For two thousand years, the starship Astron has search the galaxy for alien life--without success. Now, just as the ship is falling apart, the only direction left to explore is across the Dark, a one-hundred-generation journey through empty space.The ship`s captain--immortal, obessed--refuses to abandon the quest. He will cross the Dark, or destroy the ship trying.Only Sparrow, a young crewman uncertain of his own past, can stand against the captain, and against the lure and challenge of the dark beyond the stars......
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From Publishers Weekly
Sparrow is a crew member on the Astron , a multigenerational ship sent from earth on an unavailing, 2000-year search for other life-bearing worlds. On the last planet, Seti IV, Sparrow fell off a cliff and nearly died, losing his memory in the process. While recovering in sick bay and also while back on the job, he is beset by more accidents. Eventually he decides that someone is trying to kill him. Trying to find out who and why, Sparrow is plunged into an ever-deepening mystery; nobody will discuss his past with him, the computer has restricted his data, and the little he does discover about his history leads only to further secrets. Robinson ( The Power ) plants plenty of clues for the reader, scattering them skillfully amid exciting action and dialogue. The technical and social aspects of a centuries-long voyage are ingenious and clearly depicted. This is a welcome variation on an old SF theme, and the writing easily holds the reader's interest.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Aboard the generation ship Astron , bound on a mission to seek out life amid the stars, an insane captain resolves to lead his crew into empty space (and almost certain death), while a crewman struggles to retrieve his lost memories so that the last remnants of humanity can survive. Best known for his coauthorship with Thomas N. Scortia of The Glass Inferno ( LJ 7/74), Robinson demonstrates his storytelling expertise in a gripping psychological sf drama that belongs in most libraries.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
The author is indebted to the following for their advice and suggestions: Mark Hall of Berkeley for his modern views of ancient man; Dr. John O'Brien for information on broken arms and emergency room traumas; Professor Sidney Coleman of Harvard for the vagaries of time relative to interstellar speeds; Maude Kirk for reading portions of the initial draft and offering valuable insights; Robert Austin of Synetic Systems of Seattle for input on "artificial realities" and future computers; Jeff Windle, who cheerfully shared his enthusiasm for rock climbing; Charles N. Brown, who had helpful views on subtext in novels; and Chuck Fruchey, Bob Stephens, Sherry Gottlieb, David Moloney and Richard A. Lupoff, all of whom gave valuable suggestions. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The author is indebted to the following for their advice and suggestions: Mark Hall of Berkeley for his modern views of ancient man; Dr. John O'Brien for information on broken arms and emergency room traumas; Professor Sidney Coleman of Harvard for the vagaries of time relative to interstellar speeds; Maude Kirk for reading portions of the initial draft and offering valuable insights; Robert Austin of Synetic Systems of Seattle for input on "artificial realities" and future computers; Jeff Windle, who cheerfully shared his enthusiasm for rock climbing; Charles N. Brown, who had helpful views on subtext in novels; and Chuck Fruchey, Bob Stephens, Sherry Gottlieb, David Moloney and Richard A. Lupoff, all of whom gave valuable suggestions. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
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By bernie
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
I first found Frank M. Robinson from the movie "The Power" with Michael Rene of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" fame. Later I read the book by the same name with a theme of struggle by superior people. Next I read "Waiting" surprise it was an anthropological theme about superior people. You guessed it; this is a sci-fi story that contains superior people. I am not saying that Frank is stuck in a rut; just that he seems to stick to his theme.
Sparrow is a victim of amnesia and can not remember anything before the accident. Naturally he has friends and unseen enemies with a few overt antagonists. He also finds himself on the Astron. The Astron is an ancient spaceship that is in need of repair. The Captain that seems like a nice guy, with one thought (find extra terrestrial life), is about to take the Astron on a journey through the dark beyond the stars. A journey that will exhaust the ship before reaching the other side. Some of the crew rather turn back to the point of mutiny. Who is Sparrow and who will he side with? More important why?
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
--from "Little Gidding,"
T.S. Eliot
By abt1950
Format:Paperback
I read "The Dark Beyond the Stars" shortly after its original publication in 1991 and was blown away by it at the time. I lost track of both the name and the author, but the plot stayed with me. Thanks to Google, I've rediscovered the bibliographic details and plan to reread the book in the near future.
This book is an engrossing piece of SF that blends many disparate elements into a coherent whole. It takes place on a decaying generations ship whose mission has been to search for sentient life. Robinson ably depicts the necessities of life in such a closed environment, but he also uses them as a backdrop against which to spin out other themes--the protagonist's search for identity, the captain's obsession with the mission and his endangerment of the crew, plus portrayals of love, friendship, rivalry, competition, and above all, loneliness.
The many plot twists and reversals make "The Dark Beyond the Stars" an exciting read, but what lingers afterwards is the humanity of its characters and their sense of aloneness in a big, dark universe.
Format:Paperback
I was just randomly choosing a second hand book at a bookstore and happened to pick this one up. The cover looks cheesy but there was something that made me feel that the book was going to be a good read and so, here I am writing a review about it! The characters are nicely developed and the climax builds up at a good pace (not too fast and not too slow). Most of the plots are explained in the end, although they may seem strange when the plots are happening. Mainly the theme of this book deals with the question of whether there is life out there in the vast universe, pitting both extremes against each other in the form of the mutiny, with Sparrow (the main character) being caught in the middle. There are also many interesting ideas of the changes in culture and customs in a closed environment of the generation-ship. Overall, this is one of the best sci-fi stories that I've read in a long time!
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4.5 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
surprising yet inevtiable
This is a beautifully-told, fascinating story that begins in a fairly straightforward, but enjoyable, direction and takes several 180-degree turns--moments that make you say, "Yes! Read more
Published on July 9 2002 by A Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the more enjoyable sci-fi reads
DBTS is one of the more fascinating sci-fi novels I've ever read (and I've read hundreds). One of the things I love most about it is that in a very short novel, Robinson manages... Read more
Published on Dec 19 2001 by Benjamynn Gabriel
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to finish
Not a very good book. It starts off okay, but soon begins to read like an unrevised first draft--the characters are cardboard, the dialogue sounds nothing like people really... Read more
Published on Oct 22 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
The stars are the limit
A great novel mixing the best elements of a little comedy, romance, action/suspense, mystery, and of course, SCI-FI! Read more
Published on Aug 6 2001 by josh bennett
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thoroughly enjoyable.
This book was highly entertaining, and peppered with big surprises. Just when you think you've got things figured out...
Published on Aug 2 2000 by Eric
4.0 out of 5 stars
Time Waits For No-one
This immensely thought-provoking sci-fi extravaganza must surely be the most vibrant depiction ever of the generation-ship concept. Read more
Published on July 28 2000 by Cartimand
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful
I enjoyed this book immensely. The Dark Beyond The Stars made me think about what it means to have LIFE. This is a beautiful book whose ending brought tears to my eyes. Read more
Published on July 14 2000 by sysgen
2.0 out of 5 stars
Incredibly tedious.
First person narrative consisting mainly of the uninformed scheming and random thoughts of the protagonist. Very little action or description. Read more
Published on April 5 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars
light in the dark
This is one of the best sf books that I've ever had the pleasure to read! It's one of those rare books that you can reread and never tire of doing so! Read more
Published on Jan 29 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of the best sci-fis I've ever read
This is one great book. I could not put it down. And you DO want to savor every word from his descriptions of the smells in a 2000 year old ship to the complex thoughts of the main... Read more
Published on July 1 1999
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