Book Review: Alphanauts

Reviewed By: Cheryl - RAM

Alphanauts     Amazon US TPB Amazon Canada TPB
J. Brian Clarke
Class/Genre:   Science Fiction   Adventure

This tale is reminiscent of Golden Age stories of interstellar exploration. It recounts the story of a small group of brave adventurers using deepsleep to travel the immense distances between stars and their relationships with their corrupt and compromised home system and with the aliens and artificial intelligences they meet.

Clarke uses a broad canvas, covering long periods of time and including several human and non-human intelligences and societies. Almost of necessity, everything and everyone is painted with a very broad brush. The various human societies are described in quite superficial ways, and the treatment of social differences is rather simplistic and heavy- handed. Alphanauts by J. Brian Clarke 3/5

This tale is reminiscent of Golden Age stories of interstellar exploration. It recounts the story of a small group of brave adventurers using deepsleep to travel the immense distances between stars and their relationships with their corrupt and compromised home system and with the aliens and artificial intelligences they meet.

Clarke uses a broad canvas, covering long periods of time and including several human and non-human intelligences and societies. Almost of necessity, everything and everyone is painted with a very broad brush. The various human societies are described in quite superficial ways, and the treatment of social differences is rather simplistic and heavy- handed.

Although the author covers some interesting territory in this novel, and it has a nostalgic appeal because of its resemblance to older science fiction tales, the lack of in depth characterisation and detailed evocation of the societies meant that the story did not grip my attention as it should have.

Cheryl - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Cheryl - RAM