NEVERNESS

Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: "Neverness" is an awesome book, by which I mean you will simply be in awe of both the novel and its author. David Zindell has crafted a universe so entirely full of fascinating people, creatures, ideas and institutions that I can't even fathom how he could have kept everything straight in his head. (Think of a world as rich as "Dune" but set on Arrakis' opposite number: the frost-evoking world of Icefall.)

Zindell manages to discuss two of the weightiest questions known to man without sounding foolish: "Is there a god?" and "What is the secret of life?" Along the way, he throws in "How can we live forever?" and "How do I save the universe?" And even when Zindell's characters discover the answers to these questions, there are still more questions to be asked.

The breathtaking scope of Neverness (equalled, in my mind, only by the aforementioned "Dune" and perhaps Vernor Vinge's "A Fire Upon the Deep" and Asimov's "Foundation" series) inspires me to give the book a five-star rating, though it does have some flaws. For one, Zindell introduces a critical feature of Neverness's universe way too late in the game (a sort of Fermat's Last Theorem-type hunt). In other instances, he is inconsistent in describing his character's emotions. (One example: The protagonist is bereft when a dog dies, because he has neither seen nor even contemplated a dead creature before. However, this same man rather blithely accepts the fact that most of his class of journeyman star pilots will die before graduation.)

But, overall, if you like truly epic and philosophical literature, this is a book for you. I am eagerly looking forward to reading Zindell's three sequels.

Rating:
Summary: one of the best sf first novels of recent years
Review: a long (500 pp) but involving book set on an original world where pilots solve math theorems in order to travel through "thickspace." especially good descriptions of the cold-climate culture of the planet. likable characters too. this is the first volume of a series; the sequel, Broken God, is supposed to be even better, full of philosophical insights

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Sci Fi
Review: David Zindell is one of those authors whose works are just too subtle, complex and intelligent to capture mass market attention. However, I believe that the "Neverness" series will eventually be recognized as one of the great sci fi epics of all time. I have read "Neverness" several times and I always find something new. Aside from the fascinating characters and imaginative plot, Zindell raises compelling questions about consciousness, death, selfhood, love, cruelty, and the purpose of life. Through Zindell's many references to scientific, literary and religious thought (from Schoedinger's Cat to William Blake to Hindu mythology), we eventually come to realize that the technology may change, but the questions humankind asks the universe remain the same. This book is challenging and not for everyone: you need to be the kind of person who enjoys a long, complex story that makes you think.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Sci Fi
Review: David Zindell is one of those authors whose works are just too subtle, complex and intelligent to capture mass market attention. However, I believe that the "Neverness" series will eventually be recognized as one of the great sci fi epics of all time. I have read "Neverness" several times and I always find something new. Aside from the fascinating characters and imaginative plot, Zindell raises compelling questions about consciousness, death, selfhood, love, cruelty, and the purpose of life. Through Zindell's many references to scientific, literary and religious thought (from Schoedinger's Cat to William Blake to Hindu mythology), we eventually come to realize that the technology may change, but the questions humankind asks the universe remain the same. This book is challenging and not for everyone: you need to be the kind of person who enjoys a long, complex story that makes you think.

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: David Zindell possesses a powerful imagination and an understaing many far flung philosophies and mythologies. Unlike Dune, wich creates creates a vivid picture of a single hostile world, Zindell creates a vast, diverse, and mysterious universe and the microbes, animals and gods that populate it.

Able to tell a story about bending space with pure mathematics in his conception of jargon in the future without obscuring his story, Zindell takes us through every shade of human emotion as one man struggles to find his place in the universe. While this book is not for everyone, those who enjoy phiulosphical musings or fantasy borne of extremely gifted imagination will love this book. For all you Dune lovers out there, you may find this hard to accept, but I liked this book better.

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: David Zindell possesses a powerful imagination and an understaing many far flung philosophies and mythologies. Unlike Dune, wich creates creates a vivid picture of a single hostile world, Zindell creates a vast, diverse, and mysterious universe and the microbes, animals and gods that populate it.

Able to tell a story about bending space with pure mathematics in his conception of jargon in the future without obscuring his story, Zindell takes us through every shade of human emotion as one man struggles to find his place in the universe. While this book is not for everyone, those who enjoy phiulosphical musings or fantasy borne of extremely gifted imagination will love this book. For all you Dune lovers out there, you may find this hard to accept, but I liked this book better.

Rating:
Summary: A Rich Tapestry
Review: David Zindell's "Neverness" remains one of my favorite works of science fiction, a well written novel and a spectacular piece of world building, which is what scifi/fantasy is all about. If you are familiar with the book, there is nothing more to say. If you are not, and are reading these reviews to determine whether you want to bother with "Neverness", let me advise you to indulge yourself and read it. The influence of Frank Herbert and Ursula K. LeGuin is very pronounced, and if Zindell were not such a good writer his borrowing of plot devices from those two authors might seem derivative. Happily it does not. Like Gene Wolfe, Zindell has a talent for bending the English language to create the feeling of a different age-- but I believe that is the result of two fine writers thinking alike .

The story is episodic, taking Mallory Ringness across a city, across the stars, and across at least two worlds. Readers will have their own favorites among these journeys, but I feel they all mesh rather well. It is this combination of backgrounds (academic infighting, chatting with gods, living the life of Neaderthals on an ice bound world)that give "Neverness" its rich textures-- the book really is like a tapestry of many bright threads.

Zindell was expected to produce a sequel to Neverness in short order. He did not. What he produced, quite a few years later, was a series of books often called "Requiem for Homo Sapiens". His feeling about Neverness and the Order of Pilots appear to have changed. Some of his readers feel that while they are admirable, the subsequent works are not quite up to the standard of the first. Others disagree. A reader coming to Zindell for the first time can therefore choose to read "Neverness" as a stand alone novel or as the first book of a story that continues with "Broken God" and others.

Rating:
Summary: Sci-fi philosophy the way it should be done
Review: Hidden behind a poorly motivated story is a man's fascinating search for the meaning of life. His debates with various entities through the course of the story were interesting and smart. This book is certain to leave you thinking, and hopefully debating with your friends. On the downside, there is a large chunk in the middle of the novel where the characters live with some Fremen-inspired, Eskimo-like cavemen. Unless you enjoy reading detailed descriptions on the art of eating seal blubber, this could be a stumbling block in the otherwise smooth flow of the narrative.

Rating:
Summary: David Zindell is a sci-fi genius
Review: I am currently reading book four of the series of requiem for homo sapiens. I have had to practically pry my nose out of all four just to get things done. I love this serious and would recommend it to anyone interested in reading sci-fi. The characters are realistic, the writing is clear and fascinating, and I am amazed it hasn't been read by more sci-fi lovers.

Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking
Review: I found Neverness oddly unengaging, but a rewarding book nonetheless. Zindell's evocation of harsh environments of Neverness equals Aldiss's Helliconia Spring. Although his characters aren memorable, I never really warmed to Mallory, and therin lies my problem. I think Zindell is actually more original than Dan Simmons, his obvious rival. I liked the take on space travel; rather than the 'space-travel according to Niven' that most Hard-SF authors use as a basis, Zindell creates a language of FTL travel which stems from the theoretical language of space-time physics, but is pure poetry. This is a far more subtle and literary way of doing things; I could imagine Burgess being impressed by it. Simply, Zindell's place is not to describe how a starship works (leave that to NASA), but rather give you an idea of what star-travel might be like. After all, even Niven, Baxter, Hamilton and the rest of them fudge the physics like crazy. The creation of place through new language is something Zindell uses a lot, sometimes reducing himself to using silly words (Fenestrate?), but more often, succeeding in his quest to make a strange future visualisable.