Synopsis
Two hundred years after beginning a quest to revive Earth's dying sun and thus preserve the base genetic stock from which galactic humanity sprang, Dr. Adela awakens from stasis and encounters the stagnant Empire government.
Reviews
This weak sequel to the authors' To Save the Sun tries to invoke the look and feel of old-time science fiction. Adela de Montgarde, creator of the prequel's eponymous project, is revived after 200 years of "cryosleep" to find that her son Eric is emperor of an intergalactic empire that has been rendered obsolete by "instantaneous communication" (which is a recurrent mantra of today's hard SF). Meanwhile, a man calling himself "Jephthah" disseminates hateful, chauvinistic propaganda through the increasingly balkanized human colonies. He targets first the alien Sarpans (who assisted on the project to save the dying Sun) and then another, apparently more primitive, alien race. There is a curious subplot about Aborigines and the need of their allegedly homogeneous society to maintain old ways. Billy Woorunmarra's attempt at an ethereal form of multiculturalism is, however, undermined by being presented with the same presumptuous narrative voice as the rest of the novel. There is little doubt where the authors' politically correct sympathies lie-the characters are more mouthpieces than beings-and the renderings, especially of Jephthah, make pedestrian several scenes that should have been interesting. It must be granted that the two authors have melded their voices well: the narrative has a single, strident tone.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The sequel to To Save the Sun (1992) shares the previous book's large-canvas premise as the Empire of the Hundred Worlds pursues a generation-spanning project to save Earth's dying sun. Despite the hard-science backdrop, much of the plot concerns Lord Jephthah, a mysterious demagogue who preaches hatred of the alien Sarpan. Now the discovery of still another new race on a distant planet sends the finest minds of the Empire to study it--as does Jephthah, who seeks new evidence to discredit the Emperor, followed by Imperial agents hoping to catch Jephthah. Many of the central characters from the previous volume--long-lived through life- extension technology or cryogenic sleep--make return appearances. In an interesting, but insufficiently developed subplot, an Australian aborigine leader named Billy Woorunmarra attempts to reconnect his far-flung people with their traditions. Well-paced, if sometimes melodramatic; overall an improvement over its predecessor. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Emerging from two centuries of cold sleep to oversee the culmination of her life's work-the revitalization of Earth's dying sun-Dr. Adela de Montgarde discovers that the Empire of the Hundred Worlds now hovers on the brink of dissolution. Combining hard science and political intrigue in the tradition of classic sf, this collaborative effort by Bova (Death Dream, LJ 5/15/94) and Austin features dependable writing and sympathetic characters. A good choice for most sf collections.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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