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Gordon R. Dickson’s “Childe Cycle” of novels depicting the future of the human race has been one of the grand epics of science fiction. At the time of his death in 2001, Dickson was writing Antagonist, the tale of Bleys Ahrens’ turn toward darkness. Now Dickson’s assistant David W. Wixon has brilliantly finished the long-awaited book, working from Dickson’s copious notes. Antagonist is a fitting capstone to one of the most ambitious series in SF history. The Childe Cycle is show more the story of a new human evolution: the development of a real, hardwired sense of “responsibility” shared by all human beings. Donal Graeme was a Dorsai, a mercenary soldier, and also a mutant gifted with insight into the path forward for the human race. Through his gifts Donal would come to bend time and live three lifetimes—and, in the process, run into problems he had not expected: first, his own flaws, and second, the existence of another mutant, Bleys Ahrens. Following Young Bleys and Other, Antagonist advances the story of the formidably powerful Bleys Ahrens. Bleys is a man with a clear vision of the struggle in which he’s involved -- but an increasingly deficient sense of human values. He and his organization, the Others, are tracking down an elusive interplanetary opposition. Meanwhile, Bleys' own intricate conspiracies and devisings, and his quest for power, which began with the best of motives, have become something darker and fiercer. He's committed to his plans. They may bring about the advent of Homo superior. And they may destroy the human race. show lessTags
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5/10
Apparently we will never know the end result of the conflict between Bleys Ahrens, with the Others and the Younger Worlds, and Hal Mayne, with the Final Encyclopedia, Dorsai, Exotics, and Old Earth. Author [a:Gordon R. Dickson|38631|Gordon R. Dickson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1230054159p2/38631.jpg] died 6 years before long-time assistant and co-author [a:David W. Wixon|153725|David W. Wixon|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] finished and published this volume, which was meant to be the penultimate installment in the Childe Cycle. The planned final book is not forthcoming, but Dickson and Wixon managed to lay enough groundwork in this book to lead readers to draw show more their own conclusions about how the threads of the future will likely play out.
There is little doubt that the trilogy of books focusing on Bleys Ahrens were neither as tightly plotted nor as thought-provoking as the original Dorsai books and those focusing on Hal Mayne, but even the later Mayne books were far too heavy on either internal or conversational philosophizing. This book follows that pattern, although the few conversations between Ahrens and Mayne are the highlights of the book.
I am a completist, so I am glad I persevered and finished the Childe Cycle. show less
Apparently we will never know the end result of the conflict between Bleys Ahrens, with the Others and the Younger Worlds, and Hal Mayne, with the Final Encyclopedia, Dorsai, Exotics, and Old Earth. Author [a:Gordon R. Dickson|38631|Gordon R. Dickson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1230054159p2/38631.jpg] died 6 years before long-time assistant and co-author [a:David W. Wixon|153725|David W. Wixon|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png] finished and published this volume, which was meant to be the penultimate installment in the Childe Cycle. The planned final book is not forthcoming, but Dickson and Wixon managed to lay enough groundwork in this book to lead readers to draw show more their own conclusions about how the threads of the future will likely play out.
There is little doubt that the trilogy of books focusing on Bleys Ahrens were neither as tightly plotted nor as thought-provoking as the original Dorsai books and those focusing on Hal Mayne, but even the later Mayne books were far too heavy on either internal or conversational philosophizing. This book follows that pattern, although the few conversations between Ahrens and Mayne are the highlights of the book.
I am a completist, so I am glad I persevered and finished the Childe Cycle. show less
A book that sounded interesting when first heard about but one that did not live up to expectations. This is not a close to the Childe Cycle (that apparently will never be written) but rather another book about Bleys Ahrens. This one follows a similar timeline as the Final Encyclopedia but tells the story from Bleys point of view. This might have been a good addition to the series of books but unfortunately this book was finished after Gordon Dickson passed away and the story is very uneven. I would only recommend this to other fans of the series who might need a final Dickson fix.
Kind of a let down... I was hoping to read to find out how it all worked out, but I didn't. This book & the preceding, [b:Other|263110|Other (Childe Cycle)|Gordon R. Dickson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173238986s/263110.jpg|650764], basically follow the same timeline as [b:The Final Encyclopedia|1634982|The Final Encyclopedia (Childe Cycle)|Gordon R. Dickson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1230853798s/1634982.jpg|7429901], but from Bleys Ahrens POV, instead of Hal Mayne's. So we learn a lot more about Bleys, who I never liked. Good ending, but if I hadn't read the last two books of this series (which I hadn't before) I really wouldn't have missed much.
I just realized I missed reading 2 of the books in the series; #8 & 9 as show more listed below. Don't know how I messed that up. I have #8 & might read it in the future since I see it has Amanda in it. I've always liked all the Amandas. I think I'll pass on #9, though. I've had more than enough of Bleys.
Childe Cycle
1. Dorsai! (1959) aka The Genetic General
2. Necromancer (1962) aka No Room for Man
3. Soldier, Ask Not (1967)
4. The Tactics of Mistake (1971)
5. The Spirit of Dorsai (1979)
6. Lost Dorsai (1980)
7. The Final Encyclopedia (1984)
8. The Chantry Guild (1988)
9. Young Bleys (1991)
10. Other (1994)
11. Antagonist (2007) (with David W Wixon) show less
I just realized I missed reading 2 of the books in the series; #8 & 9 as show more listed below. Don't know how I messed that up. I have #8 & might read it in the future since I see it has Amanda in it. I've always liked all the Amandas. I think I'll pass on #9, though. I've had more than enough of Bleys.
Childe Cycle
1. Dorsai! (1959) aka The Genetic General
2. Necromancer (1962) aka No Room for Man
3. Soldier, Ask Not (1967)
4. The Tactics of Mistake (1971)
5. The Spirit of Dorsai (1979)
6. Lost Dorsai (1980)
7. The Final Encyclopedia (1984)
8. The Chantry Guild (1988)
9. Young Bleys (1991)
10. Other (1994)
11. Antagonist (2007) (with David W Wixon) show less
I don't think I'll be keeping this one. Brought out after the author's death with the help of his long-time assistant. A quick skim suggests that this is not up to the standard of the author's best work.
I will, however, be looking for firsts of Dickson's classic early Dorsai novels like SOLDIER, ASK NOT and TACTICS OF MISTAKE>
I will, however, be looking for firsts of Dickson's classic early Dorsai novels like SOLDIER, ASK NOT and TACTICS OF MISTAKE>
Do not care for Bleys as a character so books are boring.
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293+ Works 33,149 Members
A naturalized American who was born in Canada on November 1, 1923, Gordon Rupert Dickson is a popular science fiction writer. Dickson graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1948 and made his home in Minneapolis. Among his many novels, especially notable is Soldier, Ask Not, which won the Hugo Award in 1965. For many years, Dickson's most show more engrossing project was his Childe Cycle, a series of novels about humanity's evolutionary potential, which included a group of futuristic books that are popularly known as the Dorsai Cycle. Dickson also wrote hundreds of short stories and novelettes including Call Him Lord, for which he received a Nebula Award in 1966. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
2+ Works 134 Members
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Antagonist
- Original publication date
- 2008
- Dedication
- FOR MIKE AMUNDSON,
WITCH DOCTOR
There for Gordy's computers,
Here for mine.
Thanks, Mike! - First words
- From where he knelt on the dirt floor, Bleys could see the soldier's body up against the far wall of the roughly dug, timber-framed bunker.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Good luck, brother," the figure of Bleys said.
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- 255,823
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (2.33)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 2
