There Is No Darkness [Paperback]

Joe Haldeman (Author), Jack C. Haldeman II (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1984

The universe is not interested in fair play. The universe is interested in survival. That is lesson number one aboard the giant advanced-training-ship called "Starschool." Those who fail to learn lesson number one very rarely have cause to worry about what comes next...

Product Details

• Paperback: 245 pages
• Publisher: Ace (January 15, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441805663
• ISBN-13: 978-0441805662
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,938,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joe Haldeman has served twice as president of the Science Fiction Writers of America and is currently an adjunct professor teaching writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic coming of age story, December 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: There Is No Darkness (Paperback)

I read this in my late teens and recently went back and re-read it after buying it used through Amazon. It is a science fiction story complete with the Haldeman brothers exacting science (I think I read somewhere that one is a biologist and the other a physicist) but told through the eyes of a `farm boy' type going off to college (in the form of a starship based university). This naïve farm boy happens to exist in the form of a fairly large bio-engineered colonist bred to survive on a harsh backwater planet. His experiences are played out brilliantly as he explores the people and planets of this not to distant future with his fellow students among whom he develops both friends and enemies.

My favorite section is when the school stops on the planet Hell, which rents itself out to other worlds who wish to wage war in a controlled environment. The vision the Haldemans paint of a future earth is brilliant, frightening, and altogether real.

This is a character study similar in style to a book like "Ender's Game" or in some respects "Starship Troopers" though on a smaller scale (no major planet threatening wars here). I think people who enjoyed those books would enjoy this one. It is well worth the extra effort to find a used copy.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book rules, October 3, 2003

By 

Albert Yu (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There Is No Darkness (Paperback)

It's been almost twenty years since I read this book and it still sticks with me. I finally decided to track it down and read it again. This is more than just a work of fiction, it more than a good sci-fi yard, this is the story of how a farm boy became a man while remaining true to his soul. And because it's fiction and a good sci-fi yarn, he is a genetically engineered giant on a university spaceship.

Yes, this book truly rules.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Haldeman book, and one of my all time favorites, October 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: There Is No Darkness (Paperback)

Written by brothers Joe and Jack, both great writers by themselves, this novel surpases anything either have done by themselves (though Joe's FOREVER WAR comes close and my husband likes Jack's VECTOR ANALYSIS better). The story is about a student on a University/Space Ship who happens to be bio-engineered (strong and tall) to live on a hostile world. His mind is the tool that develops on this journey in ways I can not explain adequately. Let me just say his journey opens his mind and spirit. A wonderful book, you should track it down and read it! What a classic!