Customer Reviews

The Wooden Spaceships

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

 

 

Just to set things straight- "The Wooden Spaceships" is the 2nd in a trilogy all of which were indeed published in the late 1980s. The first volume is "The Ragged Astronauts" which introduces Toller, his planet Land and the growing problem that leads to the great migration to Overland. The 3rd book is "The Fugitive Worlds" whose main character is one of Toller's descendants returning to see what has become of Land and Overland.

What seems to have been lost in the previous reviews is any kind of synopsis. These three books give a detailed insight into a finely wrought alien world with deadly floating plants, timber harder than steel and the fantastic notion of being able to loft a balloon to the LaGrange point between two intertwined planets and launch primitive ships into space. Brilliant and beautifully realized. An awesome trilogy that deserves far greater recognition, as does its sadly deceased author.

A diamond in the rough. Two planets are in such a close orbit that their atmospheres touch and men in "wooden spaceships" travel from one planet to the other. Supposed to be the first in a series of three books. The second was published as "Ragged Astronauts". This reviewer never found the third book in the series

Bob Shaw was one of the greatest SF authors that ever lived, and in my opinion, second only to the incomparable Philip Jose Farmer. Bob Shaw's great strength as an author ( in any type of genre) is his brilliant interplay between his characters - they really come to life. Your heart will beat fast and you will be totally drawn in to this series, with the tension between the main character Toller, and his enemies. Shaw's science concepts are also brilliant and believable, and well researched , so his worlds and ideas are so feasible you will be sold completely.
"The Wooden Spaceships" is the sequel to the brilliant " Ragged Astronauts" and the trilogy is completed by " The Fugitive Worlds". This is a series I have read over again, and each time I marvel at the genius of Bob Shaw.
Do yourself a favour and read this if you can find it. It is a tragedy some of these books are out of print ! No-one with a sense of wonder should be denied the joy of reading Bob Shaw !

Toller is back as a restless, well known legendary figure, 24 years after war and calamity on Land made him a hero. After escaping to Overland, the twin planet, he has settled down to a quiet life. He welcomes a new chance for adventure when a small band of survivors that remained on Land, have come to Overland to claim it as their own. The story reveals what they have become, and how an alien race from a third planet helped to create them. The book is taken up with the new battle between Land and Overland, and then with another adventure to Farland, the mysterious third planet in the system. It is not as exciting or as suspenseful as the first book, but it is still filled with great visual scenes and memorable characters. It is well written and entertaining to the end. These books were a great contribution to the field by Shaw.

Wooden spaceships was the 'second' book in the series.Toller is killed in it,so I doubt there is a third book,but you never know. The ragged Astronauts is the first in the series.