True to his namesake, Emerson Ngu follows the way of individualism, making him the hero of Pallas, a libertarian paradise atop an asteroid, and the enemy of former senator Gibson Altman, the jealous leader of a communist dystopia. Reprint.
Pallas
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Not so much a novel as a stultifying political treatise, the latest from the author of Henry Martyn is set on Pallas, an asteroid "terraformed" to be suitable for human life. Two societies compete for dominance: the Greeley Memorial Utopian Project, a totalitarian communist collective, and the Outside, a haven for freewheeling, gun-toting, Old West-style individualism. Born in the collective, Emerson Ngu manages as a teenager to escape to the Outside, where he fits smoothly into the loose, anything-goes culture. The book's meager plot concerns the collective's occasional attempts to recapture Ngu. Smith's writing is palatable enough, but he fails to create a convincing fictional environment (details such as the asteroid's minimal gravity are mentioned only in passing), and the characters are mere puppets mouthing his political views. His "utopian collective" is a simplistic straw man, and the individualistic society he clearly intends to glorify is unconvincing and blatantly based on the works of Ayn Rand (one chapter is even called "The Fountainhead"). Rand's fans might find the book appealing, but there is little here to entice other readers.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Born to a life of incessant toil inside the Greeley Utopian Memorial Project on the terra-formed asteroid called Pallas, Emerson Ngu engineers his own escape and discovers a new way of life outside the compound's Rimfence. Smith ( Henry Martyn , Tor, 1991) injects a heavy dollop of social commentary into this rags-to-riches tale of free enterprise and personal revenge. Although his arguments for libertarianism and the right to bear arms may not please everyone, his conviction and intensity give impetus to an otherwise ordinary story. For large sf collections.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The thing that most intrigues me about Smith's fiction is that, even though I know he's going to preach libertarianism to me, I also know he's going to slip in at least one new thought I'd never considered. I just never know when it's coming, or from what direction.
So...was the invention of agriculture really a positive turning point in human history? I must admit the question had never occurred to me.
The characterizations are stronger in this novel than in some of his earlier work. I get the impression that he's more confident, finding his own voice rather than trying to be Heinlein.
You can find things to quibble with. The Pallas society is a bit self-consciously old-west. In an environment where all guns have to be imported from Earth I couldn't get past how casually Emerson acquired an extraordinary speciman. The ending left me a bit unsatisfied.
But all in all it's a very fine novel; engrossing and thought-provoking as almost all Smith books are, and highly entertaining. There are very few contemporary authors that I follow around to see when the next book is due; Smith has become one of them.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Not many science fiction writers can actually create a new world populated by heroic, but real people - AND convey a sense of dynamic IDEAS about society and technology that yoju would WANT the future to become. L. Neil Smith has done just that with "Pallas", arguably his BEST BOOK ever (until the upcoming "Ceres", that is! :-) Pallas tells the story of a child inventor who grows up to become a hero amidst the largely, but not exclusively, liberty-loving colony on Pallas asteroid. While the enemy is obvious, the plot twists and turns are not. In science-fiction, its the IDEAS that count, and this book ROCKS with them. As good, if not better, than Robert Heinlein and Fred Pohl. Buy and read this book and enjoy!
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
L. Neil Smith's vivid portrayl of absolute personal freedom versus the politically correct utopia is mind opening. Not only does this book show exactly the reason our forefathers put specifically into our constitiution our right to bear arms, but it also shows how things could have been if we hadn't felt the urgent need to get rid of our personal responsibilites by giving them over to a government. The clashes between Emerson Ngu and his arch enemy Gibson Altman are completely realistic, the plot flows true-to-life, and even though Smith is a bit heavy handed with libertarian rhetoric, it doesn't take anything away from the story. Besides, aren't most of us, in our most private thoughts, sick and tired of the intrusions we allow our government to make?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A good beginning to a trilogy
When I first started reading this I thought to myself, "What a great idea". Meaning the encapsulation of an entire asteroid, terraforming the surface and then populating the... Read more
Published on May 30, 2005 by Stephen Carville
OK to a point...
If it was just pure sci-fi without the lecturing OR a libertarian sci-fi book with a more realistic setting, I would have given it five stars. Read more
Published on May 30, 2005 by Michael Valdivielso
There's good SF, there's bad SF, and there's Libertarian SF
L. Neil Smith is similar to Robert Heinlein, in much the same way that a fish taco is similar to the Great Wall of China. Read more
Published on February 23, 2005 by not4prophet
Flaws? Yes, but easily overlooked ones...
L. Neil Smith is famous -- or infamous, depending on your take of the subject -- for his heavy-handed political sermons, even to the point where the sermons seem entirely detached... Read more
Published on July 4, 2001 by George Masologites
Wonderful stuff. Anarchy as only Neil can write it!
I read this BEFORE I read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. While this book has some similarities, I think Neil has done a much better job than Heinlein's classic novel when it comes... Read more
Published on June 28, 2001 by Cory Brickner
Heinlein, without the self-imposed muzzle
Some people don't like thought in their books.
If you're one of those people, don't bother with 'Pallas' or anything else by L. Neil Smith. Read more
Published on November 24, 2000 by Paul Ohnesorge
True Frontier Spirit on the Final Frontier
Mr. Smith displays a combination so rarely found in accessible authors: a wonderful style backed by a coherent, intelligent worldview and philosophy. Read more
Published on July 13, 2000 by "satyr9"
A great book, makes you appreciate freedom more.
This is a book that makes you think. Makes you more aware of freedom and what the world would be like with it removed. Makes you more aware of our history as survivors. Read more
Published on June 20, 2000 by David Smith
Prometheus-award winning book beats his "Probability Broach"
This book reminded me of Frederic Brown's 'Rogue in Space' or Alfred Bester's 'The Stars my Destination.' It deals with a lone individual and his surroundings. Read more
Published on September 9, 1999
entertaining read about a believable future
Mr. Smith has provided us with the perfect science fiction novel - an entertaining read about a believable future that makes us think about the world of today. Read more
Published on June 2, 1999 by James Carpenter
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