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The Voices of Heaven

by Frederik Pohl

Other authors: James Frenkel (Editor)

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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337476,408 (3.12)3
Barry di Hoa had the good life on the Moon: steady work and the love of a good woman. But a rival slipped him a mickey, and he next awoke aboard Gerald Tscharka's ship as it neared the colony planet, Pava, eighteen light-years away. Pava was the frontier, complete with earthquakes, primitive conditions and hard physical work. The local "doctor" wouldn't treat Barry's little manic-depressive problem without medicine from the Moon. And the Millernarist colonists, who thought suicide was cool fun, didn't thrill him. Then he made friends with the leps. The large, caterpillar-like, odd-speaking gentle beasts were helping the humans to fashion a life on their planet. In their strange way, they knew things about Pava that might make the difference in the colony's survival. He started to believe he could really enjoy life in this fragile paradise. Except Tscharka was up to soemthing bad, something that would change eveyrthing. Barry knew only he could stop the mad captian, and the captain knew it, too. What neither knew was whether Barry could be manic enough to do it.… (more)
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Showing 4 of 4
review of
Frederik Pohl's The Voices of Heaven
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - May 29, 2012

Reading this was just what the doctor ordered, not that I'm likely to follow doctor's orders. In other words, I started reading this yesterday b/c I was dreading working on a review of a much more problematic bk & b/c I wanted to actually enjoy something. & I DID enjoy it. & that's why it was "just what the doctor ordered" b/c I really need a fucking break.

Anyway, Pohl is possibly a writer whose work wd've seemed just a tad too easy to me a few decades ago but now I'm glad for it. I wdn't call The Voices of Heaven a 'masterpiece' but it was well-conceived & well-written enuf to keep me completely engrossed.

The problem w/ writing a review about it is that I don't want to create spoilers by addressing the plot too much but that's really what there mostly is to address. Basically, there're thrills & spills, there's nefariousness, a bit of Jim Jones, quite a bit of commentary re religion (hence the title), a nice depiction of an 'alien' society that smacks a little of 'anarcho-primitivism', all sorts of plot-propelling goodies.

The thing is: I read this bk to be entertained, to be stimulated, for its escapist value & I got exactly what I wanted to out of it.. &.. now.. that I'm trying to write the review of it, I'm probably right back to where I might've been 30 yrs ago: it just ISN'T ENUF, even tho I almost gave the bk 4 stars. I LIKE Frederik Pohl!! But I ultimately want MORE out of EVERYTHING than just escape &, oh well, I'm not going to get it out of fiction. But I'll still READ FICTION in preference to going crazy from frustration w/ the 'real world'. ( )
  tENTATIVELY | Apr 3, 2022 |
Despite being a science fiction reader since the time I could actually read a book, I had not had the opportunity to read any Fred Pohl until this book found its way into my library. I was very impressed and understand why Pohl is counted among the giants of the genre's golden age.

THE VOICES OF HEAVEN is a surprisingly complex novel that deals with the concept of religious strife without actually getting bogged down in dogma and scripture. Pohl shows us a world that many secular humanists fear is already in the making: political parties abolished and theocracy instituted, because everyone votes their religion anyway, right? The consequences of Christian extremism are explored for a change, which is a nice breather from the extremist-Muslim-killer stereotripe.

Overall, THE VOICES OF HEAVEN is a worthwhile read that won't take you long to get through, but it will stimulate your mind for a good long time after. ( )
  maravedi | Nov 2, 2007 |
No action, but very realistic, with a good main character and a cool ending. A bit boring in the middle. ( )
  ragwaine | Dec 12, 2006 |
ZB9
  mcolpitts | Aug 3, 2009 |
Showing 4 of 4
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» Add other authors (3 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Frederik Pohlprimary authorall editionscalculated
Frenkel, JamesEditorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Walotsky, RonCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Barry di Hoa had the good life on the Moon: steady work and the love of a good woman. But a rival slipped him a mickey, and he next awoke aboard Gerald Tscharka's ship as it neared the colony planet, Pava, eighteen light-years away. Pava was the frontier, complete with earthquakes, primitive conditions and hard physical work. The local "doctor" wouldn't treat Barry's little manic-depressive problem without medicine from the Moon. And the Millernarist colonists, who thought suicide was cool fun, didn't thrill him. Then he made friends with the leps. The large, caterpillar-like, odd-speaking gentle beasts were helping the humans to fashion a life on their planet. In their strange way, they knew things about Pava that might make the difference in the colony's survival. He started to believe he could really enjoy life in this fragile paradise. Except Tscharka was up to soemthing bad, something that would change eveyrthing. Barry knew only he could stop the mad captian, and the captain knew it, too. What neither knew was whether Barry could be manic enough to do it.

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