Customer Reviews

Voyage From Yesteryear

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

On the brink of nuclear war, Earth launches an Alpha Centauri probe that contains blueprints for DNA in digital form, hoping to start a human civilization that can escape the holocaust. Now, decades later, the New American Order (which sounds pretty fascist) sends the first mission from Earth to the new colony, only to find that its society is quite different from Earth's, and in some surprising ways. This is an excellent book, featuring some very imaginative hard SF concepts and far-reaching social commentary. In essence, it amounts to a libertarian manifesto, but in some ways Hogan goes farther than that. I have doubts about how workable his concept would be with a society numbering more than a few hundred thousand souls, but it certainly sounds attractive. Hogan's writing is expert, and his ear for the voice of the military grunts who are the focus of much of the book's action is unerring--kind of an interstellar MASH or Catch-22, if you take my meaning. This is one that I really didn't want to end.

This is a novel well worth reading because it makes you think. As always, Hogan is trying to think outside the box, and he tries to make the reader to do the same. In that, he succeeds in this very worthwhile novel.

The time is the late 21st century. There has been a third world war, and America and the world has more or less recovered from the aftermath. But America is transformed into a near-fascist state. There are hints that the Asians are practicing liberal democracy and that the Europeans are more or less junior rivals to America.

The novel involves a race by the three powers (America, Europe, and Asia) to re-establish contact with a colony established on Alpha Centauri's main planet--the colony had been jointly established prior to the war. The Americans arrive first, and the clash between the Americans and the colonists is the central theme of the book.

The main notion of the book is that people and nations carry their prejudices from generation to generation, and that it may take some form of "fresh start" to eliminate these prejudices. Hogan notes that America represented such a fresh start when it was founded, and Americans have shaken off much in the way of class structure and other undesireable components of European culture. Likewise, in his novel, the colonists have made a "fresh start," and have abolished racial prejudice (or even racial awareness), as well as any concept of a market economy or of the anglo-saxon justice system.

Hogan's basic premise makes sense--that a fresh start such as took place in America might help eradicate ancient prejudices. As he writes elsewhere, if we could somehow get one generation of the folks in Northern Ireland away from their parent's prejudices, this ancient quarrel would doubtless end for all time.

Unfortunately, some of Hogan's speculation fails to hold water. His replacement for a justice system is having people shoot bad guys out of hand. Only trouble with this is that it is exactly what people used to do a couple of centuries ago. This caused feuding and an endless cycle of family reprisals. So we invented courts. Here, Hogan has us going backwards, candidly probably due to his lack of historical knowledge in this regards. Similarly, Hogan postulates that the Centaurian colonists would abandone money and a market system because everyone would work their fair share and take their fair share--the notion is that productivity is so high with modern technology that there is no need to ration resources. Nonsense, as the fall of socialism/communism has shown. Human greed is limitless and there will always be a need to somehow ration labor and resources. Here, Hogan makes a nice try that falls flat. These are not major quibbles, by the way.

As a novel, Voyage From Yesteryear is so-so. The characters are not well developed, the storyline is murky, and the book rambles. In one sense you always know where it is going--a clash between the Americans and the colonists. But other than this broad theme, the book rambles erratically. You might think that these flaws render the book mediocre. That is not true. This novel's strengths are its ideas and speculations about both science and human societies. It is quite readable and does constitute a good read.

This is an interesting book with interesting ideas and speculation. It is well worth reading whether or not you agree with all of Hogan's speculation. This one gets 4 stars. That ain't bad.

I find this book a great story, easy to read, diffiuclt to put out.
Of course, there are some flaws, technology moved since the book's been written, but the story does not suffer from that!

I've read it several times and still come back to it from time to time.

The author's beliefs in evolution and mentioned ani-God bias may tweak the noses of some (mine too a bit) but let us be honest - that's how many people see "The Institutions" ot the state and the church. And the ideal society of Chironians - ;-) ... it is good to see that some people still believe we humans can escape from our "bad nature"

One of the foundations of SF is examining the consequences of science and technology on society. Here Hogan creates two diametrically opposed societies - those of Earth founded on limited resources and those of the newly colonized planet Chrion having unlimited resources. You won't find deep character development in this book, the focus is on the effects of technology on society - what we can become. Telling the story from the viewpoint of solders on the second colonization starship traveling and landing on the planet Chrion, Hogan explores his vision of what humanity can be. Chrionians value and trade respect, possessions are in abundence and free from automated factories. On the second colonization starship traveling from a militarized Earth, imagine the consequences to those powers to be when character matters! Unlimited resources you ask? Hogan postulates, the mind is a unlimited resource.

This story is about what could be built in the future if only we put away our old ideas. Our ideas about money, physics, government, military force and the nature of mankind. A fan of James P. Hogan knows what I am talking about. This book would also be good for fans of Robert A. Heinlein, L. Neil Smith or even L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Great ending that I didn't see coming the first time I red it. Almost wish there was a sequel!

A few years ago I bought a second hand copy of this book. During this time I must have read it at least once a year. I like it that much.

It is a book about what humanity could aspire to become if we can put away the mistakes of the past and present.

The arguments I've read that this is a unrealistic fantasy.... this is a book of fiction that portraits the thought and maybe the wishes of the author. You can agree with them or not.

This is one of the few books that I would recommend to a beginning SF reader. It is not too difficult and a pleasure to read, and unlike many other books you are not left with a feeling of light depression because every main character died or had some other terrible fate happen to them.

If you are interested in other works of Mr. Hogan I would recommend 'The Giant Novels' and 'The Genesis Machine'.

I loved this book, and have read it many times. I especially love the quasi-utopian society it depicts. I really think that a society like that could work, at least in basic principal. The Chironians are all very decent, logical, interesting people. I do think their habit of always carrying guns, and being very free in their use of them, although only for self-defense, is a bit troubling. That would be something that would definitely require a major change in the characters of our society's individuals. But that, along with the idea of trading in respect, rather than money (as long as their are sufficient commodities to satisy everyone--and that too would take some modifications in character, which would require teaching people through media and education), I think could and would be a very good thing.

One of my favorite books. Have read it at least 4 times. Wish I had never sold my Sci-Fi book club edition; because now I will have to pay more to get a new copy. This book along with The Healer (F. Paul Wilson) and The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress (RAH) changed my views on government and politics and freedom. It's also a damn fine story. I was up in the wee hours reading this book. Good hard SF and social commentary. Remember; reality is for those who can't handle science fiction.

Thought provoking look at what would happen in a world of sovereign individuals not bound by ideology, religious dogma or economic restraints, who have to defend their civilization against a well armed, fanatical aggressor - without killing the 30,000 people aboard the invader ship.

The book was shipped to me within a week. It is in great condition and everything looks great. Thank you very much!