Neverness

by David Zindell

Book Overview

The price of greater life is death . . . . In an age of exploding stars and other cataclysmic galactic events in which Homo sapiens has long since split into different kinds, Mallory Ringess becomes a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553279033
• ISBN13: 9780553279030
• Release Date: June 1989
• Publisher: Spectra Books
• Length: 552 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great read, worth your time and energy

The comparisons of Zindell's "Neverness" to "Dune" are worth making and accurate. The two novels share a lot in commonand not just from the point of view that there are similarcharacters in similar roles. In fact that is the weakestsimilarity.It probably won't matter how long the books are read or whoreads them, they will probably never go out of date or becomesilly like so many other novels in the genre. These two bookswill endure. This is an amazing feat of vision and intellect.Both books are written about the far future, so far thateverything is foreign to us: the technology, the environments,the people, the gods, frequently the language. Even if thisis so, the author melds them together smoothly without missinganything or confusing the reader (for long anyway)."Neverness" and its "sequel" "The Broken God" are grand worksthat encompass whole populations, planets, mythologies,histories, philosophies, disciplines and their evolutions. In fact, the author frequently wanders off on some philosophical tangent. They are always deep, meaningful wanderings though, and it's obvious that the author has thought about these ideas a great deal. As a small point, I found that I didn't enjoy the time spend with the Alaloi (the neanderthal's), especially after the timespent in space exploring the solid state entity or the destruction of stars in the Vild. A small price to pay to get tothe rest of the novel.Zindell will discuss the meaning of life, the purpose oflife and man, he'll talk about the discoveries of manyscholars from a variety of disciplines (some of which arespecilizations of disciplines that he's created) on just thesetopics. Never does it seem arbritrary, never does it seemcontrived. All the opinions and ideas seem like they have comefrom long standing philosophies that have evolved over centuries. I'm impressed that he's done this and before readingit, I wouldn't have thought that it would be possible to be donewith such believability.Certainly a great read and one of the gems of science fiction.

amazing

I've read science fiction all my life. Some good some less than mediocre. I'll give you a couple sentences on the key authors. If you agree with these, you'll appreciate my opinion of David Zindell. Isaac Asismov - Each book revolves around one very good concept. The text is mainly soap opera filler. Ray Bradbury - completely predictable. No surprises, but at times enjoyable. Arthur C. Clarke - Insightful ideas. Has something important to say once every couple of hundred pages. Kim Stanley Robinson - Great (concept) books. Way too many words wasted on social dialog. Almost no science. Inconsistencies in the various technologies used. Greg Bear - Beyond his time. Very insightful and enjoyable reading. He knows this is true and to make his mark, at times (Slant) he gets as bizaare and dirty as he can. Some of the great respect a person can have for him is diminished. Frank Herbert - Worthwhile reading if a person is willing to read through thousands of pages to get the full picture (I was - In the end his work is elegant. All loose end are neatly tied.) E. E. Doc Smith - Some of the first science fiction I ever read. Considering it was written in the 1940's it's absolutely amazing. I've read countless other authors. Some very bad, some good. I'd have to say that all of them spend most of their time typing filler. The worst is the endless social dialog. Every science fiction book I've ever read has someone biting their lower lip until it bleeds --> She wore a pink blouse and pensive look and looked hot that day and blah blah blah, yaddah yaddah yaddah. Enough to get a reader good at skimming through the pages.<p> Now I come to David Zindell. This author is a true genius. Not just your normal genius that has the ability to confuse and amaze people, he speaks to the heart of the person who knows science and loves science fiction. I just finished his book NEVERNESS. This is the first time, possibly ever, that I didn't have to skip scores of pages to get to the point. Every sentence this author writes astounds me. How one person can hold such a breadth of knowledge and insight I'll never know. If you are knowledeable in science and have a longing to understand life (with the depth to appreciate wisdom), read this book. What I wouldn't give to have an hour to speak with a person like David Zindell.

More than just a sci-fi story

What is this book? A fascinating hard sci-fi story, a philosophical novel, an ode to mathematics, a celebration of a futuristic, amazingly complex winter city- it is all that. But all this complex scenery is , I think, just a background - for a process of growing, of vastening, of one very complex man called Mallory Ringess. This angry and ambitious pilot is the most vivid, growing, evolving character that I've ever encountered in Sci-fi literature. I warmly recommend this thought-provoking book. It is one of my all-time favorites; I must have read it dozens of times - my copy is nearly falling apart now.

Breathtaking

"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.

Outstanding Sci Fi

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.