And All the Stars a Stage

2/5

A fix-up of previously published stories from the sixties, published together in 1970 with some additional material added. A confused and scattered narrative follows Jorn, a man who belongs to a matriarchal society stumbling into a role in space experimentation following advances in technology and theory following the observation of a nearby supernova. These experiments in long distance space travel prove fortuitous, as the sun shows the signs of going supernova itself in a short numbers of years. Following a section of action as a fleet of generation ships launch into space, the rest of the novel essentially functions as a series of vignettes, where Jorn's ship finds and explores a series of planets for colonization.

Blish is in show more full exposition mode in And All The Stars A Stage. I'm convinced that when Blish was writing these serials in 1960 that he was paid by the word, because there are so many long-winded, unnecessary, and repetitive explanations. A side effect of this writing is that the characters are so transparent and wispy that they might as well not even exist. Blish is much more concerned with telling you why certain decisions are made mathematically than expanding on either the worlds that the humans encounter, the familiars that the humans have, or making the narrative not so scattershot.

Another main point of contention I have is Blish's conservative exploration of gender politics. After the generation ships reach space, it's found that men just do better (somehow) at all manner of technical work, which moves them back into a position of power, with even the most strident women happily taking a submissive role. Genetic disposition aside, it's crazy that Blish thought that women would just lay the fuck down like that. Really speaks to his conservative, chauvinistic, incel side. It's also just a bland way to wrap up that thread.

I will say that Blish, especially when compared to his peers in genre fiction, could write an ending. This ending is not nearly as good as A Case of Conscience, but does recontextualize the rest of the novel is a satisfying way. I also enjoyed the bits of exposition on how to keep a work force happy that starts to realize it's own impending mortality, and the social dynamics on a generation ship as the culture changes.

This is a minor work from an author that is capable of doing so much better. show less

The Sun is about to explode, the vastly over-populated world is about to die.
The hordes of unemployed males are being invited to apply for a job in space research - a euphemism for suicide.
Jorn, despondent at a life of uselessness, decides to take the offer - and finds himself one of the few survivors of the supernova.
This tiny caravan of terrified survivors fly across the vast desert of space, hoping and praying to find a new world to call home.
But will they find it before the fleet is manned by ghosts?

Well, well, well. A stinker by my favorite little known author. A little stinky, anyways. Set in a near future earth where a faster than light spaceship drive has been designed, the time for exploring the galaxy has finally arrived. Unfortunately, discovering that the sun will go supernova before the fleet of ships can be finished means that the specially selected crews and their lucky (?) passengers must leave in a hurry before the unwashed masses can take over the ships. Along the way two colonization attempts are made, which fail for differing reasons. I really liked the way the story started, but it petered out bad. One of those 'That's it?!?!' endings that everyone hates.

A SF story of futuristic earth that has become overpopulated with males and the sun is about to explode, so mankind has to take to the stars in a hurry to find a new planet to colonize. The premise sounds interesting, with added in gender issues a SF creatures called familiars you would think this book would be good. Unfortunately the writing is poor and nothing really seems to pan out. It is more like the author had a great idea but didn't give it time to really come together. The writing is more on a "tell" instead of "show" style. The gender issue and familiars don't really pan out to anything, with one female character's personality and decisions not making sense. The ending wasn't much either.

A pulpy mishmash of ideas and characters that don't really go anywhere. What do familiars and panspermia have to do with each other? I'm afraid, I can't quite tell you.

Based on a short story that appeared in Amazing Stories 34:6-7 (1960) .