Twenty years after the discovery of artificial wormholes launches Earth space exploration to unforeseeable heights, Starplex Director Keith Lansing investigates a mysterious vessel that soon threatens the station with intergalactic war.
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Book Description
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From Library Journal
Multiple award-winning Canadian author Sawyer offers an epic hard-science space adventure full of technical descriptions of starships and physics tempered by human concerns. In 2094, scientists on the Starplex study the mysterious artificial wormholes that make space travel routine and convenient. Then the wormholes' creators appear, and the scientists must understand and communicate with them to save the galaxy. Highly recommended for sf collections.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Entertaining and episodic, Starplex is a tale of interstellar exploration and adventure rather like a reconceptualized and debugged Star Trek. In the twenty-first century, the human race has both developed faster-than-light travel and contacted nonhuman intelligent races. Starplex, under the command of Keith Lansing, is one of the contact makers. Lansing faces hostile crew members, the personal and cultural idiosyncracies of nonhumans, the problems of first contact, and a marriage that may be deteriorating. No one, probably including Sawyer, will claim great originality for the yarn. Technically, it is good rather than great, yet it emphatically works, will draw readers, and may be the opening of a long-running series. Roland Green
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Keith
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Sawyer's foray into space opera and space adventure is a fun book to read, but lacks the depth of (human) characterization and philosophical thought that are the strengths of his later works. The book's strengths include
1. the Ib Race -- a brilliant construct
2. the dark matter entities
3. the enigmatic glass man
4. the tightly woven plot threads
5. an interesting twist on the gateway concept
1. the Ib Race -- a brilliant construct
2. the dark matter entities
3. the enigmatic glass man
4. the tightly woven plot threads
5. an interesting twist on the gateway concept
The book's weaknesses include
1. a weak protagonist
2. too many "Star Trek"-like devices (tractor beams, force fields)
3. uneven treatment of the human-Walhal (the pig creatures) dynamics.
Unlike many of the (harsh) negative critics below, I found the book quite enjoyable, even if there is some hand-waving here and there. It's not like that hasn't been done before in SF. And just to set the matter straight, Sawyer does NOT imply that laser beams are visible (he clearly states that the computer animated the laser fire in a holographic display) and he does not say that a spaceship swerves to avoid direct laser fire; what he does say is that a spaceship maneuvers to avoid another, spinning spaceship which happens to be firing a laser.
The book is enjoyable science fiction. The key word in this phrase is fiction.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By "jburton75"
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Robert J. Sawyer's book "Starplex" was one of the most entertaining, thought-provoking, and mind-twisting books I've read in a long time.
To begin, Sawyer is an excellent writer. Plotting, dialogue, and human drama aspects are all well-represented here. He also never loses sight of using humor, awe (in its truest sense), human limitations, and philosophical twists to create realities that are at once far, far away, yet understandable.
I'm sure Robert J. Sawyer has his critics - every writer does. Bottom line here, though, is that Sawyer has created his own voice with which to tell great stories (science fiction and otherwise), and Starplex is one of his best.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This book has a little bit of everything. Mr. Sawyer's imagination is excellent. The story-line is a little weak in a couple of areas (thus, no 10); however, overall, the writing, characters, and plot are far above average.
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3.4 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
a must for any and every sci-fi fan
Part 'Star Trek', part 'Stargate'... This is one of THE BEST sci-fi novels EVER : full of hard science, drama, action, mystery... you name it. Read more
Published on April 2 2011 by darcmarc
1.0 out of 5 stars
...
At first glance, it may seem like a hard SF reformulation of Star Trek. Then you realize the tachyon beams, warp speed, subspace disturbances, ... Read more
Published on July 24 2001
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another intelligent SF novel from Sawyer...
Upon reaching the stars, mankind discovered wormholes. Artificially generated, these tunnels allowed transport from one part of space to areas light-years away. Read more
Published on July 14 2001 by Jonathan Burgoine
5.0 out of 5 stars
Starplex
Starplex is good as Hawking, Wheeler, and Thorne. Rob Sawyer's gedanken experiments on dark matter, wormholes, black holes, time travel, etc. Read more
Published on May 27 2001 by ANTHONY STJOHN
2.0 out of 5 stars
Snoozeplex
Most of Starplex is a very dull read, packed with dense physics discussions that become tedious for the science-impaired. Read more
Published on Mar 11 2001 by BJ Fraser
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Wonderful
Frankly, I'm surprised at some of the reviews of this book. It looks as if some people just want to attack this poor man. This book is great! Read more
Published on Oct 21 2000 by Robert
2.0 out of 5 stars
Canadian disaster area
Boring, juvenile, absurd...the list goes on and on. Reads like an el cheapo ripoff of Star Trek. Particularly moronic are the aliens.
Published on Aug 17 2000 by omarbukka
2.0 out of 5 stars
Juvenile
Given the Hugo nomination and others' reviews, I expected more from this book. Some time is spent developing the main character, but most of the other players are bland,... Read more
Published on Aug 9 2000 by Ed Hotchkiss
2.0 out of 5 stars
His Worst Book
I read this when I was reading all the Hugo nominees that year and this was the most disappointing. I felt that this did not belong on the same platform with the other nominees. Read more
Published on Jun 13 2000 by "elemming"
5.0 out of 5 stars
This a very worthwhile read
I have enjoyed a few of Sawyer's later works(Frameshift,Factoring Humanity)but this earlier work was far better. The characterizations are good which is the usual for Sawyer. Read more
Published on Feb 11 2000 by Jason M. Diller
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