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But if you're enraptured by a plausible alien civilization that uses almost future-magic technology which is nevertheless comprehensible (especially if you're an avid reader of physics journals or popularizations), then this book will be one of your favorites.
Negatives: Bob Forward is at his best when writing about the science; he is weakest when writing dialog. For the alien dialog, this isn't really a problem, but sometimes the way his human characters phrase their sentences will make one wince. I found this fairly easy to overlook, but others may not.
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For SF lovers, note that Robert D. Forward is not the same as Robert L. Forward, the science fiction writer.
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to time contraints. He was later able to write the "expanded"
version titled "Rocheworld", which you should buy if you
just want to read the novel. If you just want to have the
original for your collection, buy this one also.
A probe from earth discovers life on a distant double planet.
No further information is transmitted from the probe.
A research team is scrambled from earth. The team knows it will never return back.
The book describes very poetic their journey and the difficulties encountered by the engineering team on earth to keep this spaceship operating.
When the spaceship arrives, they unexpectedly encounter an intelligent lifeform.
The aliens are a friendly species mostly occupied by mathematic problems.
Though very interested in their new visitors.
Everything doesn't go as planned - but then again - they seldom do.
Although this seems detailed - but the good stuff has been left out.
No violence - but a very beutifull and rich detailed story.
Figures to explain the technical stuff is included and of excellent nature.
I read it first time in german. I think it is originally french.
Karsten Jeppesen
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Yeah, there's a bunch of "hard" science in here, but not as much as some of the other reviews make it seem. I disagree with the reviewer who thinks the author pokes some fun at humanity as he tracks the Cheela. Instead, it seems he presents some strong moral lessons along with the Cheela's history, and invites the reader to compare how we (humans) have faced the same challenges. As allegory, this is a superb story.
The writing at the beginning is a bit dry, but don't give up on it. As the plot and narrative style unfold, the pace picks up, and the story blossoms.
This book is best appreciated by the young and impressionable.
I first read it when I fit into that category, and for many years its insights haunted my reality. When I went back to it, still many more years later, I wasn't as bowled over by some of the revelations as I had been the first time through. Partly, this was because I'd explored the author's ideas in greater depth from the perspectives of other disciplines, and partly because there's a tinge of cynicism that creeps in over the years.
For all that, I still rate it as one of my top ten books of all time (and I've read thousands). Admittedly, it didn't make it there because of an elegant prose style. That short coming, however, is more than compensated for by its ability to provoke reflection on so many levels, and in so many disciplines, that one comes to treat the author's visions as touchstones.
A perfect follow-up for this book is Arthur C. Clarke's RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA. It also presents a first contact story from a totally different, though equally thought-provoking, perspective.
But if you're enraptured by a plausible alien civilization that uses almost future-magic technology which is nevertheless comprehensible (especially if you're an avid reader of physics journals or popularizations), then this book will be one of your favorites.
Negatives: Bob Forward is at his best when writing about the science; he is weakest when writing dialog. For the alien dialog, this isn't really a problem, but sometimes the way his human characters phrase their sentences will make one wince. I found this fairly easy to overlook, but others may not.
Bob Forward is a bit old-fashioned on his love and sex, as many equally talented hard science writers are, but I don't care - This is his best book for a story. Also read Camelot 30K which has similar aliens but without contact.
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Forward consists of four novelettes separated by ten years each. Hari Seldon is the main character throughout the work and the description of his aging from 40 to 70 seems to reflect on Asimov's own disillusionment with the aging process. The first three parts each eliminate a major character from Prelude in order to provide a seamless transition into the original Foundation trilogy written in the 1950's. The last part gives details on Seldon's development of the Second Foundation.
Forward isn't stellar but is quite engaging and a good read overall. I felt that the individual stories served as more than adequately convincing links betweeen Prelude and Foundation. Part 4 and the Epilogue overlap slightly with the first story in Foundation. I did find the ending to Part 2 to be particularly weak. I've read the entire Foundation series now and didn't notice any "spoilers" in Forward that ruined anything for me. The location of the Second Foundation is fortunately *not* revealed in Forward. It's worth the read and is a great linking book.