The Forever Man

Odd book that showed up in a daily book list email that I get. I liked Dickson's Time Storm and thought I'd give this a whirl. I fortunately found this on Open Library.

I say "odd" because the premise is definitely pulp short story-ish, seemingly fleshed out to novel size with a lot of filler. Dickson vacillates between good solid hard science fiction and really bizarre schlock and aw (yes, I mean to spell it that way) of a pulp mag variety...sometimes on the same page! And the ending, like many spots in the book, leaves a reader with WTH just happened??

Glad I read it, but it won't be a favorite lie Time Storm.

Pilot Jim Wander merges his consciousness with his spaceship, AndFriend, to combat alien Laagi forces after a 200-year-old derelict ship is found with its pilot similarly merged.

A long-missing ship is found with its pilot, Raoul Penard, still alive and merged with the ship's systems. Scientists attempt to replicate this phenomenon to win a generations-long war, selecting Ace fighter pilot Jim Wander for the procedure.

Jim is manipulated by psychologist Mary Gallagher into the mental symbiosis, leading to him becoming the Forever Man. He navigates his new existence to find a way to interact with the mysterious Laagi aliens.

I did not get this book when it first came out, but I remembered liking the premise. Although I had read numerous books detailing mind transfers to computers since that time, the cover image stuck in my mind. After getting some help remembering the title (thank my friends at SFFWorld.com, I was able to track down a used copy.

The story harkens back to the early days of Niven in style and imagination, maybe handled a little better. I will admit that the premise of a person loving his space ship so much that upon seeing it destroyed (mistakenly) they leave their body to bond with and save it was a little weak. However, the interactions of the characters were otherwise quite engaging.

In addition, the story reads as a mystery novel. The lead show more characters are sent on a mission to make contact with an implacable alien enemy that defies known logic. The scenes on the alien homeworld had me rapidly turning pages to find out the next twist. If you like a good sci-fi mystery then you will enjoy this book. show less

Penard has returned with his ship but his body hasn't, some experimentation later because this could be a way of exploration, the experiments make the experimenters learn a lot about themselves and how their minds work.