Customer Reviews

Toolmaker Koan

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In Toolmaker Koan John McLoughlin doesn't think small. First, he gives us an answer to Enrico Fermi's famous unanswered question, "Where are they?" Then he tackles geological time and gives us an ingenious explanation for the great Cretaceous extinction, including a cause for the iridium anomaly at the K-T boundary. Finally, he tackles the very concept of intelligence. He wraps all of this in a damned good yarn involving desperate races between the planets, alien contact, new and ancient mysteries, and a very unusual artificial intelligence. A good and thought provoking read!

Indeed a highly imaginitive book, full of mindstretching ideas. Not to be missed for those who love ground breaking SF. However it seems to miss something in the story department: it is not as readable as some other works that may be compared to it in scope of ideas.

Why don't we hear other civilizations when we point our radio telescopes at the stars? Because when a species reaches the toolmaking stage, extinction is not far behind. The rate of social evolution is quickly overwhelmed by the speed of technological innovation.

Unfortunately, the story in which this hypothesis unfolds is not up to the quality of the idea that frames it. I'd love to see this idea explored by Theodore Sturgeon or Asimov or even Heinlein.

The last of the Cold War Hard-core nuts and bolts SF. If you've read Heinlein, Haldeman (sic) or Varley you will love this. It does require an open mind seeing as how the iridium controversy is now no longer in dispute...Yeah, now get this: Soviets and The US in near future deep space fighting for a potato. They start flinging BBs(not to be confused with BBS) at each other and both are destroyed. They wake up completely restored inside a hollowed out potato. Where dinosaurs rule the earth. Read the book or fill in the blanks. The choice is yours. Have fun either way!