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To the Stars (Hardcover)

by L. Ron Hubbard (Author)
Key Phrases: communicator man, tenth class, burly one, Hound of Heaven, Johnny's Landing, Alan Corday (more...)
4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Hubbard (1911–1986) was one of the great pulp writers, and this brief SF novel, initially published in two parts in 1950 by John W. Campbell in Astounding Science Fiction, is one of his finest works. In it, Hubbard embraces one of SF's deepest goals, to explore the emotional consequences of technological advance, by imagining the effect upon star-faring humans of the "basic equation of mass and time.... AS MASS APPROACHES INFINITY, TIME APPROACHES ZERO." That is, as those who travel to distant stars at near light speed experience, say, the passing of a year, those left behind will experience the passing of decades, centuries. And so young nobleman Alan Corday responds in horror when, on Earth, he's kidnapped to the interstellar trader Hound of Heaven by order of its notorious Captain Jocelyn, who needs a new officer. Alan resists joining starship society, but when he returns home from several adventures in hopes of rejoining his fiancée, he finds her an ancient amnesiac and himself a man out of time, with no real home but that of the cursed starship. In heated prose ("The quivering Hound of Heaven hurled herself on course, blazing bow to bridge with particle flame..."), Hubbard brilliantly evokes the vastness of space and the tragedy of those who would conquer it. The novel's turning point—Alan's reckoning with time's implacability—is narrated suspensefully, but comes as no surprise; what does impress immensely is Hubbard's handling of the bitter consequences of Alan's realization, as well as his believable detailing of starship society. Readers used to today's bloated SF tomes will appreciate Hubbard's ability to pack an epic into relatively few pages—this is indeed golden SF from the Golden Age.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"A leader among the crew of fast, versatile wordsmiths.: -- Publishers Weekly

"Anyone who doubts the sheer creative and visionary genius of L. Ron Hubbard need just read this novel!" -- Paul Goat Allen, Explorations B&N

'To the Stars, by L. Ron Hubbard, is one of the greatest science fiction novels that has ever been written." -- Jerry Pournelle, Author

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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 210 pages
  • Publisher: Galaxy Press (August 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1592121756
  • ISBN-13: 978-1592121755
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,307,611 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
communicator man, tenth class, burly one, naval aide, light bearer, high drive
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hound of Heaven, Johnny's Landing, Alan Corday, Captain Jocelyn, Mistress Luck, New Chicago, Regiment Hauber, Bill the Eye, Flea Circus, Alpha Centauri, Solar System, Miss Chica
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
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 (12)
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Ahead of its Time, December 9, 2004
By Adlen Hosier "Sunnygirl" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Science Fiction is not my typical reading genre but I was interested in the problem posed by the book about space travel as it nears the speed of light. I was very pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story and how fascinated I was with Alan Corday's increasingly difficult situation. Mr. Hubbard has a unique way of making the characters more important than the science fiction. I really loved reading this book and have recommended it to several people. I'd love to see a movie based on this. I'd also to comment that this story was written over 50 years go and must be one of the first if not the first to use the time dilation problem in a story.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Hubbard, December 14, 2004
L Ron Hubbard is an excellent SF writer and I have enjoyed his other stories - like Battlefield Earth. The book was awesome.

To the Stars, written 50 years ago, illustrates how innovative and forward thinking Hubbard was as an SF writer.

His ability to tell a story and bring his characters so vivdly to life is unsurpassed. I was immediately drawn into the dilemma of Alex Corday and the crew.

And the fact that he was one of the first to use the time/speed idea highlights his position as one of the greats of SF.

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but 200 pages too short..., May 23, 2005
By William Greer Jr. (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
First, I must admit that I am neither a die-hard Sci-Fi fan, nor even an L. Ron Hubbard fan. I am, however, a Chick Corea fan. Corea, a jazz pianist who is very much a Hubbard guy, recently released a recording en homage to this book. I had to check it out for myself.

I have to say that the framework, the bones, for a top-10-books-of-my-life quality read are here. The fundamental premise, the relative effect upon time as mass approaches light speed, is sufficiently mind-blowing to warrant reading the book. However, I found the plot and character development to fall somewhat short of the book's promise. Here are my gripes, enumerated:

- The story ultimately asks the reader to understand the deep personal nature of the relationship between Corday and Jocelyn when, in my opinion, it does little to develop that relationship throughout. Admittedly, much of what the story reveals is done as an epiphany, but I would like to have seen a little more foundation.
- The "Hound of Heaven" (and why does it have that name?) visits Earth several times during the story. For certain reasons, the "circumstances" on Earth are very different upon each visit. I thought that the details and stories surrounding and resulting from each visit, especially the final one, could have been expanded substantially, adding value to the story.
- A certain romance develops in the book. Or, I should say, develops in the final paragraph of the book. It's easy to see it coming; I thought Hubbard poorly ignored it until the denouement.
- There is another planet called "Johnny's Landing" (and why does it have that name?) which the "Hound" visits a couple of times. Again, there seems to be much to say of these visits, and many stories to tell, none of which are told.

Ultimately, I felt that I had read an abridged version of a great book, which amounted to a fair book in my estimation. Also, while I realize the book was written in a far different time Sci-Fi wise, it seems Hubbard could have arrived upon a better title than "To The Stars", which seems a trifle mailed-in to me.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars A Piece Of Science Fiction History
"To The Stars" by L. Ron Hubbard is one of the earliest works dealing with relativity and the time dilation effects of traveling close to the speed of light. Read more
Published on October 13, 2006 by Dave_42

5.0 out of 5 stars A Milestone in Science Fiction
'To the Stars' is a masterpiece of Science Fiction. An adventure across time and space, offering a haunting insight into the cultural decay of societies, and how history is often... Read more
Published on March 13, 2005 by Michael Delaware

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Read From L. Ron Hubbard
Protagonist, Alan Corday, forcibly "recruited" by crew of the "Hound of Heaven", trans-galactic merchant ship. Read more
Published on February 15, 2005 by Edward E. Marsh

5.0 out of 5 stars Dramatic and innovative science fiction
Not since Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series (vol. 5), have I been so emotionally moved by a story. Read more
Published on January 26, 2005 by Ganymede

5.0 out of 5 stars Hubbard takes you to the stars
The characters are REAL, the scientific theory is factual and the drama is intense. I have been a sci fi and fantasy fan all of my life and this book is one of the most well... Read more
Published on January 25, 2005 by Lynette D. H.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best I have read
This book took me on a journey to places I have never been and introduced me to colorful characters I which I could only hope to meet. Read more
Published on January 18, 2005 by Julie

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic
I loved this novel so much that I read it twice when it recently came out in hardcover. The characterization, plot line, drama and writing style is the work of a master--it will... Read more
Published on January 17, 2005 by Alley Demaree

5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging and engrossing
I like a book that (1) gets me involved and engrossed, and one that (2)challenges me to think. This book does both. It is rather amazing it was written when it was. Read more
Published on January 3, 2005 by Brian Parker

5.0 out of 5 stars Keeps you interested
I loved reading To the Stars. It made me think about space travel in a way I never had before. The characters are interesting and the book made me really appreciate how good we... Read more
Published on December 26, 2004 by Carla S. Moxon

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book from a classic writer
I read "To The Stars" some years ago and it still stays in my mind as one of the best Sci-Fi books I've read. Read more
Published on December 16, 2004 by Mike Zarnek

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