'em up, action-packed, lots of explosions), I suggest you move along. This book has its share of action and suspense, but is mostly character-driven. If that's just the way you like it, then I definitely recommend this story!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Character-driven SF, August 1, 2005

By 

Trix - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Nautilus (Starfarers, No. 4) (Paperback)

This is not the kind of science fiction where people run around with lasers shooting at each other. It is about character and politics. The characters actually have conversations with each other. It's not a boring stream-of-consciousness thing either. There is enough plot to keep the story moving along, and it's great being able to explore this new way of living with these characters.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ignore that other person, August 6, 2000

By 

Patrick (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nautilus (Starfarers, No. 4) (Paperback)

This book is great, the series is the best I've ever read anywhwere. The plot is totally unique and I couldn't put any of the books down easily. The other person who review this book didn't read the first 3 books...so they can't even judge this book accurately. Read it!