Customer Reviews

Neverness

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

David Zindell is one of those authors whose works are just too subtle, complex and intelligent to capture mass market attention. However, I believe that the "Neverness" series will eventually be recognized as one of the great sci fi epics of all time. I have read "Neverness" several times and I always find something new. Aside from the fascinating characters and imaginative plot, Zindell raises compelling questions about consciousness, death, selfhood, love, cruelty, and the purpose of life. Through Zindell's many references to scientific, literary and religious thought (from Schoedinger's Cat to William Blake to Hindu mythology), we eventually come to realize that the technology may change, but the questions humankind asks the universe remain the same. This book is challenging and not for everyone: you need to be the kind of person who enjoys a long, complex story that makes you think.

Zindell's first novel, and it is epic SF in the grand tradition. Epic? Yes. It is long (552 pages in the paperback edition), set on a grand scale (the main character works his way up from an initiate star pilot to godhead), full of esoteric musings on the nature of mathematics, life and love. Gee, sounds a bit like Dune, doesn't it? The comparison is apt. Each chapter here starts with a quote, mainly from a fictitious book; the plot involves both personal mysteries as well as scientific mysteries; the plot centers around the only son of a "ruling" dynasty; and there are guilds and trades with strange and bizarre powers. But Zindell, for all these similarities, has not copied Herbert. He's also thrown in quite a bit of Aldiss, Heinlein and Sturgeon. This is not a novel for a first-time SF reader. It's like modern jazz, in which the latest work is composed of variations on previous themes, and while the new listener might be able to enjoy it, chances are that they will have a difficult time understanding it.

The real problem with Neverness, however, is in its pacing. Some episodes seem to drag on interminably, while others fly past at the speed of light. Part of this is due to the fact that at least one section had been published previously as a stand-alone short story, and it may be true that other sections were written to stand alone as well. But, even given the above, this is an impressive achievement as a first novel. There's a lot of imagination here in world- and culture-building, and the writing, while not spectacular, isn't dry or stilted either. With some more maturity as a writer, Zindell could be a major contender.

"Neverness" is an awesome book, by which I mean you will simply be in awe of both the novel and its author. David Zindell has crafted a universe so entirely full of fascinating people, creatures, ideas and institutions that I can't even fathom how he could have kept everything straight in his head. (Think of a world as rich as "Dune" but set on Arrakis' opposite number: the frost-evoking world of Icefall.)

Zindell manages to discuss two of the weightiest questions known to man without sounding foolish: "Is there a god?" and "What is the secret of life?" Along the way, he throws in "How can we live forever?" and "How do I save the universe?" And even when Zindell's characters discover the answers to these questions, there are still more questions to be asked.

The breathtaking scope of Neverness (equalled, in my mind, only by the aforementioned "Dune" and perhaps Vernor Vinge's "A Fire Upon the Deep" and Asimov's "Foundation" series) inspires me to give the book a five-star rating, though it does have some flaws. For one, Zindell introduces a critical feature of Neverness's universe way too late in the game (a sort of Fermat's Last Theorem-type hunt). In other instances, he is inconsistent in describing his character's emotions. (One example: The protagonist is bereft when a dog dies, because he has neither seen nor even contemplated a dead creature before. However, this same man rather blithely accepts the fact that most of his class of journeyman star pilots will die before graduation.)

But, overall, if you like truly epic and philosophical literature, this is a book for you. I am eagerly looking forward to reading Zindell's three sequels.

The comparisons of Zindell's "Neverness" to "Dune" are
worth making and accurate. The two novels share a lot in common
and not just from the point of view that there are similar
characters in similar roles. In fact that is the weakest
similarity.

It probably won't matter how long the books are read or who
reads them, they will probably never go out of date or become
silly like so many other novels in the genre. These two books
will endure. This is an amazing feat of vision and intellect.

Both books are written about the far future, so far that
everything is foreign to us: the technology, the environments,
the people, the gods, frequently the language. Even if this
is so, the author melds them together smoothly without missing
anything or confusing the reader (for long anyway).

"Neverness" and its "sequel" "The Broken God" are grand works
that encompass whole populations, planets, mythologies,
histories, philosophies, disciplines and their evolutions. In fact,
the author frequently wanders off on some philosophical
tangent. They are always deep, meaningful wanderings though,
and it's obvious that the author has thought about these ideas a great deal.

As a small point, I found that I didn't enjoy the time spend
with the Alaloi (the neanderthal's), especially after the time
spent in space exploring the solid state entity or the
destruction of stars in the Vild. A small price to pay to get to
the rest of the novel.

Zindell will discuss the meaning of life, the purpose of
life and man, he'll talk about the discoveries of many
scholars from a variety of disciplines (some of which are
specilizations of disciplines that he's created) on just these
topics. Never does it seem arbritrary, never does it seem
contrived. All the opinions and ideas seem like they have come
from long standing philosophies that have evolved over
centuries. I'm impressed that he's done this and before reading
it, I wouldn't have thought that it would be possible to be done
with such believability.

Certainly a great read and one of the gems of science fiction.

I'd actually nearly finished reading Zindell's "Requiem for Homo Sapiens" trilogy before realizing that:
a) There exists a prequel known as Neverness that I should have read before the trilogy.
b) The reviews of Neverness here are for the most part very very positive.
c) The book had already been sitting on my shelf for a couple years. Oops!!

Well, when compared with the sequel trilogy, Neverness is clearly the work of a less mature Zindell but it makes up for that by moving at a faster pace and bringing the story to a somewhat better close. We also have to keep in mind that the brilliantly rendered setting explored in the trilogy was given 90% of its conceptual basis here in this novel. Zindell truly creates a new universe with Neverness, nearly on par with Dune. That alone makes it an astonishing effort in my mind, even though I would rate the story itself at four stars. It's a great story but there are quite a few holes in the plot, such as how exactly the Ieldra & the Elder Eddas are relevant to anything. Also, the many forays into mathematics were too obviously contrived and just came off as plain silly to me.

The book is quite long at 552 pages in the paperback version, but reads quickly and includes many memorable scenes. A couple that come to mind include the ultimate fate of Katherine, Mallory & Soli's pursuit of the Timekeeper, and Bardo's hilarious issues with tumescence.

I recommend Neverness highly. It pretends to be deeper than it really is (it can't compare to Dune IMO), but Zindell conceives and crafts such a beautiful alternate reality that it's really a must read for sci-fi fans.

I'd never heard of this book or its author until a few months ago and I decided to order this book. I was very pleased with my purchase. Zindell writes in a clean crisp unpretentious style while at the same time remaining philosophic and poetic. The story is well paced and veried, the characters well fleshed out and occasionally hilarious. The gritty interplay between Soli and Mallory is intense at times, while the remarks of Bardo often had me in stiches at times. When I read the back of the book and it started talking about star gods and giant space computers I thought "oh no here we go again". I was expecting a cliched old version of the unfathomable super computer. Instead these sections are handled delicately and expertly and leave the reader feeling reasonably satisfied. The sections with the Alaloi are a nice contrast and the ending of the book is every bit as good as you may hope it to be, something that rarely happens with scifi books nowadays.

I like Dune and I like Neverness too. But I resent any comparison of the two books. Herbert and Zindell have very different styles, different philosophies of life, and, most importantly, they are trying to accomplish different things in their books.

Herbert was a great yarn-spinner, and, while he did have some depth, Dune is ultimately just another space opera. Very good space opera, its true. Perhaps even the reference standard for space opera, but, as you read it you should not think too seriously about any of the details of the storyline, since little of it holds up to logical scrutiny.

Neverness, on the other hand, has great depth and is written with a self-conscious irony. In truth, I see it as a profound post-modern masterpiece on the order of Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow, except, the narrative is much simpler and the story is neither tortured nor angst ridden. Like Dune, it is good yarn, but, like Gravity's Rainbow it is a story told on many different levels.

I've read science fiction all my life. Some good some less than mediocre. I'll give you a couple sentences on the key authors. If you agree with these, you'll appreciate my opinion of David Zindell. Isaac Asismov - Each book revolves around one very good concept. The text is mainly soap opera filler. Ray Bradbury - completely predictable. No surprises, but at times enjoyable. Arthur C. Clarke - Insightful ideas. Has something important to say once every couple of hundred pages. Kim Stanley Robinson - Great (concept) books. Way too many words wasted on social dialog. Almost no science. Inconsistencies in the various technologies used. Greg Bear - Beyond his time. Very insightful and enjoyable reading. He knows this is true and to make his mark, at times (Slant) he gets as bizaare and dirty as he can. Some of the great respect a person can have for him is diminished. Frank Herbert - Worthwhile reading if a person is willing to read through thousands of pages to get the full picture (I was - In the end his work is elegant. All loose end are neatly tied.) E. E. Doc Smith - Some of the first science fiction I ever read. Considering it was written in the 1940's it's absolutely amazing.

I've read countless other authors. Some very bad, some good. I'd have to say that all of them spend most of their time typing filler. The worst is the endless social dialog. Every science fiction book I've ever read has someone biting their lower lip until it bleeds --> She wore a pink blouse and pensive look and looked hot that day and blah blah blah, yaddah yaddah yaddah. Enough to get a reader good at skimming through the pages.

Now I come to David Zindell. This author is a true genius. Not just your normal genius that has the ability to confuse and amaze people, he speaks to the heart of the person who knows science and loves science fiction. I just finished his book NEVERNESS. This is the first time, possibly ever, that I didn't have to skip scores of pages to get to the point. Every sentence this author writes astounds me. How one person can hold such a breadth of knowledge and insight I'll never know. If you are knowledeable in science and have a longing to understand life (with the depth to appreciate wisdom), read this book. What I wouldn't give to have an hour to speak with a person like David Zindell.

David Zindell's "Neverness" remains one of my favorite works of science fiction, a well written novel and a spectacular piece of world building, which is what scifi/fantasy is all about. If you are familiar with the book, there is nothing more to say. If you are not, and are reading these reviews to determine whether you want to bother with "Neverness", let me advise you to indulge yourself and read it. The influence of Frank Herbert and Ursula K. LeGuin is very pronounced, and if Zindell were not such a good writer his borrowing of plot devices from those two authors might seem derivative. Happily it does not. Like Gene Wolfe, Zindell has a talent for bending the English language to create the feeling of a different age-- but I believe that is the result of two fine writers thinking alike .

The story is episodic, taking Mallory Ringness across a city, across the stars, and across at least two worlds. Readers will have their own favorites among these journeys, but I feel they all mesh rather well. It is this combination of backgrounds (academic infighting, chatting with gods, living the life of Neaderthals on an ice bound world)that give "Neverness" its rich textures-- the book really is like a tapestry of many bright threads.

Zindell was expected to produce a sequel to Neverness in short order. He did not. What he produced, quite a few years later, was a series of books often called "Requiem for Homo Sapiens". His feeling about Neverness and the Order of Pilots appear to have changed. Some of his readers feel that while they are admirable, the subsequent works are not quite up to the standard of the first. Others disagree. A reader coming to Zindell for the first time can therefore choose to read "Neverness" as a stand alone novel or as the first book of a story that continues with "Broken God" and others.

I found Neverness oddly unengaging, but a rewarding book nonetheless. Zindell's evocation of harsh environments of Neverness equals Aldiss's Helliconia Spring. Although his characters aren memorable, I never really warmed to Mallory, and therin lies my problem. I think Zindell is actually more original than Dan Simmons, his obvious rival. I liked the take on space travel; rather than the 'space-travel according to Niven' that most Hard-SF authors use as a basis, Zindell creates a language of FTL travel which stems from the theoretical language of space-time physics, but is pure poetry. This is a far more subtle and literary way of doing things; I could imagine Burgess being impressed by it. Simply, Zindell's place is not to describe how a starship works (leave that to NASA), but rather give you an idea of what star-travel might be like. After all, even Niven, Baxter, Hamilton and the rest of them fudge the physics like crazy. The creation of place through new language is something Zindell uses a lot, sometimes reducing himself to using silly words (Fenestrate?), but more often, succeeding in his quest to make a strange future visualisable.