Customer Reviews

Void Captain's Tale

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

 

 

In an undefinedly distant future, humankind navigates to the stars using alien "Jump" technology aboard each Void Ship, which technology must be controlled by a Pilot, who must be female and who experiences orgasmic ecstasy with each Jump. The ship's captain, ostensibly in charge, is at the mercy of the Pilot.

Our protagonist is Genro Kane Gupta, Void Captain of the Dragon Zephyr. The events of the story are kicked off when he encounters an attractive woman enroute to his ship, a woman whom to his surprise turns out to be Jump Pilot Dominique Alia Wu-surprise because Pilots tend to be wasted, emaciated creatures who live only for their next Jump. He becomes infatuated with her, haunted by the thought of the Jump ecstasy forever denied him, and neglects his duty to his passengers (which includes participating in the sexually charged social rituals used to distract them from the long voyage). And Dominique has a request for him: in his responsibility as Captain, neglect to set the navigation matrix so that the ship Jumps Blind. She believes it will free her soul to join the Void in permanent ecstasy, and of course she doesn't care what happens to the ship. Will he do it? Well, that would be telling.

One of the great aspects of science fiction is that it can put people into situations they would not encounter out of science fiction, and this is an example of that. Spinrad completes a tour-de-force with a masterful futuristic patois that is a hodgepodge of today's major languages and as such can be followed with some slight strain by the attentive reader.

A good read and a haunting story, though not for those who are easily offended by sexual situations.

Well, this is a blast from the past. I was very surprised to see this listed as 'new in paperback', but then there does seem to be a swathe of classics being re-released.

Is this a classic? Not sure. It must be around 20 years old now, and certainly when first released it was regarded as prime new wave material - advetised in *Omni* no less! But of course age doesn't make it a classic.

It's certainly original: I can't think of any other tale in the genre predicated on starships propelled across space by the power of orgasm. But that doesn't mean this is a sex fantasy either. Spinrad makes the idea work, and casts the captain of his ship into a credible (at least within this premise) dilemma, and eventually a real bind ... with a very new wave lack-of-ending to boot.

The genre may have moved on from the needs to break through barriers of editorial conservatism that - in part - inspired books like this. In some ways 'The Void Captain's Tale' will seem terribly dated, and I have to say that I think other wirters have since tackled broadly similar ideas and one it better. So this re-release may be of more interest to people who are bona-fide fans of 70's sci-fi than to the general reader.

But if you want some idea of where the genre has come from, it's worth a look.

"The Void Captain's Tale" is one of those alternately frustrating and rewarding books that leaves you intrigued by the imaginative ideas in the fiction but somewhat disappointed it did not amount to more.

Basically, this is an ingenious narrative with a simple plot twist about what happens when an individual's personal morality clashes with his professional duties and the ethics of society. As such, it works best when Spinrad stays focused on the internal conflict between (and within) Captain Genro Kane Gupta and Void Pilot Dominique Alia Wu, and the latter's attempt to seduce Gupta into betraying his own command for the sake of exploring what they both believe is the destiny of their souls.

The ultimate test comes when Gupta must decide whether to send the starship Dragon Zephyr on a Blind Jump through the universe to learn the secrets of what lies beyond the Great and Only Unknown (and thereby risk the lives of all on board), or to deny Wu and himself the fulfillment of their mutual heart's desire. Because Spinrad cleverly postulates the idea of a stardrive based on the power of female orgasm to complete a Jump Circuit, sex is necessarily an important factor in moving the ship (and the story) forward.

However, this is much more of an intellectual journey than an erotic passage, and the author tends to emphasize the philosophical quest of Gupta and Wu at the expense of examining their emotions or physical chemistry together. A hot and sweaty description of intimate encounters it is not.

Instead, on the one hand, Gupta is confronted with the chance to unravel the mystery of our species' existence in time and space. On the other, he faces the potentially terrifying consequences of placing his ego above his conscience. The conclusion he reaches, and the choice he makes, is the engine that advances the plot. And although Spinrad introduces some interesting secondary characters along the way (most notably Lorenza Kareen Patali, the ship's cultural hostess, and Maddhi Boddhi Clear, a dissolute seeker of truth), "The Void Captain's Tale" is essentially about the dramatic tension between following one's dreams versus mastering one's fate.

This is the sixth Norman Spinrad novel I've read, and if it isn't as creative and finely nuanced as "Little Heroes" or "Pictures At 11," it isn't as dense and dull as "Child of Fortune" or "The Mind Game" either. Spinrad's fondness for metaphysical transcendentalism and polyglot psychobabble is still here, but it isn't as annoying or pretentious, and his storytelling style is far more disciplined. Furthermore, in spite of his occasionally awkward dialogue and tedious exposition, he often manages to produce prose that borders on pure poetry. Take this line, for instance:

"... And so our spirits touch in exile in this shadow realm ... and comfort each other as best they can."

Or this:

"From nothing are we born, to nothing do we go; the universe we know is but the void looped back upon itself, and form is but illusion's final veil."

No, it isn't brilliant, inspired writing, but it does work well enough most of the time to get its point across. Throughout the more prosaic parts of the book, Spinrad drops lots of such tiny literary gems and nuggets that will leave you re-reading them with a serendipitous sense of appreciation for his lovely, lyrical turns of phrase or sudden glimpses of insight. In other words, if you're looking for a suspenseful potboiler or page-turner, "The Void Captain's Tale" is probably not what you want. But if you are in the mood to stretch your concept of science fiction past the genre's typical fascination with technology over humanity, this is a novel that will offer you something different, unexpected, and worthwhile.

Do not make the mistake of thinking The Void Captain's Tale is science fiction. It is not.

Yes, the entire novel takes place off the ground, in spacegoing vessels. But this novel is an exploration of the universe not in terms of its physicality but in terms of its ultimate essence, i.e. the great unknown. Why exactly have we never found other civilizations? What lies beyond the limits of knowability? What is the "Great and Only"?

It is also a disturbing story of a man's incomprehensible drive toward self-destruction, and a morality tale like I have never before encountered.

I'm not a writer (but Spinrad is, and he's amazing), so don't expect this mini-review to even begin to adequately describe how I feel about this book. It's not an easy read - it takes work to get through it, and understand it. But what rewarding work it is!

I have read (parts of) a couple other of Spinrad's works. They were OK. This one is different, way different and way better. I will go out on a limb and describe The Void Captain's Tale in a way I rarely describe anything. In my opinion, it is Great Literature. Don't miss it.

I have to admit that when I first started Spinrad's novel I found the tone and the use of so many foriegn words pretentious and irritating. However, a third or half way through, I was hooked; Spinrad's description of the human relationship that develops between the captain and the unique pilot, and of the tension the captain feels between his duty and his obsessive lust for the transcendent experience the pilot opens his eyes too, are compelling. Spinrad creates a strange alien setting, but uses it to describe emotions and dilemmas that are timeless and universal, with which most readers should be able to identify.

In this novel of the "Second Starfaring Age", Norman Spinrad has us on the starship Dragon Zephyr, a ship that instantaneously jumps from point to point in it's travels between star systems, covering several light years with each jump. The pilot of the ship (always a female) is an integral part of the jump circuit, and she enters a seemingly subjective state of ecstasy during these jumps. Captain Genro Kane Gupta becomes infatuated with the pilot and this leads to a terrible conundrum. In addition, there are also many passengers on this starship, and they lead a life of luxury in a complicated cultural and erotic lifestyle. The emotional lives of the crewmen and passengers are meticulously detailed by Spinrad, this being a well done and positive aspect of the novel, lending support to a superbly structured plot.

My only criticism is that I felt that Spinrad used a convoluted sentence structure much of the time, that coupled with frequent use of arcane words really did make this novel a chore to read, at least for me. Overall though, well worth reading.

A tragedy, told via the device of a captain's log. Interstellar travel is possible with the assistance of special women trained to provide the human element to make it possible. Any problems they are having can throw up with one these jumps of huge distance, getting people hopelessly lost.

When one such pilot meets our Void Captain, a relationship that is never supposed to happen for professional reasons has extreme consequences.

Transcendence is no simple affair. It's certainly no literal matter. Religions try to manipulate our impulses to transcendence but religions are easy to refute because they reek of human inventiveness but try so hard to hide that. And religious tales of transcendence are full of holes, so instead belief is demanded and submission to the authority of a few is encouraged.

To the contrary, Spinrad's tale of transcendence, however fantastic, is not readily dismissed. It lingers, having pointed directly at the human dilemma, being torn between what's practical and what our hearts really long for. But Sprinrad is no scripture writer, no temple is erected, and yet every reader can be enpowered. Who needs a contrived God when anyone can look out at the stars and feel overwhelmed by the Void, when everyone's heart feels ready to make the Blind Jump? ... Did you jump? The others seem to have forgotten. But Void Pilot Dominique Alia Wu is not to be forgotten. Can you captain the Void? This remarkable book with intoxicating language may help you answer that.

Dragon Zephyr Void Captain Genro Kane Gupta delivers goods and passengers to Estrella Bonita. During a stop Genro meets beautiful Dominique Alia Wu. The woman is a shocker because she is a jump pilot. Everyone knows that jump pilots are physically wasted, as they are the keys to interstellar jumps that each time kills them a little more. This makes Dominique an enigma.

Dominique asks Genro to jump blind. His failing to set the proper navigational mix will free her so that she lands in eternal ecstasy inside the Void. Fascinated by her, he leans towards neglecting his duty to his crew, passengers and himself because no one knows what will happen if a ship jumps blind.

Though at times the use of "modern vernacular" slows down the story line because the reader needs time to interpret, THE VOID CAPTAIN'S TALE remains a strong science fiction novel. The theme compares sexual prowess with power and the hold that sexual needs have on humans (Freud must have been a passenger on the Dragon Zephyr). The tale is different, but works on several levels because readers can feel the magnetic tension between the Void Captain and the Void Pilot. First released in the 1980s Norman Spinrad's novel still spins quite a tale...

This being the first Spinrad book I've read, I must say that his themes seem refreshingly different from most scifi-authors: The Void Captain's Tale is mainly about sexuality and its power over us human beings. The traditional, coldly rational scifi attitude is visible in the writing style: this is an objective, non-emotional account of some rude and primitive incidences. Spinrad's ideas are certainly worth considering, so what he lacks is textual appeal. As a storyteller, he doesn't show much gift.

Decide for yourselves. If you like good stories, you need not bother. If you like deep thoughts (and you're not a stranger to the scifi environment), go ahead and read this.