Customer Reviews

Rogue Star

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

 

 

I read this book over 20 years ago, so I'm working from an old memory here! While dated in its description of stellar mecanics, Pohl does pose an interesting premise: Stars have all the necessary ingredients to be MASSIVE thinking machines! From there, it's a short step to consider sentient stars. In the text, fusion research on earth creates a baby star that quickly reaches consciousness, sentience, and self actualization. Old Sol doesn't seem to like it very much! As with other Pohl works (like "Man Plus"), it has an interesting central concept, but the science is not very deep and the characters aren't particularly well developed.

I just finished this novel and liked it. I was unaware it was part of a trilogy until I came here to Amazon to look it up. That probably explains why a few elements of the story were not explained and I just had to imagine to myself what they were (transcience, transflexion, effectors). Also, some things were given simply a cursory definition (Reefer). Then there were some quirks in the writing, like frequent references to an adult woman character as a "girl" and always saying a character's first name and last name (Molly Zaldivar was never just Molly - why?). Even so, I read the book quickly and enjoyed it. While the main character was quickly annoying, I liked the rogue star and Cliff Hawk and I liked the ending.

Maybe not a perfect story, but good and it goes on my preferred sci-fi book shelf at home.

This trilogy got progressively worse for me. The first book (REEFS OF SPACE) I really liked and it was my favorite, but by the time I reached the final pages of the third book (ROGUE STAR) I didn't really know where the authors were heading with it and I really didn't care.

I felt they had abandoned some earlier concepts a little too early, and perhaps could have pursued and developed other story-lines further. I hate when that happens! Abandoning one really cool concept or story-line for a lame one. I couldn't buy into that "infant star has a crush on a beautiful woman" thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. It ate her boyfriend and that's why it has feelings for her. Still not sold.