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Zarathustra Refugee Planets #2
Polymath
Colonising a new planet requires much more than just settling on a newly discovered island of Old Earth. New planets were different in thousands of ways, different from Earth and from each other. Any of those differences could mean death and disaster to a human settlement. When a ship filled with refugees from a cosmic catastrophe crash-landed on such an unmapped world, their outlook was precarious. Their ship was lost, salvage had been minor, and everything came to depend on one bright young man accidentally among them. He was a trainee planet-builder. It would have been his job to foresee all the problems necessary to set up a safe home for humanity. But the problem was that he was a mere student - and he had been studying the wrong planet. (First published 1974)
156 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
15 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
About the author
John Brunner
556Ìýbooks457ÌýfollowersJohn Brunner was born in Preston Crowmarsh, near Wallingford in Oxfordshire, and went to school at St Andrew's Prep School, Pangbourne, then to Cheltenham College. He wrote his first novel, Galactic Storm, at 17, and published it under the pen-name Gill Hunt, but he did not start writing full-time until 1958. He served as an officer in the Royal Air Force from 1953 to 1955, and married Marjorie Rosamond Sauer on 12 July 1958
At the beginning of his writing career Brunner wrote conventional space opera pulp science fiction. Brunner later began to experiment with the novel form. His 1968 novel "Stand on Zanzibar" exploits the fragmented organizational style John Dos Passos invented for his USA trilogy, but updates it in terms of the theory of media popularised by Marshall McLuhan.
"The Jagged Orbit" (1969) is set in a United States dominated by weapons proliferation and interracial violence, and has 100 numbered chapters varying in length from a single syllable to several pages in length. "The Sheep Look Up" (1972) depicts ecological catastrophe in America. Brunner is credited with coining the term "worm" and predicting the emergence of computer viruses in his 1975 novel "The Shockwave Rider", in which he used the term to describe software which reproduces itself across a computer network. Together with "Stand on Zanzibar", these novels have been called the "Club of Rome Quartet", named after the Club of Rome whose 1972 report The Limits to Growth warned of the dire effects of overpopulation.
Brunner's pen names include K. H. Brunner, Gill Hunt, John Loxmith, Trevor Staines, Ellis Quick, Henry Crosstrees Jr., and Keith Woodcott.
In addition to his fiction, Brunner wrote poetry and many unpaid articles in a variety of publications, particularly fanzines, but also 13 letters to the New Scientist and an article about the educational relevance of science fiction in Physics Education. Brunner was an active member of the organisation Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and wrote the words to "The H-Bomb's Thunder", which was sung on the Aldermaston Marches.
Brunner had an uneasy relationship with British new wave writers, who often considered him too American in his settings and themes. He attempted to shift to a more mainstream readership in the early 1980s, without success. Before his death, most of his books had fallen out of print. Brunner accused publishers of a conspiracy against him, although he was difficult to deal with (his wife had handled his publishing relations before she died).[2]
Brunner's health began to decline in the 1980s and worsened with the death of his wife in 1986. He remarried, to Li Yi Tan, on 27 September 1991. He died of a heart attack in Glasgow on 25 August 1995, while attending the World Science Fiction Convention there
aka
K H Brunner, Henry Crosstrees Jr, Gill Hunt (with Dennis Hughes and E C Tubb), John Loxmith, Trevor Staines, Keith Woodcott
Winner of the ESFS Awards in 1980 as "Best Author" and 1n 1984 as "Novelist"..
At the beginning of his writing career Brunner wrote conventional space opera pulp science fiction. Brunner later began to experiment with the novel form. His 1968 novel "Stand on Zanzibar" exploits the fragmented organizational style John Dos Passos invented for his USA trilogy, but updates it in terms of the theory of media popularised by Marshall McLuhan.
"The Jagged Orbit" (1969) is set in a United States dominated by weapons proliferation and interracial violence, and has 100 numbered chapters varying in length from a single syllable to several pages in length. "The Sheep Look Up" (1972) depicts ecological catastrophe in America. Brunner is credited with coining the term "worm" and predicting the emergence of computer viruses in his 1975 novel "The Shockwave Rider", in which he used the term to describe software which reproduces itself across a computer network. Together with "Stand on Zanzibar", these novels have been called the "Club of Rome Quartet", named after the Club of Rome whose 1972 report The Limits to Growth warned of the dire effects of overpopulation.
Brunner's pen names include K. H. Brunner, Gill Hunt, John Loxmith, Trevor Staines, Ellis Quick, Henry Crosstrees Jr., and Keith Woodcott.
In addition to his fiction, Brunner wrote poetry and many unpaid articles in a variety of publications, particularly fanzines, but also 13 letters to the New Scientist and an article about the educational relevance of science fiction in Physics Education. Brunner was an active member of the organisation Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and wrote the words to "The H-Bomb's Thunder", which was sung on the Aldermaston Marches.
Brunner had an uneasy relationship with British new wave writers, who often considered him too American in his settings and themes. He attempted to shift to a more mainstream readership in the early 1980s, without success. Before his death, most of his books had fallen out of print. Brunner accused publishers of a conspiracy against him, although he was difficult to deal with (his wife had handled his publishing relations before she died).[2]
Brunner's health began to decline in the 1980s and worsened with the death of his wife in 1986. He remarried, to Li Yi Tan, on 27 September 1991. He died of a heart attack in Glasgow on 25 August 1995, while attending the World Science Fiction Convention there
aka
K H Brunner, Henry Crosstrees Jr, Gill Hunt (with Dennis Hughes and E C Tubb), John Loxmith, Trevor Staines, Keith Woodcott
Winner of the ESFS Awards in 1980 as "Best Author" and 1n 1984 as "Novelist"..
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 13, 2020
DAW Collectors #85
Cover Artist: Vincent DiFate.
Name: Brunner, John Kilian Houston, Birthplace: Preston Crowmarsh, Oxfordshire, England, UK, ( 24 September 1934-25 August 1995)
Alternate Names: , Gill Hunt, John Loxmith, Ellis Quick, Keith Woodcott.
Without warning, the sun of the planet Zarathustra goes nova. There is no time to evacuate, but a few spaceships on the night side of the planet are able to lift off and--by driving at maximum speed--outrun the shock wave of the explosion. Driven far beyond charted space, beyond communication range with civilization, they have no hope of rescue. Each ship puts down on the first habitable planet it can find, hoping to make a life there.
On one inviting planet, two ships make crash landings. One lands on the coast near a river delta; the other sets down in the interior highlands. During the bitter winter, the group on the coast lose their radio antenna and lose contact with the other survivors. When spring begins, they give the others up for dead and settle down to the task of building a permanent community on their new world.
Lex, whose polymath training gives him special insight. Lex, with his polymath training, is the only hope the survivors have. As a polymath, he is specifically trained--and augmented physically--to coordinate the terraforming and colonization of a virgin planet. However, this planet is not the planet he has trained for; further, he has not finished polymath training. Nevertheless, he must adapt to the planet, hone his leadership skills, and forge a lasting community.
Cover Artist: Vincent DiFate.
Name: Brunner, John Kilian Houston, Birthplace: Preston Crowmarsh, Oxfordshire, England, UK, ( 24 September 1934-25 August 1995)
Alternate Names: , Gill Hunt, John Loxmith, Ellis Quick, Keith Woodcott.
Without warning, the sun of the planet Zarathustra goes nova. There is no time to evacuate, but a few spaceships on the night side of the planet are able to lift off and--by driving at maximum speed--outrun the shock wave of the explosion. Driven far beyond charted space, beyond communication range with civilization, they have no hope of rescue. Each ship puts down on the first habitable planet it can find, hoping to make a life there.
On one inviting planet, two ships make crash landings. One lands on the coast near a river delta; the other sets down in the interior highlands. During the bitter winter, the group on the coast lose their radio antenna and lose contact with the other survivors. When spring begins, they give the others up for dead and settle down to the task of building a permanent community on their new world.
Lex, whose polymath training gives him special insight. Lex, with his polymath training, is the only hope the survivors have. As a polymath, he is specifically trained--and augmented physically--to coordinate the terraforming and colonization of a virgin planet. However, this planet is not the planet he has trained for; further, he has not finished polymath training. Nevertheless, he must adapt to the planet, hone his leadership skills, and forge a lasting community.
October 5, 2017
Once again I am suckered in to another rebuilding civilisation novel. My main criticism is I wanted it to be twice as long! An interesting take on what is important when undertaking such a project in that the social aspect is primarily focussed on rather than the physical. Remarkably upbeat for a Brunner and worth picking up.
November 18, 2018
Pretty decent colonists crash land on the wrong planet story. Nice work. A little dated but a good read.
March 27, 2025
This book is an absolute stunner. It’s awesome!
The blurb does it a disservice because it’s so much more than just a survival story! This book has a fantastic world build with a cool alien planet, a very human problem to contend with, great tension, wonderful characters (including women with actual goals and personalities!), LGBTQ rep (what??), and excellent descriptions. While Lex, the polymath, is the main character, the story is as much about him coming into his own for the community as it is a story about him personally. This gave it a real sense of urgency and purpose.
It’s a very clever, thoughtful, intricate book. I love stories of people surviving on new planets, and this one starts well after they’ve crashed and have now started to build a colony. This approach was really cool, as I’ve always been really interested in stories of people building new settlements and learning about their worlds, more so than a ship crashing and the direct aftermath. It also makes an argument about collaborative governance vs dictatorship and the value of human rights.
Brunner is a great writer and this book is a testament to that. It’s also part of a series, I learned, so I need to find the others!
Highly recommended!
The blurb does it a disservice because it’s so much more than just a survival story! This book has a fantastic world build with a cool alien planet, a very human problem to contend with, great tension, wonderful characters (including women with actual goals and personalities!), LGBTQ rep (what??), and excellent descriptions. While Lex, the polymath, is the main character, the story is as much about him coming into his own for the community as it is a story about him personally. This gave it a real sense of urgency and purpose.
It’s a very clever, thoughtful, intricate book. I love stories of people surviving on new planets, and this one starts well after they’ve crashed and have now started to build a colony. This approach was really cool, as I’ve always been really interested in stories of people building new settlements and learning about their worlds, more so than a ship crashing and the direct aftermath. It also makes an argument about collaborative governance vs dictatorship and the value of human rights.
Brunner is a great writer and this book is a testament to that. It’s also part of a series, I learned, so I need to find the others!
Highly recommended!
November 30, 2023
Slow start, but ended up as an interesting sci-fi story with perhaps unintentionally insightful commentary on the psychology of modern society and leadership.
July 28, 2019
Science Fiction, first published 1974
Nette klassische Science-Fiction-Abenteuer-Geschichte, very retro. Die ursprüngliche (kürzere) Fassung ist genauso alt wie ich.
John Brunner bemüht sich offensichtlich, eine "aufregend andere" Zukunft mit professionell ausgebildeten, gleichberechtigten Frauen und vergleichsweise viel sexueller Freizügigkeit darzustellen... aber er ist nun mal ein Kind seiner Zeit, und daher scheitert er an der Emanzipation ungefähr so kläglich wie ein Shirley-Temple-Film beim Versuch, nicht rassistisch zu sein. Die 50er-Jahre-Vorstellungen mogeln sich überall rein... natürlich sind es die Frauen, die Fischernetze reparieren und sich für Krankenpflege melden (der Arzt ist selbstverständlich ein Mann). Im Leitungskommitee wird erst nach einem halben Jahr eine einzige Frau aufgenommen - und einzig mit der Aufgabe, die Männer hinsichtlich weiblicher Psychologie zu beraten! 😂😂😂 Während es im realen Leben definitiv die Männer sind, die bei Stress und Zusammenleben auf engem Raum ausrasten, sind es hier "hysterische" und "eifersüchtige" Frauen, die sich benehmen wie die peinlichsten Bitches bei GNTM oder Bachelor. Irgendwie finde ich es tröstlich, diese kindischen Phantasien zu lesen, denn es beweist, dass die Menschheit in den letzten 50 Jahren doch ein bisschen vorangekommen ist.
Wissenschaftliche Fakten werden reichlich locker gehandhabt... eine Supernova von einem Tag auf den anderen, ohne warnende Vorzeichen!? Das könnte man heutzutage nicht mehr verkaufen. Und im Universum lungern haufenweise bewohnbare Planeten rum, die man mit Raumschiffen ruckizucki in wenigen Wochen erreichen kann... der "maximum hyper-photonic drive" muss größenordnungsmäßig 300fache Lichtgeschwindigkeit liefern, wenn sie in wenigen Wochen einen Planeten erreichen können, auf dem sie die Nova am Nachthimmel "erst in 60-70 Jahren" sehen werden.
Erstaunlich und anerkennenswert: es fehlen die typischen Helden-Klischees und Gewaltverherrlichungen. Die Astronauten - üblicherweise attraktive Superhelden - sind hier beinahe Witzfiguren, die ohne ihre technische Ausrüstung hilflos und mutlos sind. Der Polymath löst Konflikte gewaltfrei, weil er überzeugt ist, dass davon die Art von Gesellschaft und Kultur abhängig ist, die auf dem neuen Planeten entstehen wird:
"...they’ll say you’re the most wonderful man who ever lived because you realized we mustn’t found our world’s history on an army, on a war, on killing�.�
Er kennt sogar ökologische Verantwortung und beschließt hinsichtlich eines ziemlich gefährlichen Raubtieres:
Something would eventually have to be done to protect humans from them, though they could not be eliminated—their ecological function, obviously, was to prevent herbivores overgrazing the plants.
ðŸ·ß
Nette klassische Science-Fiction-Abenteuer-Geschichte, very retro. Die ursprüngliche (kürzere) Fassung ist genauso alt wie ich.
John Brunner bemüht sich offensichtlich, eine "aufregend andere" Zukunft mit professionell ausgebildeten, gleichberechtigten Frauen und vergleichsweise viel sexueller Freizügigkeit darzustellen... aber er ist nun mal ein Kind seiner Zeit, und daher scheitert er an der Emanzipation ungefähr so kläglich wie ein Shirley-Temple-Film beim Versuch, nicht rassistisch zu sein. Die 50er-Jahre-Vorstellungen mogeln sich überall rein... natürlich sind es die Frauen, die Fischernetze reparieren und sich für Krankenpflege melden (der Arzt ist selbstverständlich ein Mann). Im Leitungskommitee wird erst nach einem halben Jahr eine einzige Frau aufgenommen - und einzig mit der Aufgabe, die Männer hinsichtlich weiblicher Psychologie zu beraten! 😂😂😂 Während es im realen Leben definitiv die Männer sind, die bei Stress und Zusammenleben auf engem Raum ausrasten, sind es hier "hysterische" und "eifersüchtige" Frauen, die sich benehmen wie die peinlichsten Bitches bei GNTM oder Bachelor. Irgendwie finde ich es tröstlich, diese kindischen Phantasien zu lesen, denn es beweist, dass die Menschheit in den letzten 50 Jahren doch ein bisschen vorangekommen ist.
Wissenschaftliche Fakten werden reichlich locker gehandhabt... eine Supernova von einem Tag auf den anderen, ohne warnende Vorzeichen!? Das könnte man heutzutage nicht mehr verkaufen. Und im Universum lungern haufenweise bewohnbare Planeten rum, die man mit Raumschiffen ruckizucki in wenigen Wochen erreichen kann... der "maximum hyper-photonic drive" muss größenordnungsmäßig 300fache Lichtgeschwindigkeit liefern, wenn sie in wenigen Wochen einen Planeten erreichen können, auf dem sie die Nova am Nachthimmel "erst in 60-70 Jahren" sehen werden.
Erstaunlich und anerkennenswert: es fehlen die typischen Helden-Klischees und Gewaltverherrlichungen. Die Astronauten - üblicherweise attraktive Superhelden - sind hier beinahe Witzfiguren, die ohne ihre technische Ausrüstung hilflos und mutlos sind. Der Polymath löst Konflikte gewaltfrei, weil er überzeugt ist, dass davon die Art von Gesellschaft und Kultur abhängig ist, die auf dem neuen Planeten entstehen wird:
"...they’ll say you’re the most wonderful man who ever lived because you realized we mustn’t found our world’s history on an army, on a war, on killing�.�
Er kennt sogar ökologische Verantwortung und beschließt hinsichtlich eines ziemlich gefährlichen Raubtieres:
Something would eventually have to be done to protect humans from them, though they could not be eliminated—their ecological function, obviously, was to prevent herbivores overgrazing the plants.
ðŸ·ß
August 23, 2016
Os habitantes de uma colónia distante são obrigados a fugir quando a estrela do seu sistema solar se transforma em supernova. Os sobreviventes fogem em todas as direcções, e alguns dão por si no espaço profundo, longe de possibilidades de resgate por parte de outras colónias. Com as naves danificadas e as provisões a esgotarem-se, aterram no primeiro planeta que lhes permite sobreviver. As naves ficam danificadas para além de qualquer reparação na aterragem, e as condições de vida planetária não são as desejáveis. Se o planeta é habitável, a fauna planetária é perigosa. Mas o maior problema é como grupos de pessoas habituadas ao tipo de vida possibilitado por uma sociedade interconectada conseguirão sobreviver sem acesso a fábricas, com equipamentos tecnológicos falÃveis e sem especialistas cientÃficos. Por sorte, um dos sobreviventes é um enciclopedista, um homem especialmente treinado para analisar e aconselhar a melhor forma de colonizar um planeta. Não sendo a missão original deste enciclopedista, cujo treino nem sequer está completo, vê-se forçado a ajudar os sobreviventes a estabelecer uma colónia, aprendendo a utilizar os recursos disponÃveis para alimentação e abrigos, resolvendo as tensões internas entre indivÃduos levados aos seus limites, e enfrentando a impossibilidade de fuga, uma vez que as poderosas naves espaciais onde fugiram à estrela que os ia matando se encontram irreparáveis.
Um romance de Brunner que ainda não está no nÃvel literário de um Stand on Zanzibar ou The Sheep Look Up. Uma narrativa firme e ritmada torna esta leitura imparável. Por detrás de um tipo de história clássica da FC, estão interessantes reflexões sobre equilÃbrios ecológicos, interdependência tecnológica e problemas psicossociais em populações isoladas.
Um romance de Brunner que ainda não está no nÃvel literário de um Stand on Zanzibar ou The Sheep Look Up. Uma narrativa firme e ritmada torna esta leitura imparável. Por detrás de um tipo de história clássica da FC, estão interessantes reflexões sobre equilÃbrios ecológicos, interdependência tecnológica e problemas psicossociais em populações isoladas.
August 26, 2017
I found this book in a thrift shop recently and the title intrigued me. While not exactly what I was expecting, it was an enjoyable read. I found myself wishing it had had a better, less abrupt, ending. It's about a group of people who have found themselves stranded on a planet and have to survive with the knowledge that help is likely not coming.
March 27, 2022
I am a fan of some of John Brunner's classic science fiction, so when I saw a paperback of his I'd never heard of, I bought it. Apparently Polymath was first published in 1963 as Castaways World then revised and republished in 1974. It is the tale of two refugee ships from the planet Zarathustra, whose sun is about to go nova, that both crash in different parts of a new planet light years away. Each group of survivors struggle through the first winter in their own ways, with no contact between them. It is a bit of a sociological study of how different leaders with different styles of governing can make a big difference. At one time I would have thought that was too simple to be true, but if the 21st century has taught me anything, it is that a single person in power can make all the difference in a nation. A leader truly can bring out either the best or the worst of the society, if only by making those who are sympatico with him or her step forward and take actions. A leader can also initiate actions to protect the population or can ignore danger, leaving the people unprotected. In this book, it helps if there is a polymath--an intelligent, specially trained, multi-talented, and enhanced human--who can step forward and take up the leadership. So because this book has a good bit of sociological and psychological insight, pretend I have given it an extra half-star.
The shortcomings are that the polymath is a bit too impressive for us mere humans to believe and that most of the characters are two-dimensional. Maybe it's just another adventure story, after all, and Brunner hadn't yet grown into his classical sociological science fiction greats such as The Sheep Look Up and The Stone that Never Came Down. Come to think of it, the latter was about a polymath too.
The shortcomings are that the polymath is a bit too impressive for us mere humans to believe and that most of the characters are two-dimensional. Maybe it's just another adventure story, after all, and Brunner hadn't yet grown into his classical sociological science fiction greats such as The Sheep Look Up and The Stone that Never Came Down. Come to think of it, the latter was about a polymath too.
March 8, 2023
Mi-a plăcut.
Traducerea a fost ok.
Soarele planetei Zarathustra s-a transformat în novă. O parte dintre locuitori au reușit să plece în cosmos, aterizând pe diverse planete propice vieții. Pe una dintre acestea ajung două echipaje, unul dintre ele condus de un polymath - un om pregătit special pentru a coordona colonizarea unor noi planete. Comunitatea aflată în subordinea sa pare să aibă șanse de supraviețuire și adaptare, dar membrii celeilalte nave pun bazele unei societăți sclavagiste și sunt dispuși să facă orice pentru a-și atinge scopurile.
Am preferat să recitesc romanele seriei „Victimele novei� în ordinea acțiunii, nu a apariției. Textul de față a constituit o lectură plăcută, ridicând unele probleme interesante legate de ce înseamnă re-clădirea unei civilizații în condiții improprii, ce compromisuri sunt acceptabile, ce acțiuni sunt necesare (chiar dacă sunt dure), cum reacționează oamenii când au pierdut tot ce aveau.
E genul de carte care-mi amintește de lecturile adolescenței - nu cine-știe-ce complexe, cu personaje destul de schematice, dar suficient de antrenante și bine aduse din condei încât să constituie o lectură plăcută, care să mă țină în priză. Pune unele întrebări pline de miez și e încărcată cu un „vibe pozitiv� - adică ceva pe gustul meu.
Poate vreodată voi căuta prima versiune a cărții, „Castaways' World�, ca să văd de la ce a pornit Brunner în 1963 și la ce a ajuns în 1974, când a rescris-o și redenumit-o „Polymathul�.
Traducerea a fost ok.
Soarele planetei Zarathustra s-a transformat în novă. O parte dintre locuitori au reușit să plece în cosmos, aterizând pe diverse planete propice vieții. Pe una dintre acestea ajung două echipaje, unul dintre ele condus de un polymath - un om pregătit special pentru a coordona colonizarea unor noi planete. Comunitatea aflată în subordinea sa pare să aibă șanse de supraviețuire și adaptare, dar membrii celeilalte nave pun bazele unei societăți sclavagiste și sunt dispuși să facă orice pentru a-și atinge scopurile.
Am preferat să recitesc romanele seriei „Victimele novei� în ordinea acțiunii, nu a apariției. Textul de față a constituit o lectură plăcută, ridicând unele probleme interesante legate de ce înseamnă re-clădirea unei civilizații în condiții improprii, ce compromisuri sunt acceptabile, ce acțiuni sunt necesare (chiar dacă sunt dure), cum reacționează oamenii când au pierdut tot ce aveau.
E genul de carte care-mi amintește de lecturile adolescenței - nu cine-știe-ce complexe, cu personaje destul de schematice, dar suficient de antrenante și bine aduse din condei încât să constituie o lectură plăcută, care să mă țină în priză. Pune unele întrebări pline de miez și e încărcată cu un „vibe pozitiv� - adică ceva pe gustul meu.
Poate vreodată voi căuta prima versiune a cărții, „Castaways' World�, ca să văd de la ce a pornit Brunner în 1963 și la ce a ajuns în 1974, când a rescris-o și redenumit-o „Polymathul�.
March 9, 2024
J'ai bien aimé.
L'histoire d'habitants d'une planète obligés de la quitter en catastrophe suite à la transformation de son étoile en géante rouge ... 2 vaisseaux s'écrasent sur une planète inhospitalière, l'un d'entre eux avec un apprenti polymath, humain modifié afin de pouvoir construire un monde sur une planète.
Mais les polymath sont liés à une planète particulière, et celle-ci n'était pas celle prévue.
Les protagonistes espèrent pouvoir redécoller, mais les réparations nécessitent des moyens qui ne sont pas disponibles.
Vient donc l'heure du choix : doit-on s'apprêter à s'installer de manière quasi définitive sur cette planète, ou doit-on essayer de repartir coûte que coûte ?
Différentes visions s'affrontent à l'intérieur de chaque camp, mais aussi entre les survivants des différents vaisseaux.
L'histoire d'habitants d'une planète obligés de la quitter en catastrophe suite à la transformation de son étoile en géante rouge ... 2 vaisseaux s'écrasent sur une planète inhospitalière, l'un d'entre eux avec un apprenti polymath, humain modifié afin de pouvoir construire un monde sur une planète.
Mais les polymath sont liés à une planète particulière, et celle-ci n'était pas celle prévue.
Les protagonistes espèrent pouvoir redécoller, mais les réparations nécessitent des moyens qui ne sont pas disponibles.
Vient donc l'heure du choix : doit-on s'apprêter à s'installer de manière quasi définitive sur cette planète, ou doit-on essayer de repartir coûte que coûte ?
Différentes visions s'affrontent à l'intérieur de chaque camp, mais aussi entre les survivants des différents vaisseaux.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2018
This book actually takes place long before "Avengers of Carrig" and "Repairmen of Cyclops", even though it's the second in the series. I read it last, so it's like a prequel of sorts. It is its own story, but gives the background of the first settlements of the Zarathustra nova survivors.
Overall it is a good story, with a small population figuring out how to survive on a new planet with not much hope for rescue or escape. They have to survive the elements, the wildlife, and biggest off all, themselves. It's pretty short and does beg a bit more, but it's still good for the length. I kind of wish Brunner would have created more stories in the Zarathustra refugee world. I rather enjoy them.
Overall it is a good story, with a small population figuring out how to survive on a new planet with not much hope for rescue or escape. They have to survive the elements, the wildlife, and biggest off all, themselves. It's pretty short and does beg a bit more, but it's still good for the length. I kind of wish Brunner would have created more stories in the Zarathustra refugee world. I rather enjoy them.
April 20, 2019
This book started pretty fast and I wondered if there would be any story interesting enough to continue reading. That changed very quickly. Polymath describes the fate of two groups of people who have crash landed on an inhospitable planet - one focused on repairing and irreparable spacecraft, and the other focused on survival and planning for future generations. The first group devolves rapidly into totalitarianism, while the second group, led by a polymath (similar to Herbert's mentats) are able to rapidly tame the surrounding environment and expand. The conflicts between the two groups are the highlight of the novel, as are the themes of survival, leadership and savagery.
September 6, 2021
I think it was an average book, regarding the science fiction theme. It was an original idea, but I think it failed to capture the essence and excitement. Some dialogues were confusing. Some characters were badly introduced (kinda dropped out of nowhere) and many details of objects and props were not explained properly.
However, there is always something happening and the story advances well, there are no unecessary fillers. Good for overall entertainment, but if you skip this book, you won't miss anything important.
However, there is always something happening and the story advances well, there are no unecessary fillers. Good for overall entertainment, but if you skip this book, you won't miss anything important.
November 27, 2021
Not Brunner's best work but a short, reasonably entertaining read.
Tells a story about survivors of two crashed starships trying to make it on an alien world. One group focuses on survival and rebuilding civilization, while the other group become obsessed with a desperate and seemingly futile attempt to repair their crashed ship and escape. Technically part of a series of books but they can be read in any order as the only connection is the plot-triggering event of a planet's sun going nova, causing various starships to flee the planet.
Tells a story about survivors of two crashed starships trying to make it on an alien world. One group focuses on survival and rebuilding civilization, while the other group become obsessed with a desperate and seemingly futile attempt to repair their crashed ship and escape. Technically part of a series of books but they can be read in any order as the only connection is the plot-triggering event of a planet's sun going nova, causing various starships to flee the planet.
July 4, 2017
Discovered this book in jr. high. Mostly holds up--Gilligan's Island in space, without the comedy...shipwrecked refugees on a planet that has life, but nothing for which the refugees are prepared. They're going to have to figure it out fast, navigating the immediate necessities of survival while also trying to develop a society that will survive and adapt. A fast-paced, imaginative piece of work.
July 19, 2024
A fun, well-executed SF adventure. The idea of a person bred and trained just to start a new civilization is a good one. Imagine if this character actually finished training AND went to the right planet. That probably would have been a great book. As it is, this was merely good.
Definitely one of Brunner's better secondary works.
Definitely one of Brunner's better secondary works.
June 26, 2018
I guess SciFi needed books like this at the beginning. I would judge this to be YA perhaps now.
Too predictable, too hero-worship (the Polymath solves the day).
Pulp.
Too predictable, too hero-worship (the Polymath solves the day).
Pulp.
January 19, 2021
Liked it. Definitely not Brunner's worst... Still got the feeling, that even if he's taking everything into consideration, there's stell some dimension missing...But hey, it was written in '74...
June 22, 2023
I didn’t love the book to be honest. I was trying my best to pay attention, but I seem to consistently be confused as to what was going on.
July 27, 2024
I read this about 50 years ago and had a good memory of it. It did not live up to my recollections when reread.
August 21, 2024
Die Idee ist gut, aber es ist halt einfach alte sexistische Kackscheisse.
July 12, 2014
review of
John Brunner's Polymath
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - July 12, 2014
John Brunner's Polymath reminds me of J. G. Ballard's short story collections: Vermilion Sands, Chronopolis, The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard, & most likely others that I don't have in my personal library.
Why? Is it b/c they're both British SF writers w/ radical leanings? No, among other things, their radicality is quite different. It's b/c of the way the publishers reuse older material to sell newer bks. In Ballard's 1971 Vermilion Sands, there's a story entitled "The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista" that had previously appeared in the 1963 collection Passport to Eternity. In 1971's Chronopolis, there's "The Voices of Time" (The Voices of Time), "The Drowned Giant" (The Impossible Man), "Manhole 69" (The Voices of Time), "Storm-Bird, Storm-Dreamer" (The Impossible Man), "The Sound-Sweep" (The Voices of Time), "The Watchtowers" (Passport to Eternity), "Zone of Terror" (The Voices of Time), "The Cage of Sand" (Passport to Eternity), & "Deep End" (The Voices of Time).
Therefore, in Chronopolis, there're 9 stories out of 16 total culled from previous collections. That's pretty annoying for people who want to read the 7 stories not in the bks they already have but don't want to pay for the filler. It gets even worse when we get to 1978's The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard insofar as "Manhole 69" had now appeared in at least 2 previous collections, "Chronopolis" in at least 1, "The Voices of Time" (2), "Deep End" (2), "The Overloaded Man" (1), "Billennium" (1), "The Garden of Time" (1), "Thirteen for Centaurus" ("Thirteen to Centaurus" in Passport to Eternity), "The Cage of Sand" (2), "End Game" (1), "The Drowned Giant" (2), "The Terminal Beach" (1), & "The Cloud Sculptors of Coral D" (1). That's 13 out of 19 stories, at least, that'd previously appeared in bks. Buying The Best got the consumer Anthony Burgess's Introduction as well.
Ok, reprinting the same stories in multiple collections isn't such a heinous crime, I'm really just having some fun & showing off a little tangential data in order to build up to the annoyance of Polymath. Polymath (1974) is just a slight rewrite of Castaways World (1963) wch was part of an Ace Double. You can see my review of that here: & if you want to just get an idea of what the story is you might as well just skip to that earlier review & not read any further here.
On the verso of the title p it says: "A shorter and substantially different version of this novel appeared in 1963" (p 4) They don't tell the reader the name of the previous bk. It's the "substantially different" claim that I scoff at here. Castaways World is 127 pp, Polymath is 156 = 29 extra pp. The plot doesn't change at all. Polymath begins w/ this: ""One thing about those damn winter gales," Delvia said in a make-the-most-of-it tone. "They did give us a bit of stored power to play with." (p 5) Castaways World begins w/: "["]One thing about those winter gales," Delvia said in a make-the-most-of-it tone, "they gave us a bit of stored power to play with." (p 5) "winter gales" becomes "damn winter gales", etc.. These are the kinds of 'substantial' changes the reader can expect.
Of course, the filler has to get a bit more, uh, filling, in order to add on another 29pp: So, in the beginning of chapter 2 the 15th paragraph in Polymath is the same one as the 5th paragraph in Castaways World - it just takes 10 paragraphs longer to get there but those 10 paragraphs don't make much difference.
On p 91 of Castaways World we can read this:
""No . . ." She kicked at the sand. "Mainly I come out here to look at Zara. It seems absurd that the star that I used to think of as the sun is still up there, shining quietly, when in fact it's a raging cosmic explosion. How long till we see it happen, Lex? Sixty years?"
& on p 118 of Polymath we get this:
""No . . ." She kicked at the sand. Grains of it rattled on the nearest reflector, like dried corn spilling into a pan. "Mainly I come out here to look at Zara. It seems absurd that the star which I used to think of as the sun is still up there, shining quietly, when in fact it's a raging cosmic explosion. How long till we see it happen, Lex? Is it sixty years?"
Maybe the biggest question in the mind of readers of this review by now might be: 'Doesn't this guy have anything better to do than write a review of a bk wch he probably read knowing it was just a fluffed-out repeat of something he'd already read?! To wch I answer: "Yes, I do have better things to do. BUT, grains of this review rattle in my reflective brain, like dried corn spilling into my brain-pan."
John Brunner's Polymath
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - July 12, 2014
John Brunner's Polymath reminds me of J. G. Ballard's short story collections: Vermilion Sands, Chronopolis, The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard, & most likely others that I don't have in my personal library.
Why? Is it b/c they're both British SF writers w/ radical leanings? No, among other things, their radicality is quite different. It's b/c of the way the publishers reuse older material to sell newer bks. In Ballard's 1971 Vermilion Sands, there's a story entitled "The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista" that had previously appeared in the 1963 collection Passport to Eternity. In 1971's Chronopolis, there's "The Voices of Time" (The Voices of Time), "The Drowned Giant" (The Impossible Man), "Manhole 69" (The Voices of Time), "Storm-Bird, Storm-Dreamer" (The Impossible Man), "The Sound-Sweep" (The Voices of Time), "The Watchtowers" (Passport to Eternity), "Zone of Terror" (The Voices of Time), "The Cage of Sand" (Passport to Eternity), & "Deep End" (The Voices of Time).
Therefore, in Chronopolis, there're 9 stories out of 16 total culled from previous collections. That's pretty annoying for people who want to read the 7 stories not in the bks they already have but don't want to pay for the filler. It gets even worse when we get to 1978's The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard insofar as "Manhole 69" had now appeared in at least 2 previous collections, "Chronopolis" in at least 1, "The Voices of Time" (2), "Deep End" (2), "The Overloaded Man" (1), "Billennium" (1), "The Garden of Time" (1), "Thirteen for Centaurus" ("Thirteen to Centaurus" in Passport to Eternity), "The Cage of Sand" (2), "End Game" (1), "The Drowned Giant" (2), "The Terminal Beach" (1), & "The Cloud Sculptors of Coral D" (1). That's 13 out of 19 stories, at least, that'd previously appeared in bks. Buying The Best got the consumer Anthony Burgess's Introduction as well.
Ok, reprinting the same stories in multiple collections isn't such a heinous crime, I'm really just having some fun & showing off a little tangential data in order to build up to the annoyance of Polymath. Polymath (1974) is just a slight rewrite of Castaways World (1963) wch was part of an Ace Double. You can see my review of that here: & if you want to just get an idea of what the story is you might as well just skip to that earlier review & not read any further here.
On the verso of the title p it says: "A shorter and substantially different version of this novel appeared in 1963" (p 4) They don't tell the reader the name of the previous bk. It's the "substantially different" claim that I scoff at here. Castaways World is 127 pp, Polymath is 156 = 29 extra pp. The plot doesn't change at all. Polymath begins w/ this: ""One thing about those damn winter gales," Delvia said in a make-the-most-of-it tone. "They did give us a bit of stored power to play with." (p 5) Castaways World begins w/: "["]One thing about those winter gales," Delvia said in a make-the-most-of-it tone, "they gave us a bit of stored power to play with." (p 5) "winter gales" becomes "damn winter gales", etc.. These are the kinds of 'substantial' changes the reader can expect.
Of course, the filler has to get a bit more, uh, filling, in order to add on another 29pp: So, in the beginning of chapter 2 the 15th paragraph in Polymath is the same one as the 5th paragraph in Castaways World - it just takes 10 paragraphs longer to get there but those 10 paragraphs don't make much difference.
On p 91 of Castaways World we can read this:
""No . . ." She kicked at the sand. "Mainly I come out here to look at Zara. It seems absurd that the star that I used to think of as the sun is still up there, shining quietly, when in fact it's a raging cosmic explosion. How long till we see it happen, Lex? Sixty years?"
& on p 118 of Polymath we get this:
""No . . ." She kicked at the sand. Grains of it rattled on the nearest reflector, like dried corn spilling into a pan. "Mainly I come out here to look at Zara. It seems absurd that the star which I used to think of as the sun is still up there, shining quietly, when in fact it's a raging cosmic explosion. How long till we see it happen, Lex? Is it sixty years?"
Maybe the biggest question in the mind of readers of this review by now might be: 'Doesn't this guy have anything better to do than write a review of a bk wch he probably read knowing it was just a fluffed-out repeat of something he'd already read?! To wch I answer: "Yes, I do have better things to do. BUT, grains of this review rattle in my reflective brain, like dried corn spilling into my brain-pan."
March 25, 2017
came across this as part of a mass purchase a few years back finally got around to reading it. I found the concept of world building far more interesting than I thought I would. great book overall
November 24, 2017
John Brunner of course had some big successes as a SciFi writer, but this one reads as a pretty standard pulp fiction yarn, with a couple of interesting twists. This one fits into the general category of disaster survival/post-apocalyptic/castaway SF, with some interesting creatures on a new plant. It's a moderately entertaining read, but it feels targeted at 12 year old boys. WARNING: VIRTUALLY NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Really, even the protagonist is fairly wooden, with no feel for who he is or his motivations. The female characters are downright insulting stereotypes with no development at all. Pretty typical for the 50s, and this was published in 1963, so yeah. No excuses: it is sexist and will piss you of. It did me.
Some interesting ideas in addition to the typical castaway, quirky planet stuff. The title refers to a profession: rather than a jack of all trades, master of none, a polymath is a master of all trades, specifically trained for settling planets. He is also genetically engineered/surgically enhanced. This, too, is a bit disappointing. Really, is it that cool being superhuman? Doesn't that preordain the outcome? I'd rather have characters that are normal, and strive to succeed through personal drive rather than the deus ex machina of superhuman powers. Hey, maybe that is Marvel fatigue setting in.
I first read this as a kid - donated from a friend of my father's who was an SF fan. So maybe too much of a soft spot for the Golden Age of Youth. Re-read it recently, and had some nostalgia but I see the flaws. So, entertaining but not deep, and certainly doesn't get into the range range of great classic SF. Two and a half stars.
Some interesting ideas in addition to the typical castaway, quirky planet stuff. The title refers to a profession: rather than a jack of all trades, master of none, a polymath is a master of all trades, specifically trained for settling planets. He is also genetically engineered/surgically enhanced. This, too, is a bit disappointing. Really, is it that cool being superhuman? Doesn't that preordain the outcome? I'd rather have characters that are normal, and strive to succeed through personal drive rather than the deus ex machina of superhuman powers. Hey, maybe that is Marvel fatigue setting in.
I first read this as a kid - donated from a friend of my father's who was an SF fan. So maybe too much of a soft spot for the Golden Age of Youth. Re-read it recently, and had some nostalgia but I see the flaws. So, entertaining but not deep, and certainly doesn't get into the range range of great classic SF. Two and a half stars.
January 30, 2016
Polymath é a minha primeira obra de Brunner.
Nota-se neste livro claramente uma transição entre "hard-science" para "soft-science".
A obra fala-nos duas tripulações refugiadas que são obrigadas a aterram de emergência num planeta inóspito. A sobrevivência deste grupo encontra-se nas mãos dum Polymath, um ser humano geneticamente modificado, com aptidões fÃsicas e mentais aumentadas e treinado para liderar colónias.
Foi um livro difÃcil de interiorizar, em parte por culpa da tradução, tornando a leitura um pouco 'alergente'.
Nos dois primeiros capÃtulos o leitor anda à s aranhas e só no 3.º capÃtulo que é apresentado toda a história que levou a população de Zarathustra sair apressadamente e aterrar neste planeta.
Os capÃtulos 3 e 4 foram oásis da primeira parte do livro. O baixo ritmo, descrições desnecessárias (velhos costumes do hard-science) e algumas incoerências do Polymath foram desertos difÃceis de atravessar e que obrigavam-me, por vezes, a interromper a leitura.
O bom do livro está na última metade quando há tensão entre as tripulações e fações dentro da mesma tripulação, e é posta em prova toda a essência do Polymath. O bom ritmo prende o leitor até a última página.
A última parte não salva completamente o livro, por isso ★★☆☆�.
Nota-se neste livro claramente uma transição entre "hard-science" para "soft-science".
A obra fala-nos duas tripulações refugiadas que são obrigadas a aterram de emergência num planeta inóspito. A sobrevivência deste grupo encontra-se nas mãos dum Polymath, um ser humano geneticamente modificado, com aptidões fÃsicas e mentais aumentadas e treinado para liderar colónias.
Foi um livro difÃcil de interiorizar, em parte por culpa da tradução, tornando a leitura um pouco 'alergente'.
Nos dois primeiros capÃtulos o leitor anda à s aranhas e só no 3.º capÃtulo que é apresentado toda a história que levou a população de Zarathustra sair apressadamente e aterrar neste planeta.
Os capÃtulos 3 e 4 foram oásis da primeira parte do livro. O baixo ritmo, descrições desnecessárias (velhos costumes do hard-science) e algumas incoerências do Polymath foram desertos difÃceis de atravessar e que obrigavam-me, por vezes, a interromper a leitura.
O bom do livro está na última metade quando há tensão entre as tripulações e fações dentro da mesma tripulação, e é posta em prova toda a essência do Polymath. O bom ritmo prende o leitor até a última página.
A última parte não salva completamente o livro, por isso ★★☆☆�.
June 29, 2016
After their sun goes nova, two groups of survivors find themselves marooned on a faraway planet. Cut off even from each other, the two groups follow two distinct paths: one attempts to organize itself around more or less democratic structures and the other descends into "Lord of the Flies" savagery. The majority of the action in the first part of the novel revolves around showing how difficult it is to maintain a civilized social order in the face of extreme deprivation and hardship. Each of several main characters reacts differently to the situation, and these personal dramas also fuel the novel's development. From the p-o-v of this female reader, the sub-plot involving the female characters was incomprehensible, truly, I could not understand what was supposedly happening to them nor why they reacted as they did. None of the female characters came across as particularly well-developed. But once the two groups encounter one another again, the book loses this more interesting, multiple perspective and focuses on one individual, the eponymous "Polymath," a genius-in-training, and his personal quest to unify the survivors. In the end, the book's message "planet-builders dare not fail" is simply not universal enough to rank this novel a permanent place on my bookshelf.
July 25, 2012
I've been reading old SF lately, and this was another from the early 70's. This was pretty good and is in the set of books where the scientist is an actual hero, rather than a nerdy resource to assist the hero. In this case, the scientist is a superhero, of sorts, who will eventually manage the terraforming of a new planet and its initial colonization.
Except... He had to escape his home planet when its sun suddenly went nova. His ship, with 800 other refugees, crashes on this previously unknown planet. Also, he's a superhero in training. Also also, he's only partway into his training and hasn't been given all the body mods he eventually would get.
I enjoyed this book, but it was definitely a book of its time. The sex roles and stereotypes were definitely being stretched here, but there's still a fair bit of sexism here. Stepping stones...
One more thing about "Polymath". One of the secondary characters was named Cheffy. Every time he said something, I heard it with Isaac Hayes' voice, and I always pictured him as Chef from South Park. This wasn't a negative, it just amused me.
Except... He had to escape his home planet when its sun suddenly went nova. His ship, with 800 other refugees, crashes on this previously unknown planet. Also, he's a superhero in training. Also also, he's only partway into his training and hasn't been given all the body mods he eventually would get.
I enjoyed this book, but it was definitely a book of its time. The sex roles and stereotypes were definitely being stretched here, but there's still a fair bit of sexism here. Stepping stones...
One more thing about "Polymath". One of the secondary characters was named Cheffy. Every time he said something, I heard it with Isaac Hayes' voice, and I always pictured him as Chef from South Park. This wasn't a negative, it just amused me.
May 21, 2010
The residents of a well-populated planet must flee when their sun undergoes supernova. Two of the escape ships crash on a distant planet, and each group adapt different strategies in order to survive.
Much like Lord of the Flies, this book explores what happens when humans are faced with survival conditions. Will they give in to their primitive urges? What sort of social structure will they form and what might that have to say about humanity's innate tendencies?
I enjoyed this book. While nothing new is explored, it was still an enjoyable, well written, and fast-paced read. I was a bit bothered by the sexism that's prevalent in these older sci fis (why oh why is it always the women who have hysterical fits and must be sedated?). Also, while the problems the colony faces are drastic, they are solved just a bit too easily by the protagonist.
Much like Lord of the Flies, this book explores what happens when humans are faced with survival conditions. Will they give in to their primitive urges? What sort of social structure will they form and what might that have to say about humanity's innate tendencies?
I enjoyed this book. While nothing new is explored, it was still an enjoyable, well written, and fast-paced read. I was a bit bothered by the sexism that's prevalent in these older sci fis (why oh why is it always the women who have hysterical fits and must be sedated?). Also, while the problems the colony faces are drastic, they are solved just a bit too easily by the protagonist.
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