Beyond the Blue Event Horizon

Beyond the Blue Event Horizon, the second book in Frederik Pohl's Heechee Saga, takes readers on a thrilling space odyssey filled with ambition, guilt, and the quest for redemption. However, this journey is marked by a significant and uncomfortable aspect that may prove challenging for some readers.

The narrative revolves around Robinette Broadhead's pursuit of wealth through the risky expedition to the Food Factory, a Heechee spaceship capable of transforming basic elements into vast quantities of food. Yet, this ambitious venture is overshadowed by Robin's haunting guilt over abandoning his wife at the event horizon of a black hole. As the expedition unfolds, the hope of rescuing his beloved Gelle-Klara Moynlin becomes the driving show more force behind his actions.

The book is undeniably marred by a notable and troubling element - the portrayal of underage sexuality. This theme, uncomfortable and seemingly unending, serves as an elephant in the room that may prompt some readers to consider abandoning the book altogether. It is a critical factor that significantly impacts the overall reading experience and requires careful consideration.

Setting aside this uncomfortable issue, Beyond the Blue Event Horizon excels in other aspects. The exploration of the Old Ones and the Dead Ones introduces a fascinating layer to the storyline, providing readers with a captivating glimpse into diverse extraterrestrial races. The promise of unraveling the mysteries of the Heechee in future installments adds an exciting anticipation for the continuation of the series.

The dichotomy between the discomfort caused by certain thematic elements and the excellence in other aspects makes rating this book a challenging task. Without the contentious content, Beyond the Blue Event Horizon could easily merit a five-star rating for its engaging narrative, intriguing characters, and exploration of alien races. However, due to the discomfort induced by the underage themes, it falls to a four-star rating in this reviewer's perspective.

In conclusion, Beyond the Blue Event Horizon is a captivating but flawed installment in the Heechee Saga. It leaves readers torn between the desire to delve into the mysteries of the universe and the discomfort caused by the portrayal of certain themes. For those able to navigate this delicate balance, the book promises an exciting continuation with the potential for answers about the Heechee in the next installment. show less

The continuing saga of Robinette Broadhead... In this installment, Robin is living a life of luxury. He has wealth, power, influence, unlimited computer time and a gorgeous and brilliant wife who provides him with computer programs that fulfill any of his desires that she cannot. In all, life is very very good for Robin. Unfortunately, it's not quite so good for an expedition that Robin has funded to explore a Heechee Food Factory. The Herter-Hall group runs into far more than they had planned for and ends up in a world of hurt. And who should come to the rescue but our good friend, Robin.

In the first book, I had equated Robin Broadhead with Thomas Covenant - forever paralyzed into action; an anti-hero. In this volume, though, he is show more caring, compassionate, brave, resourceful... he's still a little indecisive and requires a mild kick in the ass to get moving, but once he decides to take action, he takes it well. I was much happier with the new Robin - apparently a lot of his insecurities and madness was transferred to poor old Payter Herter. And while the circumstances surrounding his death were a revelation to everyone, I was relieved that we (as readers) were relieved from having to relive Payter's manic focus on his own eroding mortality.

And while other reviewers commented on how much they enjoyed the first book keeping all of us ignorant of the Heechee, I was very interested to have that veil removed. At this point, I'm looking forward to volume three... I'd love to see what happens inside the black hole. show less

If the whole book had been written like the last couple of chapters, this would have been a five-star rating.

Unfortunately, the first three-quarters, while having the odd flash of entertainment, was reasonably boring. Even if Pohl had gone for more of a Ringworld-type feel, with uncertain explorers discovering new and exciting things. Yes. There was a bit of that, including the revelation of the Heechee prayer fans, but overall, it felt mostly stilted and dull.

And there was, like Gateway before it, an unusual amount of time spent discussing sex. It would have been fine had this led anywhere. I mean, you had a very young girl trying her best for four years to seduce her sister's husband. You have a young survivor who's so ridiculously show more horny that the first time he sees a woman, he whips it out and jacks himself off.

So when Pohl finally brings these two together? They wait. The girl suddenly, inexplicably gains a mature attitude.

But it wasn't just with them. Robin's wife actually risks bodily danger to be able to hump her husband.

To me, if felt like much of this was written by a very horny fifteen-year-old virgin.

On the other hand, the last three chapters of the novel, unfortunately telling much more than showing, took us on a whirlwind expansion of the entire universe. We learn much about the Heechee and what they can do. It's worldbuilding and it's fascinating.

So, as I said, had Pohl been able to incorporate those elements much sooner, and stayed away from the boring day-to-day minutae of Robin's life, and added more zip into the exploratory sections, I would have enjoyed the book.

On a side note, it's stunning how dated this book has become, from the mentions of all the tapes still used in computers and video, to the one chapter that details a few seconds of the inner workings of one of the computer personalities ad nauseum. I'm sure it was all very cool and fascinating when the book was first released, but it's actually torturous to read now.

Because of this book, I have serious doubts as to whether I'll read any more of the Heechee saga. show less

Beyond the Blue Event Horizon tells the continuing story of Robin Broadhead, whose exploits as a down-on-his-luck prospector have turned him into a very rich man--one of the most influential on the planet. With his new-found wealth, Broadhead has funded an expedition to a new-found Heechee derelict outpost--a "food factory" which has the capacity to end human famine. The mission hits a snag when these expedition members encounter actual aliens, along with a maladjusted human boy who was raised by them. I found that the introduction of living aliens took away from much of the wonder and mystery of the first book, especially as some of the chapters are told from their point of view. Again, most of the characters were fairly unlikable show more (particularly the alien-raised boy); however, Broadhead himself, in his new life as a meddling millionaire, became very interesting to follow. This is a mixed bag overall, but it fails to capture the mysterious tenor of the first book. show less

7/10
This is a book of contrasts. There are the very human stories of the Herter-Hall expedition, of Wan, and even of Robin and Essie, which are engaging, frightening, frustrating, funny, and sad. These stories are set against a backdrop of alien technology and actions and serious theories and questions about physics, astrophysics, and astronomy. It is those theories and questions that require some pretty hefty infodumps, mostly handled by the Albert Einstein computer program/personality. While they are central to the overall story, they also pull the reader out of the flow of the characters’ lives, notwithstanding Pohl’s efforts to make Albert a unique character and relieve a little of the tedium of the infodumps. And then there’s show more the tantalizing final chapter—our first from the Heechee POV! show less

Not as good as the previous book, but still enjoyable. I think that the story is good, but the technology described was a bit... lacking in this modern day age when everybody owns there own personal mini computers that doubles as a communication device. I do like the artificial intelligences in this story, they were well developed and added something to the story. This was technology that actually seemed plausible in the future.

Other things - the wannabee sex life of the 14 year old kid got old, fast. At least the adults in the ship acted like adults - and kept boundaries. Otherwise, for a book written in 1980, the characters were well written and sensible. I especially liked that the leader of the survey crew was female.

Highly show more recommended, but you should read the first book in the series before this one. show less

review of
Frederik Pohl's Beyond the Blue Event Horizon
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - July 6, 2015

I read Pohl's Gateway 1st in this Heechee Saga. My review's here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1578130.Gateway . I'm somewhat surprised to see that I read it 3 yrs ago. That's one of those time-flies-when-you're-not-having-fun-just-getting-older thingies. Skimming over my Gateway review I think I was more impressed by that one than I was by this sequel - wch isn't to say that I thought this was 'bad', it just didn't seem quite as inspired.

One idea that caught my fancy is that of "Gosh numbers":

"Gosh numbers are numbers which represent more than one quantity, so that when you perceive the coincidence you say, 'Gosh.'" - p 45 show more

"“Ph, well,” said the Dead Man gloomily, “all right. Point-five degrees is the angular diameter of both the sun and the Moon as seen from Earth. Gosh! How strange that they should be the same, but also how useful, because it is partly because of this coincidence that Earth has eclipses. Minus-forty degrees is the temperature which is the same in both Fahrenheit and Celsius scales. Gosh. Two thousand twenty-five is the sum of the cubes of the integers, one cubed plus two cubed plus three cubed and so on up to nine cubed, all added together. It is also the square of their sum. Gosh.["]" - p 45

""One. The quantities Tiny Jim referred to as 'gosh numbers'. These are numerical quantities, mostly of the sort called 'dimensionless' because they are the same in any units you measure. The mass ratio between the electron and the proton. The Dirac number to express the difference between electromagnetic and gravitational force. The Eddington fine-structure constant. And so forth. We know these numbers to great precision. What we do not know is why they are what they are. Why shouldn't the fine-structure constant be, say, 150 instead of 137-plus? If we understoood astrophysics—if we had a complete theory—we should be able to deduce these numbers from that theory.["]" - p 289

SO, of course, I had to do at least some cursory research on Gosh Numbers wch led me to: http://mathtricks.org/gosh-numbers/gosh-numbers/ where Beyond the Blue Event Horizon is discussed & quoted & then this follows:

"Well, that was a rather lengthy introduction, so I will not delay any further the first Gosh Number:

"1729

"1729 is the least number expressible as the sum of 2 cubes in two different ways:

"1729 = 123 13 = 103 93

"1729 is also the 3rd Carmichael number

"1729 is also a centered cube number, a dodecagonal number, a 24-gonal and 84-gonal number. The creators of the television cartoon Futurama thought so much of 1729 that they included it within the show on several occasions.

"GOSH!!"

The author of the above is one Steven Pomeroy.

One of the Heechee artifacts found in Beyond the Blue Event Horizon is a "couch" that enables a person to broadcast their dreams: "["]We know that in human history many of the great inventions sprang up all over the world, apparently independently, maybe simultaneously. Are they Heechee suggestions, via the couch?"" (p 87) Zeitgeists fascinate me, I'm sure I've been part of many. A more Ockham's Razor explanation for them than Pohl's fanciful suggestion might be that certain mindsets reach the same conclusions at the same time b/c they're 'obvious' next steps in the mindset's progression. In other words, Marconi & Tesla shared a similar cultural background & education that led to an 'obvious' next step being the radio. W/o this shared cultural & educational background this zeigeist wdn't've occurred. In other words, radio wasn't suddenly conceived of & made by a farmer w/ no scientific training. That, however, doesn't necessarily explain Tesla's ability to completely visualize inventions before building them:

"[..]I was about seventeen when my thoughts turned seriously to invention. Then I observed to my delight that I could visualize with the greatest facility. I needed no models, drawings or experiments. I could picture them all as real in my mind." - p 33, My Inventions, Nikola Tesla, 1995, Barnes & Noble Books

It might be interesting sometime to develop whole vast theories based on deliberate acceptance of probable typos & misprints as not accidents. EG: the above Beyond the Blue Event Horizon quote from p 45 re Gosh numbers begins "“Ph, well,” said the Dead Man gloomily" w/ the "Ph" presumably intended to be "Oh" (as Pomeroy quotes it in his article).

Then, on p 129 it's printed: "But the relationship had been of suppliant and monarch" in wch "suppliant" was presumably meant to read "supplicant". But was it? After all, a "suppliant" is "a person making a humble plea to someone in power or authority" & a "supplicant" is "a person who asks for something in a respectful way from a powerful person or God". SO, what's the difference? According to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/suppliant, the etymology for "suppliant" is "1400-50; late Middle English can be confused w/ "supplicant". The same source, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/supplicant, provides an etymology for "supplicant" as: "1590-1600;
& what's a "doublet"? According to Wikipedia:

"In etymology, two or more words in the same language are called doublets or etymological twins (or possibly triplets, etc.) when they have different phonological forms but the same etymological root. Often, but not always, the variants have entered the language through different routes. Because the relationship between words that have the same root and the same meaning is fairly obvious, the term is mostly used to characterize pairs of words that have diverged in meaning at least to some extent.

"For example English pyre and fire are doublets. Modern words with similar meaning but subtle differences contribute to the richness of the English language, as exemplified by the doublets frail and fragile (both from the Latin adjective fragilis): one might refer to a fragile tea cup and a frail old woman, but never frail tea cup, whilst fragile old woman adds a dimension of meaning by implying emotional infirmity rather than physical." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublet_(linguistics)

The point is, I don't see where suppliant & supplicant have diverged, they seem to have the same meaning - w/ suppliant coming 1st. What is Pohl really up to here? It's obvious to me that everything in this novel is just a smokescreen to hide the combined significance of "Ph" & "suppliant". Don't believe me? That's b/c yr pH balance is alkaline & I'm acid-tongued (both literally & figuratively). Further supporting my theory is this: ""That's not exactly a tenth of a number, Robin," said Sigfrid." (p 230) The careful reader will note that the psychoanalyzing program is credited w/ this sentence when it shd clearly be the science program, Albert.

("If you think back to high school chemistry class, you may recall that pH is an abbreviation for potential hydrogen. A pH number measures from 0 to14 how acidic or alkaline a liquid is -- anything above 7 is alkaline and anything below 7 is acid. Water has a pH level of 7 -- it's neutral, meaning it has the same amount of acids and alkalis, which balance each other out." - http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/cleansing/products/ph-balanced.htm )

I don't want to give too much away about the story of Beyond the Blue Event Horizon - hence my punning tangent above. Shucks, I'm not really acid-teongued. Nonetheless, I 'can't' resist quoting this:

""They're called 'prayer fans', Wan."

""No, no," he shrilled crossly, taking it away from her and marching crossly into the chamber. "You do not pray with them. You read them. Like this."" - p 138

Let that be a lesson to you: the Bible & the Qur'an were meant to help keep kafirs like myself cooler in hot desert environments - they're not for reading. All those silly religious fanatics have got it all bass-ackwards.

The Heechee Saga is epic. "After more than three-quarters of a million years of rolling slowly around Earth;s very distant sun, the artifact pulled itself into a new orbit and surged away." (p 202) That may seem a bit too long-term to wrap yr head around but think of this: Mayflies have an average lifespan of 24 hrs & their lifespan can be as short as 30 minutes ( http://www.itsnature.org/what-on-earth/top-10-short-lived-creatures/ ), humans in the US have an average lifespan of 78.2 yrs. Interestingly, the US is 38 in the list of longest-lived & Japan's at the top w/ 82.6. The average expectancy independent of country is 67.2 (males 65, females 69.5). ( http://www.disabled-world.com/calculators-charts/life-expectancy-statistics.php )

SO, contrast a Mayfly living 30 minutes to a human male making it to 65: the human male lives 1,129,580 times longer than the Mayfly who "depending on the species and after hatching [..] mate, lay eggs and die." ( http://www.itsnature.org.. again) We have time to notice them but do they even notice us? It's completely reasonable, if still only speculative, that there's another critter out there to whom we're naught but a Mayfly.

"Not much development occurred in the fifteen years between the removal of the colony from its prehistoric African home and Squint's death. The Heechee were not discouraged. In fifteen years, they did not expect much. They had much longer plans than that." - p 262

"They tidied up behind them, as they always did. Then they went away and allowed the rest of that particular experiment, among all their experiments, to run.

"For eight hundred thousand years." - p 262

Putting that in the human / Mayfly scale again: If the human male lives 1,129,580 times longer than the Mayfly by making it to 65 then the above "eight hundred thousand years" wd put the human male at age 46.

Thank you, Frederik Pohl, for stimulating me to do the above research. show less