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Dark Beyond The Stars, The [Hardcover]

Frank M Robinson (Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: Jun 15 1991

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....

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

Hardcover
Publisher: Tor Books (Jun 15 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312851669
ISBN-13: 978-0312851668
Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14.7 x 2.8 cm
Shipping Weight: 431 g

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #752,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

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.

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.

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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

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Customer Reviews

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16 reviews

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4.0 out of 5 stars Mutiny on the Astron April 10 2004

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

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5.0 out of 5 stars An unforgetable read Jun 12 2003

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.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great read! Oct 28 2002

By Yik Ran Au Yong

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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